Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Review (Spoiler-Free)

The third and final installment of The Hunger Games series. If you haven't heard of it before, don't waste time feeling ashamed. Go pick yourself up a copy.

The first two-thirds of Mockingjay were torturous. Not that those chapters were terrible (they weren't by any means,) but it was so hard to have to wait to find out what happened. Some bits were boring, but the story gently rolled along until the last third. That's when it kicked in for me. The action began, you feel that tell-tale rush you get when Suzanne Collins is on her game. Mockingjay didn't disappoint. Only, in this one, each loss felt increasingly heartbreaking. There were points where literally it was blow after blow after blow; it became emotionally overwhelming. But, it was in those moments that you had to applaud Collins. She knows how to write a tough, strong female character. Katniss, even when she was broken, didn't bother to fix herself, not even attempt. She just did what was needed. She pulled it together, even when there wasn't anything to pull together. Impressive.

I loved the epilogue, especially the last line. It was perfectly imperfect. I wish there had been more explanation for what Katniss chose with Gale and Peeta. It felt rushed almost, wrapped up too quickly. I had never personally been able to choose between the two, but what Katniss decided felt right. I liked the ending, even though it seemed a bit jagged. There needed to be strings attached.

Rating: 9.5/10 (for those boring bits at the beginning. The end made up for it though.)