Genre: YA-Dystopian
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: January 1, 2010
Number of Pages: 400
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.
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. (from Goodreads)
This one was a tough read for me. I read the Hunger Games in 16 hours. I read Catching Fire in 2 days (while on vacation in Pennsylvania visiting my husbands extended family!!) but this one, this one took me 2 weeks to finish. And i fought with myself to actually finish it.
The story was very slow to come to, though it had an amazingly quick read of an ending. I finished the last 10 or so chapters in a couple of hours and was glad I read it somewhat all at once. It's payoff intensified more and more, as I kept thinking "this has to be the end" but it never was. I must have thought that at least 4 or 5 times during the last 6 chapters alone.
The beginning dives right into what happened after the Quarter Quell and what had happened to those who had survived until the rescue. As much as I enjoyed the great detail about district 13 and all of its inhabitants, I kept just wishing we could get to the point. I was glad I hadn't skipped anything, however, because there are constant references to things that happen at the beginning of the story.
As for the drama of the love triangle that is Gale, Katniss, and Peeta; I loved the ending, I felt that every character was given justice and that the story was somewhat relatable to real life situations with love. I loved that Katniss felt drawn to both, but pushed away by both at the same time, and the personal conflict conveyed both truth, plus when she figures out what she really wants it makes you feel good.
The ending wasn't left open (thankfully!!) so we do get full resolution about what has happened after the war, and I thought that it was more than I could have wanted. I didn't walk away disappointed, or hating the book or series. While this definitely isn't my favorite book of the trilogy, I absolutely ended up enjoying it and would recommend it to any fan of dystopian fiction.
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