NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins


3.0 out of 5 stars Katniss lost her focus and passion..., August 28, 2010


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As were other readers, I was disappointed and let down by this book, the final installment in the previously thrilling Hunger Games trilogy. I had really anticipated liking it more. I think the main point fueling my reaction is that the interaction and the dialog between the individuals and the interplay of their relationships that I had found so interesting in the first two novels were missing in this one. By the end, I really didn't care about any of the formerly endearing or revolting characters and got tired of the endless descriptions of weapons and all different manner of war and death. I prefer to read about people and their feelings and thoughts to reading about battles, chases, and escapes from the clutches of bad guys or fantastic hordes of killing machines.

I really didn't have much empathy for Katniss because she seemed to always be either impetuously disregarding what was in her best interests and doing something stupid out of anger or revenge or huddled in a secret place crying and wallowing. Neither is attractive in a character I want to admire and root for in a novel that is supposed to be about strong heroines and causes. I guess I felt that the novel was relentless in its diatribe about the horrors of war - got it the first time in the first chapter. I had hoped that Katniss would lead the rebels to the Capitol in an organized well thought out battle where GOOD would decisively triumph over evil. By the time she made it to the Capitol, her motives seemed shallow and more for personal reasons than for the good of Panem as a whole - it was about her and what Snow had done to her loved ones and her life. More or less it seemed to me that, in the end, she whimpered toward a victory that was hollow and pointless as she slunk back to District 12 to quietly live out the rest of her days. The epilogue was supposed to indicate that she had reached a level of peace or acceptance but merely seemed like an afterthought. She had completely lost her passion. And I lost interest in her.

Despite my overall dissatisfaction and my review indicating that to me the book was only so-so, anyone who was enthralled with The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) will certainly feel compelled to read this book to finish out the series. I am also sure that the movie(s) will be wildly popular.

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