Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Spoiler Free!)

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, 3) by Suzanne Collins
Young Adult Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Scholastic Press (August 24, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0439023511
400 pages
Review copy provided by the publisher

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

As the final installment of a widely loved and thoroughly praised series, Mockingjay has proven to be a worthy conclusion. Not only does it meet the high expectations set by The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, but it's even more epic, suspenseful, heartbreaking and, ultimately, satisfying than its predecessors. In Mockingjay, the entire of Panem is the arena and Katniss finds that the true threats are more dangerous than any of the Capitol's manufactured muttations could ever be.

Collins is great at creating fully fleshed-out characters and putting them through their paces. This is especially true of Mockingjay, where no one is exempt from making mistakes and the realities of war have led characters to surprising choices and places. Collins portrayal of the Districts' uprising is excellent. Instead of turning the tale into one of good versus evil, the lines are blurred. The loyalties, agendas and intentions of everyone are often uncertain and the heroine's goals are usually the only constant.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the highly debated love triangle - involving Katniss's best friend, Gale Hawthorne, and pseudo-boyfriend, Peeta Mellark - which is an even larger part of the tale this time around (Collins even seems to poke fun at the issue once or twice). This is understandable given the dire circumstances that they find themselves in, the new and surprising complexities of the relationships, the repercussions that Katniss's choice will have and the much greater role that Gale plays compared to the previous books. However, this storyline is more important than any concerns about which boy Katniss is kissing next. Collins has made this particular drama about more than romance - its also about Katniss deciding who she wants to be and what she needs in life. While it takes almost the entire novel for her to reach a decision - Peeta, Gale or neither - she eventually does and, in my opinion, it's one that's in keeping with her character and the realities of her situation.

Mockingjay is a more reflective novel than the first two. Like Catching Fire, the energy and excitement take some building up and Katniss's inner struggle dominates the novel over the action. That's not to say that this story is lacking in any way but, due to the ravages of war and the many high personal stakes, it is more bleak and focused on Katniss's inner dialog. As for the ending, it manages to be somewhat ambiguous yet nicely wrapped-up and wholly appropriate. The rest is for you to find out.

Grade: A

Series Order (linked to my reviews):
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

Visit Suzanne Collins's site for more information about her and her novels.

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