Title: Mockingjay Author: Suzanne Collins # of Pages: 390 (hardback) Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Dystopia Rating: ★★★☆☆ Synopsis:Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's 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's 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. Review:Original Review: January 16, 2013, 4 stars, reading date unknown
Yes, I do love the Hunger Games series. But this one, out of all of them, had to be my least favorite. It seemed a little rushed, though still had the overall great quality that was found in the other books.
Second Review: 3 stars
It feels like I've never read this book before.
Seriously, it's as if I had looked up a summary online; I only remember the main points. Most of the events described were new to me, and I realized my imagination had begun to create its own parts of the book.
I'm not one for these big rebellion-endings. A lot of dystopian books tend to end this way, but it becomes extremely messy when the reader has to remember all the characters and try to recreate the scenes with their imaginations (this step can define whether the scene is comprehended, especially if certain points of the plot depend on picturing an area correctly). This book was no exception. It was very time consuming to read and re-read descriptions to reach to full effect of the book.
Katniss isn't as strong of a protagonist in this book. She needs to learn to cope with the situation she finds herself in and to gain control of her mental state. Overall, she's not a very good role model.
One scene that I had fabricated was the epilogue. Instead of the disappointingly short, two page nothingness that was actually provided, I thought there would be at least five pages, and Gale would be there. He would stop by to visit Katniss and Peeta in an amazing car with a fancy suit and (in a way) be showing Katniss what she missed out on. Of course, Gale wouldn't be that big of a jerk about it, and Katniss would still be good friends with him...but this is no joke. I was looking forward to this scene until I realized it didn't exist!
The whole Gale-made-the-bomb-and-is-kimda-responsible-for-killing-my-sister-so-that's-why-I'm-going-to-end-up-with-Peeta is ridiculous. The whole situation/encounter was just a way too obvious plot device to enable Gale to fade away...I mean, he's not even in the epilogue!
A really confusing part for me was when Katniss agreed that there should be a final Hunger Games. Then, when I thought about it, it came to me that she might be being submissive in order to ensure she could have a shot at killing Coin. But the problem with that is she doesn't seem to be entirely sure if she is going to kill Coin until the very last moment. So, after reading a few opinions on the 'net, I also came to the conclusion that she wanted to prevent the destruction of the entire Capital population by sacrificing a smaller amount (who would die anyway if the other option was put into action). And someone also said that when Katniss says "Yes...for Prim", she is, in a way, volunteering for Prim for the last time (and, after all, Katniss never felt like she completely left the games) and to enter a new game/faces a new challenge where her goal, instead of to stay alive, is to avenge Prim's life. But this whole ordeal took way took much time post-reading.
I was left with a lot of questions. How exactly was Peeta able to regain so much of his former self? Why were the rebel medics so eager to rush in to help the Capitol children, and why did they not find it strange to be sent out to be in such an area with so many Capitol people? I felt like there was a lot left unanswered.
Book/Movie Comparison
It's shocking how much of the book was rearranged for the movie. For example, some of the dialogue said by Plutarch and Fulvia (Plutarch's assistant) in the book is said by Effie in the movie. I'm pleased that the dialogue is in the movie, but the differences are surprising.
However, in regards to the dialogue given to Effie...I wonder if this is a scene they had to film after Hoffman's death. I know they filmed part 1 and part 2 of the movie together, and they didn't necessarily have to film it in order. Also, I heard from the an article that one of the few parts in the movies he had to complete was from part 1 and was later rewritten and assigned to another character.
"We decided to rewrite the scenes and give his dialogue to other [actors]," he explained. "There's a scene in 'Mockingjay Part 1' that Elizabeth Banks took over for, and there's a scene in 'Mockingjay Part 2' that Woody Harrelson took over for." -Francis Lawrence
But another notable dialogue switch is between Effie (movie) and Finnick (book) with the quote, "'They'll either want to kill you, kiss you, or be you.'" I understand that for the flow of the scene, it may have been easier to use Effie for the line, but now you can tell who has/hasn't read the book based on who they credit these words to.
In fact, Effie seems to have a bigger role in the movie than in the book! A lot of lines that belong to characters who have been cut from the movie have been given to her!
I'm think that the reason why I made up scenes and some how forgot most of the book was because I was so underwhelmed by it all. It's not the stunning conclusion I wanted; in fact, the ending was sloppy. If you've gotten to this point in the series, go ahead and read it. But lower your expectations.
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