""Fire is catching!" I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. "And if we burn, you burn with us!""
What an utterly depressing read.
Katniss Everdeen has participated in two Hunger Games and has experienced enough terror and trauma for a lifetime. In Mockingjay, Katniss reaches a breaking point. She's suffering from her injuries, grief and PTSD. All she wanted to do was to protect her sister and survive the games. She never thought that she would become something bigger, that she would be seen as the leader and face of a rebellion. She never wanted to be a hero, but that's ultimately what she's forced to become.
In Mockingjay, the secondary characters don't get much of a chance to shine or develop, probably because so many new characters are introduced. I didn't feel as connected to the characters in Mockingjay because I couldn't get a sense of who they were. However, what got to me was the harrowing and traumatic experiences that the victims of the Hunger Games experienced. Most of the characters in The Hunger Games series are so damaged and have endured so much.
Peeta is a unique character and I'm quite sad that he didn't feature as much in Mockingjay. I've been on Team Peeta even since I first read The Hunger Games because he brings out the best in Katniss and supports her and understands her. However, I feel like Katniss chose Peeta just because he was there, but that's also exactly what I would expect Katniss to do. I also feel like Katniss is confused about her feelings towards Peeta and Gale and instead of leading both of them on, she should have taken a step back and figured out what she wanted to do, but I also feel that Katniss has more important things to focus on.
The pacing in Mockingjay is fast, but it show that war is rushed, messy and brutal. However, because of this, important character deaths are briefly mentioned and as a reader, I couldn't feel the extent of their deaths. I do understand, though, that Katniss didn't have the time or space to deal with and process those deaths at that moment. Why did Finnick and Prim have to die?!?! Also, that scene where Katniss yells at Buttercup and breaks down is one of the saddest moments in Mockingjay.
The last few pages is what makes Mockingjay a great book and The Hunger Games series iconic. The last few scenes, especially Katniss's interactions with President Coin and Snow is EPIC and memorable.
Mockingjay shows an extremely realistic portrayal of war. It's gloomy, bloody, brutal, gory and full of suffering, grief and pain. However, this series doesn't just show hurt. It also shows that hope can exist in the darkest of the times and in little acts of kindness. The bittersweet ending is extremely fitting for a series of this nature. The last line of Mockingjay will stick with me for a long time.
"Better not to give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself together as it does to fall apart" (Finnick Odair)