Book #14 Week #12, Mockingjay (H.G. #3) by Suzanne Collins

If you have not read Mockingjay yet and if you are anything like me and won't even read the back cover of a sequel because you want to be totally surprised I suggest you stop reading now.

Mockingjay is a very intense book. In the beginning we learn that our beloved District 12 has been destroyed and not everyone was able to escape.  Those that did have been taken in by the mysterious District 13. But any illusions of District 13 being a hopeful, peaceful safe haven are quickly squashed. District 13 is an underground city and it is ran in a very military like order. The people of 12 were taken in as a means to increase the population of 13 rather than as an act of kindness and unity.

Also shocking while Katniss was rescued after the fall of the Quarter Quell, Peeta was captured by the Capitol. There are plans in the works to attempt a rescue and in the meanwhile, President Coin of 13 wants to use Katniss as the symbol of the revolution. Katniss struggles with this as she feels she has been used over and over again but finally gives in but with several conditions.

Things really take off from there. Katniss is being used in political campaign ads for the revolution while she is really itching to get in on the action and try to do some good. One of her conditions is that she'd be the one to kill President Snow who has been sending hidden messages to her and is using Peeta as a weapon against her. Katniss really struggles in this book. She suddenly feels untrusting of people she thought she knew so well. Relationships once set in stone now teeter on the brink of collapse.

I loved The Hunger Games series. Wonderful books with a strong female lead, who is not boy crazy and is trying to find out who she really is. And a quote:

"I drag myself out of nightmares each morning and find there's no relief in waking."

Now for something different. I want to let out my real thoughts on the ending but don't want to spoil anything so you can venture forward at your own risk ...... ***SPOILERS AHEAD***
***SPOILERS TURN BACK NOW***

I cried so much during this book, more so than the other two. So much loss. Not only in death, Finnick and Prim (I loved them both), but also in relationships. In the beginning I wanted Gale and Katniss to be together but it was obvious as time went by that they were just too different. I hated that he cared about her so much but was never around when she really needed him. It hurt me so much that not only Gale but her own mother left Katniss after the death of Prim. Just disappeared.

She was so utterly alone and lonely by that time I was relieved that Katniss was able to find a life together with Peeta. Even though it wasn't what I originally hoped for it worked out well. Plus I loved that Suzanne Collins included an epilogue. In most books you are left wondering what happens after the fact but here I found it nice to have closure. I do wonder what happened with Gale and Katniss' mother though.