Ronnie G. (frenchgiant) reviewed on + 22 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH THE UTMOST LEVEL OF CAUTION!*****
It's always an odd feeling for me when I come to the end of a series of books like this. The world I'd spent so much time in is gone as soon as the spine closes and the book is placed on the dusty bookshelf...The characters I'd bonded with, those I'd grown to love, admire, and in some cases despise, are gone for good, off to delight other eager readers. And I move on to another book and before long forget about 95% of what I'd read.
It's even an odder feeling for me when the series ends on a flat note, as I feel was the case with "Mockingjay". Perhaps Collins had set the bar too high with her first two books. I freaking loved "The Hunger Games" and while I was not blown away by "Catching Fire" I still thoroughly enjoyed it. As "Catching Fire" rumbled to its chaotic, cliffhanger ending I was certain that "Mockingjay" would be the proverbial icing on the cake, finishing out the trilogy in a spectacular, mind blowing finale. My friends, the cake was not iced and my mind was unfortunately not blown.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy "Mockingjay." I did, although it was as flat as that open can of soda you placed in the fridge simply not to waste it, only to drink it the next day and immediately spill the rest of it out because it was...well...flat. Sigh. Anyway, you get the point.
A few things that bothered me:
- Gale's quick departure at the end of the book - After all of the build up around who Katniss would end up with it seemed odd to me that he was just simply removed altogether in the manner in which he was. I'm not one for sappy love stories but after reading 1,100 or so pages peppered with the Peeta vs. Gabe conundrum it just felt way too abrupt, as if even Collins herself got tired of waiting for Katniss to make up her damn mind.
- The Portrayal of Finnick's Death - I completely understand that Collins was trying to paint a picture of the horrors of war throughout the book...and honestly I think she did a great job of it. Hell, we saw a good deal of characters meet their demise in "Mockingjay." With that said, the manner in which Finnick's death was described, almost as if it was an afterthought really irked me. He'd become a rather important character, had finally been reunited with the love of his life, was awesome at tying cool knots, had saved the lives of Peeta and Katniss multiple times, and all we get is something to the effect of "Oh, and by the way, back there in the sewer Finnick's head was just ripped off by one of those rose scented lizard mutts. Carry On." I'm not saying I needed him to live (even if he was the Fabio of Panem)...it is war after all...but damn, let the guy die in honor.
- The Pearl - Am I the only one who thought that Katniss should have given Peeta the pearl to try and break him out out of his tracker jacker induced hysteria?
- The Propos - Didn't they get tiresome after a while? After reading two books filled with the tense fight to the death Games it grew rather monotonous reading about them acting like they were engaging in actual combat. I understand the rebels' need for the propos but this didn't necessary lend itself to thoroughly engaging reading.
- The Lack of another Hunger Games - Ha! Ok, I understand that there was no way in hell another Hunger Games could be held during this book. I honestly think though that what I found most engaging during the previous two novels was what unfolded during the Games. I'm not really sure what that says about me...enjoying all of the gory details of 12-18 year old boys and girls fighting to the death in the most deviously conceived environments, but there you have it. While Collins tried to equate the mission through the booby trapped Capitol to the previous Games it was not nearly as exciting or entertaining.
When all is said and done though this really wasn't a bad book. As I said earlier, I did enjoy it however I think my error was simply expecting way too much after the spectacular foundation that Collins built with the first two. The trilogy as as a whole was ridiculously entertaining and I'm thankful Collins took the time to create this world for us...even if she did rush a little through the last book.
It's always an odd feeling for me when I come to the end of a series of books like this. The world I'd spent so much time in is gone as soon as the spine closes and the book is placed on the dusty bookshelf...The characters I'd bonded with, those I'd grown to love, admire, and in some cases despise, are gone for good, off to delight other eager readers. And I move on to another book and before long forget about 95% of what I'd read.
It's even an odder feeling for me when the series ends on a flat note, as I feel was the case with "Mockingjay". Perhaps Collins had set the bar too high with her first two books. I freaking loved "The Hunger Games" and while I was not blown away by "Catching Fire" I still thoroughly enjoyed it. As "Catching Fire" rumbled to its chaotic, cliffhanger ending I was certain that "Mockingjay" would be the proverbial icing on the cake, finishing out the trilogy in a spectacular, mind blowing finale. My friends, the cake was not iced and my mind was unfortunately not blown.
This is not to say that I didn't enjoy "Mockingjay." I did, although it was as flat as that open can of soda you placed in the fridge simply not to waste it, only to drink it the next day and immediately spill the rest of it out because it was...well...flat. Sigh. Anyway, you get the point.
A few things that bothered me:
- Gale's quick departure at the end of the book - After all of the build up around who Katniss would end up with it seemed odd to me that he was just simply removed altogether in the manner in which he was. I'm not one for sappy love stories but after reading 1,100 or so pages peppered with the Peeta vs. Gabe conundrum it just felt way too abrupt, as if even Collins herself got tired of waiting for Katniss to make up her damn mind.
- The Portrayal of Finnick's Death - I completely understand that Collins was trying to paint a picture of the horrors of war throughout the book...and honestly I think she did a great job of it. Hell, we saw a good deal of characters meet their demise in "Mockingjay." With that said, the manner in which Finnick's death was described, almost as if it was an afterthought really irked me. He'd become a rather important character, had finally been reunited with the love of his life, was awesome at tying cool knots, had saved the lives of Peeta and Katniss multiple times, and all we get is something to the effect of "Oh, and by the way, back there in the sewer Finnick's head was just ripped off by one of those rose scented lizard mutts. Carry On." I'm not saying I needed him to live (even if he was the Fabio of Panem)...it is war after all...but damn, let the guy die in honor.
- The Pearl - Am I the only one who thought that Katniss should have given Peeta the pearl to try and break him out out of his tracker jacker induced hysteria?
- The Propos - Didn't they get tiresome after a while? After reading two books filled with the tense fight to the death Games it grew rather monotonous reading about them acting like they were engaging in actual combat. I understand the rebels' need for the propos but this didn't necessary lend itself to thoroughly engaging reading.
- The Lack of another Hunger Games - Ha! Ok, I understand that there was no way in hell another Hunger Games could be held during this book. I honestly think though that what I found most engaging during the previous two novels was what unfolded during the Games. I'm not really sure what that says about me...enjoying all of the gory details of 12-18 year old boys and girls fighting to the death in the most deviously conceived environments, but there you have it. While Collins tried to equate the mission through the booby trapped Capitol to the previous Games it was not nearly as exciting or entertaining.
When all is said and done though this really wasn't a bad book. As I said earlier, I did enjoy it however I think my error was simply expecting way too much after the spectacular foundation that Collins built with the first two. The trilogy as as a whole was ridiculously entertaining and I'm thankful Collins took the time to create this world for us...even if she did rush a little through the last book.
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