Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
May. 2nd, 2013 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games Book 3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: New York: Scholastic, 2010
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 390
Total Page Count: 136,766
Text Number: 400
Read Because: continuing the series, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The Districts are at war with the Capitol, and they want Katniss to be their representative—but, still suffering fallout from the Hunger Games, she refuses to be a passive and compliant figurehead. For better or worse, this series has been fun—it's violent and confrontational, but the reading audience joins the Capitol in appreciating the thrill of the Games. Mockingjay is the least reiterative and grimmest book of the series; it's still full of action, but the Games format and mediatized aspects disintegrate in the face of revolution and what remains is the battle between Katniss's devastated mental state and the realities of war. It's a bold end to the series—bold precisely because it avoids a cinematic victory, instead offering something less consumable and more personal—but it feels a little out of place, and nothing about it is fun. Collins remains a subpar writer who can't meet the emotional challenge she's set for herself, largely because Katniss's narrative is choppy and voiceless. But while Mockingjay didn't capture me, I admire the decision not to take the easy path. In its way, this is a fitting end. I've had numerous issues with this series, but I'm glad I gave it a go and despite my many caveats I continue to recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: New York: Scholastic, 2010
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 390
Total Page Count: 136,766
Text Number: 400
Read Because: continuing the series, borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: The Districts are at war with the Capitol, and they want Katniss to be their representative—but, still suffering fallout from the Hunger Games, she refuses to be a passive and compliant figurehead. For better or worse, this series has been fun—it's violent and confrontational, but the reading audience joins the Capitol in appreciating the thrill of the Games. Mockingjay is the least reiterative and grimmest book of the series; it's still full of action, but the Games format and mediatized aspects disintegrate in the face of revolution and what remains is the battle between Katniss's devastated mental state and the realities of war. It's a bold end to the series—bold precisely because it avoids a cinematic victory, instead offering something less consumable and more personal—but it feels a little out of place, and nothing about it is fun. Collins remains a subpar writer who can't meet the emotional challenge she's set for herself, largely because Katniss's narrative is choppy and voiceless. But while Mockingjay didn't capture me, I admire the decision not to take the easy path. In its way, this is a fitting end. I've had numerous issues with this series, but I'm glad I gave it a go and despite my many caveats I continue to recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
