The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

The Hunger Games - Mockingjay

Name: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Year: 2010

Genre: Adventure, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Thriller

Here is my review of the third and final novel in The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

Plot

(Note: This review does contain some spoilers - you have been warned).

The novel begins a few weeks after the events of Catching Fire, with Katniss visiting the wreckage of what was once District Twelve. We soon learn that after Katniss destroyed the arena the Capitol sent firebombs to destroy the entire district. Those that did manage to survive are now living in District Thirteen, a district which up until now was considered destroyed by the Capitol.

We also learn that the rebels managed to collect her from the wreckage of the arena but did not get the time to rescue any of the other tributes, who are now in Capitol custody, including Peeta.

However, Katniss was not just plucked out of the arena for nothing and District Thirteen now want her to become the face of the rebellion - the titular Mockingjay.

As the novel progresses we follow Katniss's journey from initially uniting the districts to taking on the Capitol and facing her biggest battle and greatest personal tragedy to date...

Thoughts

Out of the three books in The Hunger Games trilogy, I personally found this final novel to be the most hard-hitting and enjoyable of the three as Collins uses all of the ideas laid out in the previous two novels to create a riveting final novel.

One of the overarching themes in the novel is that of war, devastation and loss and Collins presents and uses this theme constantly. The sense of devastation is delivered right at the start when Katniss visits the remains of District Twelve which can only be described as an horrific moment showing the brutal reality of what she is going through. This then continues throughout the novel when Katniss begins to enter combat in the districts and again in the final chapters in the Capitol.

Also the book throws up more complex and morally ambiguous issues than the previous novels such as the underlying tension between Katniss and President Coin, the leader of District Thirteen where Katniss suspects she may be helping someone to take power who has her own dark political motives and throughout the novel Katniss is seen to constantly evaluate her actions, usually believing herself to be at blame.

The events in District Two also serve to create a moral dilemma where Katniss and Gale disagree on whether it is right to blow up a mountain base, trapping everyone inside and not giving them a chance to surrender.

My final point though I do not want to reveal too much is the ending of the trilogy (which happily I had forgotten about after I previously read the trilogy a few years ago) is exhilarating, pulse-pounding and definitely has the shock factor.

Verdict:

An exquisite final novel which manages to surpass the two before it to create a complex and thrilling conclusion to the trilogy.