Mocking Jay

Third and last book of the Hunger Games series comes with more plot twists and hard decisions for the main characters. The ending doesn't quite satisfy my optimistic expectations but teaches me to reconcile between reality and hope.

by Suzanne Colins

In the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss finds a way to lead the desperate, solemn people of District 13, to find a path to freedom. When Peeta is taken away by the Capitol, to use as bait, Katniss struggles to decide who to love. Peeta or Gale? After what happened in the last hunger games, Katniss yearns for a life where none of this was ever possible, a life where she won’t have to worry about her future kids becoming a tribute.

The plot had a lot of twists and reversals from the previous two books. Several characters broke the images I had formed in my mind. Peeta, previously described as caring, selfless, and courageous, is now presented as a selfish, scared, and traumatized adult. Even though injecting poison into someone’s body was illegal, the Capitol still tried to do this with Peeta. That’s why he’s so disoriented when District 13 finally retrieves him. Because of this change, Katniss was hurt, for someone she actually cared about thought she was a monster. I was very disappointed since I was expecting that if Katniss was rescued in the Games, so would Peeta. But, that’s not what happened and it broke my heart to see someone’s love hate them. 

I don’t think Katniss was supposed to be seen as a woman, or with super heavy makeup, which is why I think no one really saw her as she is, therefore no one really believed in what she was saying. I didn’t like how the author made Gale such an antagonist, for I had thought Katniss would actually spend the rest of her life with him, but after all he did in the third book, I changed my mind. The change in their relationship tells me that not every girl and boy relationship ends peacefully with love. Obviously, Katniss and Gale had different ways of ending the war, and that’s what separated them even further, after the fake dramatic relationship with Peeta

I thought when Peeta started remembering, he would return to himself fully. Sadly, that’s not what happened, though I would have enjoyed it more if it did happen. This shows that hope may not ever match up with reality because when you hope, you are optimistic and think of every possible way for someone to survive. But when you face the harsh reality, the “hope” of what is possible becomes very small and unlikely. In the end, Peeta ends up staying with Katniss, and they have two beautiful children. Even though he did not remember everything, he remembered his love for her, and that she was the one he wanted to spend eternity with.

Overall, this book was amazing. The plot had many twists and turns, along with some cliffhangers, but that’s what makes it fun to read.

See my review of the first book The Hunger Games here. 

See my review of the second book Catching Fire here. 

3 comments

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I personally was very disappointed with this book. The first book was amazing and was shocked at this book. I felt like there was something new that needed to be added because at this point it was just getting boring. There needed to be more action.

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