Mockingjay Book Review - AKA Problems With This Finale (SPOILER ALERT)

The first thing I want to say is something that was previously stated in the title - this post is NOT spoiler free. If  you haven't read Mockingjay (the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy), please scroll past this post with all haste possible.

That being said, can we talk about Mockingjay???? I read the Hunger Games series when I was in 7th grade (way before the movie because my friend was obsessed) so this post, ranting about my feelings on this book, is waaaaaaaay overdue. Or, more accurately, ranting about why that book was such a disappointment and the series and Katniss deserved better.

(This post was inspired by Tara who wrote about how excited she is for the movie and that post inspired me to refresh my anger about these books. You can read her post here)

Disclaimer: I, in reality, think that Mockingjay is a work of genius. Yes, Katniss is an irritating brat but the additional depth to her character arc overall makes me love how the book is made. I think that it is a great work of literature - I just didn't like it.

Why?

Well, looking at it from an emotionally invested standpoint (and I was entirely emotionally invested because, y'know, Finnick) the book sucked. All the characters I loved died or had horrible lives and it makes me, as a reader, sad. So while I can appreciate Suzanne Collins for creating a final book that spoke about human society and it's ups and downs, I can also hate her for being mean to my babies.

REMEMBER SPOILER ALERT

1. Finnick

Finnick was one of the best things that ever happened to that book series and I just can't believe he's gone. He was absolutely unbelievable and I freaking loved him so much. He was an upstanding character who deserved more than two lines for his death scene! He should never have died but we all know that he deserved at least a page, at the very least a paragraph! Finnick was barely given any attention and what little attention he was given was then directed the other way to focus on Katniss. What?????

2. Prim

Prim. Should. Not. Have. Died. (Also Gale didn't kill her so anyone who says that prepare yourself for a punch in the face.)

3. Peeta

Katniss is something rare in the world of dystopian female characters. She has her ups and downs sure and plenty of moments where you want to punch her in the face, but she is one of the only characters I have ever come across whose story does not focus around a man nor is she incomplete without a man by her side. Katniss is incredible and deserves to be happy but she should not have ended up with Peeta - or Gale! She was best and most competent when she was on her own with only Prim and I get that (as much as I might deny it) Prim did die so she needed someone else - but I don't think that she did! I think that Katniss was a strong and independent character in her own right and I hate that she had to end up with Peeta just because he was the only one who could calm her or make her feel okay after the terrible tragedies of bringing down the capitol. Katniss should have been given more time to decide what she wanted. I hate that she and Peeta ended up together, I think they were wrong for each other in so many ways and that Katniss was best and strongest when she wasn't around a dude trying to worm his way next to her awesome radiant glow.

4.  The Ending

I have nothing to say about the ending other than that as a reader who waited for weeks crossing off calendar dates until Mockingjay came out, it was a MASSIVE disappointment. I've already talked about specifics such as Finnick's death, Prim's death, and Katniss' ultimate relationship with Peeta. No, what really bugged me, possibly more than any other scene in the whole book was at the end when the group of soldiers decided to hold a hunger games for capitol children. Perhaps there was some literary genius to writing this gem that Suzanne Collins has not made me understand as of yet. Maybe it was realistic, maybe there was no way around it. But it sucked. I don't believe that Katniss would have voted for holding a hunger games for the capitol kids, not after being in two herself and losing her younger sister because of the violence that had wracked the country. Maybe I'm over analyzing Katniss' character and maybe she totally would have. But Haymitch wouldn't have. Haymitch knew too much about the world and under his crazy and alcoholic exterior, he cared. He did. And he wouldn't have voted that way which is only one of the reasons that scene was one of the worst in any of the books I've ever read.

So, all that being said and all that shade having been thrown, I love the movies because J-Law is the best Katniss they could have ever found and I adore her. So maybe they'll make it an enjoyable movie since I will be the first to tell you it was NOT so much an enjoyable book.

Have a Brettastic Day!