Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #3)

Publisher - Scholastic
Publication Date - 25th August 2010
Paperback - 448 pages
Genre - YA Dystopian

Source - Purchased

Rating - 5 out of 5: It was amazing!

Book Info - Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12.

My Thoughts - Mockingjay carries straight on from the events of Catching Fire. The rebellion against the Capitol is in full force and Katniss has had to make some tough decisions about which side she wants to be on. There is a lot of talk about strategy surrounding the rebellion and this means that it does, at some points, move along at quite a slow pace. I did end up skimming through some of these parts in my desperation to find out how the trilogy would end.

I really felt for Katniss during the events of this book. You can't help but feel like she is being used by everybody around her and it is easy to feel her loneliness. At one point she seems to lose sight of who she really is and  she has to do a lot of soul searching. But luckily she manages to find herself again and she soon turns back into the tough, strong, smart girl that I fell in love with.

Gale plays a bigger part in this book but he still doesn't make much of an impression on me. He is incredibly loyal to Katniss and this shows his devotion to her. But I just didn't feel as though there was anything more than friendship between the two of them, despite the fact that he is supposed to have been in love with Katniss for a long time.

I didn't particularly enjoy the ending of the trilogy. There is such a feeling of sadness and loneliness and I really wish it could have ended differently. Even the epilogue, which I think was supposed to be a happy ending, had huge overtones of sadness. But the ending was a powerful one and it stuck with me for a long time after I had finished reading the book.

Summary - Despite my feelings about the way it ended, The Hunger Games trilogy is one of the best series' I have ever come across and I would highly recommend them to anybody who hasn't already read them. They are powerful enough to really drag you into Katniss's world and they don't even release their grip on you after you have finished reading them. This is definitely a series I can see myself re-reading in the future.

Other books in the series:
1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. Mockingjay

Other reviews of this book:
Becky's Book Reviews / Bookalicious Ramblings / Book Smugglers / Caroline Bookbinder / Persnickety Snark / Presenting Lenore
(If you would like your review of Mockingjay included here, please leave a link in the comments and I will be sure to add it)

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #2)

Publisher - Scholastic
Publication Date - 7th September 2009
Paperback - 480 pages
Genre - YA Dystopian

Source - Purchased

Rating - 4 out of 5: really liked it!

Book Info - After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear rumours of a deadly rebellion against the Capitol. A rebellion that she and Peeta have helped to create. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless Katniss and Peeta can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying...

My Thoughts - Catching Fire starts a few months after the events of The Hunger Games. I felt that the first half of this book really lacked the drive and momentum of the first book, and I had trouble engaging with the characters and the storyline. However, the second half of the book really picks up speed and I found myself completely gripped once again.

There are some great new characters that I really enjoyed reading about and I fell in love with Katniss all over again. There is a lot of intrigue and double-crossing in this book which adds a whole new layer of interest. Along with Katniss, the reader has trouble knowing who can be trusted in the rebellion.

The cliffhanger at the end is huge and I have to say that I am very grateful that I waited until all the books in the series had been released so that I can start Mockingjay straight away.

Summary - Although it got off to a slow start, Catching Fire is a great installment to an amazing series.

Other Books in the series:
1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. Mockingjay

Other reviews of this book:
Becky's Book Reviews / Bookalicious Ramblings / Book Smugglers / Caroline Bookbinder / Persnickety Snark / Presenting Lenore
(If you would like your review of Catching Fire included here, please leave a link in the comments and I will be sure to add it)

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games #1)

Publisher - Scholastic
Publication Date - 5th January 2009
Paperback - 464 pages
Genre - YA Dystopian

Source -Purchased

Rating - 5 out of 5: It was amazing!

Book Info - In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Thoughts - What really stood out for me in this book was the realistic world that is created by the author. From the descriptions that are used I got completely lost in the story and at times whilst reading this book I even had dreams about being a resident of Panem (and some of the dreams were pretty scary!). I fell so in love with the characters and their tragic story that I couldn't put the book down.

Katniss is an amazing main character. Her ability to survive no matter what is thrown at her is inspirational but at times she does take it too far and I felt that the way she treated Peeta in the arena was very unfair. I really liked Peeta. He seems loyal, down-to-earth, strong and the type of person everybody likes and respects. I couldn't really get a feel for Gale. I didn't feel as though I learnt enough about him to feel much either way.

The only problem I had with The Hunger Games was that, even though I had tried to avoid reading spoilers about the series, I was still able to guess some parts of the ending because I knew that there were more books in the series. This, of course, was no fault of the author - it was just because I was coming to the series when all the books had already been released. Although this didn't stop me from loving the book,  it did make the ending less of a surprise.

Summary - The Hunger Games is an amazing start to a series, with realistic world building, characters that  are easy to love and even a hint of romance. It is a story about courage, hope and survival. I really can't recommend this series enough and if you haven't started this series yet, what are you waiting for?

Other books in the series:
1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. Mockingjay

Other reviews of  this book:
Becky's Book Reviews / Bookalicious Ramblings / BookNAround / Book Smugglers / Caroline Bookbinder / Heaven, Hell and Purgatory / Persnickety Snark / Presenting Lenore / This That and the Other Thing
(If you would like your review of The Hunger Games included here, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I will be sure to add it)