Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - YA book review

Mockingjay
Author:  Suzanne Collins
Published:  2010
Publisher:  Scholastic
pages: 390, including an epilogue
Genre:  YA dystopian fiction
Source:  I bought it
ISBN 9780439023511

My name is Katniss Everdeen.  Why am I not dead?  I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped.  Katniss' 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' 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.  (from the cover)

Mockingjay is the third and final volume in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.  With the movie, The Hunger Games, coming out here March 23, 2012, the urge to read the series beforehand was strong.  I really enjoyed The Hunger Games, book 1.  It was full of action and adventure and a love triangle.  Book 2, Catching Fire, was less action filled but it continued to build upon the story of the districts and the manipulation and control the Capitol exercised freely over the people of Panem.  It was a necessary build up to the climax, Mockingjay.

I was forewarned I may not like the ending...may not be happy with whom Katniss finds she cannot survive without...may not like the violent nature of the concluding chapters.  Ok, I was forewarned.  Yes, it was violent but not gory.  War is violent; there is just no way around it.  The scenes were edge of your seat reading and, guess what .... I was happy with whom Katniss chose.  I shed tears while reading this book, was angered over the senseless deaths of two of the characters, thrilled to see Katniss evolve and come into her own, as she has done a bit through each novel in the series.  Growth in a fictional character should be equivalent to real life persons and experiences.  If she hadn't grown, despite her circumstances, she wouldn't be a heroine.  She wouldn't have the trust and respect of her fellow characters or the readers.  In fact, it amazes me just how strong she is here. Suzanne Collins shares with the reader Katniss' thought processes, her self-doubt, her qualms, and yet, Katniss rises above it all, being the true leader the people need, despite discovering she was being played as a pawn.  This is admirable and a good read.  I was 257 pages into Mockingjay when I just knew I had to buy the entire series.  I had originally borrowed each book in turn but by book 2, I knew it was a buyer!  I didn't finish reading the original borrowed copy, but rather returned it and bought the set for myself and finished reading from my own copy.  I know my daughter will like it too!

Mockingjay is a roller coaster ride of events, danger, joy, sadness, thrills, edge of your seat reading.  In conclusion, Mockingjay sings!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - book review (YA/adult)

Catching Fire
Author:  Suzanne Collins
Published: 2009
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
ISBN 9780439023498
Pages: 391
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian Fiction
Source:  borrowed

Rating:  4/5

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Catching Fire is the fiery second book in the trilogy of The Hunger Games.   Split into three parts, beginning with a recap of The Hunger Games and the ensuing victory tour; the second part leads up to the Hunger Games "The Quell"; and the latter portion of the book is the Games themselves, Catching Fire takes off right where The Hunger Games left us.

Catching Fire is not so action packed, not until the last third of the novel, really, but it is not a boring trip to the games this time around either. To recap, in the first novel Katniss and Peeta, the two tributes from District 12, are the winners of The Hunger Games.  It is the first time two winners have made it to the end, and this only due to some manipulation of the Capitol and the Gamekeepers with threats made by Katniss, and secondly Peeta, of the death of them both.  It is allowed but a price must be paid for Katniss' defiance. In a mandatory television broadcast, an announcement is made....

"My mother gives a faint shriek and Prim buries her face in her hands, but I feel more like the people I see in the crowd on television.  Slightly baffled.  What does it mean?  Existing pool of victors?
Then I get it, what it means.  At least, for me, District 12 has only three existing victors to choose from.  Two male.  One female...
I am going back into the arena." (page 173)

Thus, The Quell is announced.  The living victors from previous years' Hunger Games are forced to relive their horrors in yet another life and death competition, and this means Katniss and Peeta must return to the arena.  We have already read half the book by the time this is announced!

In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are a year older, a year wiser, and we see Katniss develop as an individual, as a woman and as a potential leader.  The author takes the time for some character development, which is noted in the growth we see in Katniss, though Peeta still remains a bit of a vague person.  We know of his love but we don't really get a good look into his psyche, to see what makes him tick, what his true strengths and beliefs are.  The plot is strong and well thought out, though not so action packed as the first, The Hunger Games.  More time is spent developing the story line, showing the tension of the people, the effort of the government to maintain control.  Plot building..... Catching Fire is more about the people than the games.

Leading up to the games, threats of rebellion against the controlling government of the Capitol are throughout the districts, consequently armed patrols invade the districts and there is no leeway on any rules.  Rather than quiet the rebels, though, a great and strong current of unrest continues to rise up.  The mocking jay is their symbol, it is Katniss' token, and the people look to Katniss as the face of the rebellion.  The people of the districts want Katniss to win the games again.  To be their victor, to be their champion of the people.  The games are on again.  Who will win this time?

“The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol’s plans. The symbol of the rebellion.”(page 386)

Suzanne Collins authors another powerful novel in Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games series.  She manipulates the environment, the mood, the plot masterfully, weaving in subplots and new characters while maintaining the hold she has on the readers' attention.  It is hard to put down, though not so difficult as The Hunger Games was (probably because The Hunger Games was so action-packed).  Catching Fire ends with a lovely little cliffhanger, just to keep the reader excited and eager to read the next book in the series, Mockingjay.  Which I will pick up next.  

Stay tuned for the upcoming review!

PS  rumours have it that Catching Fire will be in theatres in 2013!

Reader warning:  suitable for junior high (middle school), high school and adults due to mature themes of violence

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games
Author:  Suzanne Collins
Published:  2008
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Pages:  374
Genre:  Dystopian fiction
ISBN  9780439023528

www.scholastic.com

"WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE.
LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.
THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN....

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 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 weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

My review:

I first read of this book and series on Facebook.  A friend was reading it and continually commented on just how terrific a read The Hunger Games is!  At least a year passed and it wasn't until I had read several positive reviews and saw the movie trailer that my interest was piqued sufficiently that I had to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins to see for myself if it truly was worth all the hype.

Katniss Everdeen's father died in a coal mine blast and her mother slid into a deep hole of depression, leaving Katniss to fend for the family of three, her mother, sister Prim and herself.  The only way to do that was to sneak under the wire fence surrounding their district and hunt for food; both actions considered illegal.  Katniss, though, was determined to do whatever it took to feed her family and herself.  The times are bleak, the government controlling, the food scarce.  Each district has an industry for which it is known and District 12, Katniss' home, is coal mining.  The air is littered with the greasy mists of coal dust.  All in all, one's existence is day to day.  

The Hunger Games is just another cruelty the Capitol inflicts upon its residents.  Each year one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts is chosen to enter the televised games.  Only one will survive.  One victor.  One tribune.  When Prim is selected, Katniss volunteers herself in her stead, knowing her life is about to change and perhaps be short-lived.  The "fun" is about to begin!

I wholeheartedly admit to LOVING this book!!  I read it on the transit to and from work, during my breaks, including my lunch breaks.  I was so involved in the story that I longed for lunch time just so I could pick up the book again!  It's been a while since I've read a book of this magnitude!  I am just sorry it took so long for me to discover The Hunger Games.  The plot is unique, the characters well-fleshed out and realistic, their emotions and thought processes genuine.  It's an "on the edge of your seat" kind of read. One that stays with you and makes you long incessantly for the next book in the series, which is Catching Fire.  

"I take his hand, holding on tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go."

Would I recommend this book?  Without hesitation, yes!  Rated 5/5!!!

Second book in the series is Catching Fire
Third book in the series is Mockingjay

Watch the movie trailer here.