Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

August 2010 by Scholastic Press

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost. (Goodreads)

We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction.........pg. 379

~Thoughts on Mockingjay and the series as a whole~

So I do not want to review Mockingjay I want to discuss it......

So for any of you who haven't read Mockingjay I would advise against reading my discussion review, for those who have read, please chime in and let me know what you think. I'm breaking it down between the three main characters.

GALE

So I was never a big Gale fan, probably because he was such a background character (half-butt character more like it) in the first two novels and although he was best friend to Katniss, I never could see the romantic chemistry between them. Gale was the complete opposite of Katniss, yes they grew up losing their fathers and they new how to be hungry and go without...but they had very different goals in life. The best way to describe it...Gale to me represented a Solider....bent on wanting to take revenge on the Capital, he knew what he wanted and was sure of his course. What drove Gale was vengeance and getting justice for all the people that died at the hands of the Capital.. He saw things in black and white and also from a strategic war view point. Even with his potential I kind of felt Collins wrote him off a bit..........

PEETA

I knew when Peeta was captured by The Capital things would get twisty......What I didn't expect in Mockingjay was how background Peeta became and the shocking twist Collins threw in with his plotline. Watching this mild mannered doesn't hurt anyone guy become completely unfiltered was crazy. One of my favorite aspects with Peeta (even though it was counter his personality) was how angry he became with Katniss. It was a great opportunity to point out some of the shelfish garbage Katniss was displaying. Towards the end however, I became frustrated with the whole him going crazy and by the time he attacked Katniss for the second time in the field I just wanted Peeta back and I wanted Katniss to fight for him and when I couldn't take one more minute of her lack of emotion over him the plot changed and Katniss breaks through her "nothing gets to me" wall and decides fighting for Peeta is okay. I think when Katniss finally kissed him in the book, it ultimately determined the direction of her and Peeta's story. Somehow even if they died she chose him in that moment and even if Peeta remained in freaksville for the mind Katniss crossed over. I think regardless of Prim, even if her outcome had been different, the end was going to be the same. 

As for Peeta, he was my favorite character out of the series. Although Peeta was reserved and quiet in personality, it took unbelievable strength to go through the games, fall in love with no promise of love back, be captured, tortured and broken but in the end come back with almost all pieces of himself....even with his love for Katniss which helped him come back- his own mental strength did it....he was an amazing character.

KATNISS

I think what I loved so much about Katniss was her determination, she fought her way through the first hunger games and although she was used by the Capitol she fought back. Ive heard some complaints that Katniss didn't rock in this novel, but I thought she did. She went through two Games, she was forced to kill innocent peers, she lost pieces of herself in the arena and lost a countless number of loved ones. The pain she carried was unbelievable, including the fact that Katniss felt she couldn't really love in return. I think that's way she never really let Peeta, Gale or her own family in, she was afraid of losing them. But looking back over the series I think Katniss fell in love with Peeta in the first novel when they spent time in the cave together. Although she couldn't admit it until the last page of the book she knew Peeta was the only man who could understand what she went through. Tremendous loss effects people in such dramatic ways her actions in the end really did shock me, shocked me in a good way that even in her mental instability she decided to no longer play the game....the way it was to be played. To come back from all of that and go on...amazing bravery and strength. Katniss I felt encapsulated true character growth.

Katniss to me represented the Survivor- she was forced into the Hunger Games protecting her sister, everyone basically controlled her or used her as a chess piece. Katniss rebelled of course and did what she wanted to do, but until the end of Mockingjay she pretty much played into the hands of whoever was in control. She wanted justice but not at the expense of innocent lives. She was willing to let go of war if they could just have peace. I think that's ultimately why Peeta seemed to fit with her, he had the same views about war and killing. Peeta and Katniss both lived through the terror of shedding innocent blood by their own hands and wanted the terror to end. For me when Katniss finally realized why Peeta was the one she needed, it solidified what I felt in the beginning- Gale wanted the war, the destruction and the life of fighting for freedom (an Honorable mission) while Peeta and Katniss wanted rest and peace to move forward. I thought Gale for all the "wanting" of Katniss really didn't pursue her once he had the chance and then he just completely gave up kind of like a ...oh well....it was frustrating to see him just let her go, they both just gave up on each other and Gale did nothing to fight for her or the relationship. Gale's character once brought to the forefront in MJay was built up to be a war hungry beast. The whole situation was an easy way out for Katniss (although I think she chose Peeta before the bombing) so in the end there never was really a choice, it was always going to be Peeta.

I loved the ending of the series and the last whispered words gave me the chills.....I thought Collin's gave the characters closure, depth and a future that we can be happy with. By far one of the best YA series I have ever read and overall series in general for that matter..........!!