Her Book Self

I'm sure after my rave review and giveaway of The Hunger Games, there's nothing too startling about me also reviewing Mockingjay. Although nothing in my review is particularly spoiler-ish, if you have not yet read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you may want to bypass reading this post. Close your eyes briefly and scroll down;to read something else I posted this week, or just come back tomorrow for something different. If you have read Collins's series, or if you're one of those who has no desire to read the books and just wants to know what all the fuss is about, read on:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins might just be the most eagerly anticipated book of 2010, and as it brings to close the Hunger Games saga, it surprisingly lives up to the great expectations cast before it. Katniss Everdeen, Panem's ultimate survivor finds herself unwittingly cast as the people's hero - the symbol of the revolution that will destroy the Capitol's tenuous hold over the Districts. Still torn romantically between Peeta, her fellow survivor, and Gale, her childhood best friend; Katniss must face the reality that all of them have changed from the children they once were, and none of them are guaranteed to survive the current war. Dealing with her own battle scars, both physical and emotional, Katniss walks the precipice between the need for survival and her thirst for revenge. Where once she killed only to live, now she looks to destroy those who ruined her life and turned her into their Mockingjay.

Collins crafts another highly suspenseful and emotional novel in this conclusion to her bestselling trilogy. Maintaining the gritty violence prevalent in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Mockingjay takes an even darker tone, as Katniss has fully shed the sliver of innocence that made her so charming as the heroine of Book One. At first, I was displeased with her transformation, but Collins takes the step toward believability by altering the protagonist and allowing her to grow up. The maturity in her character acts as the new thread connecting Katniss to readers, and Collins assures that with every turn of the page, fans are carried along on the emotional roller coaster.

I can't say that there is any good way for this series to end. The simple fact that Mockingjay represents the final adventure is, in itself, a bit disappointing. And yet, rather than dragging the series out to less enjoyable books, Mockingjay was a satisfying conclusion in every way possible. Rather than fizzling out, The Hunger Games trilogy ends on a high note, and those that followed Katniss every step of the way will be left with a fully resolved ending - until future rereads start the adventures all over again!

So what are your thoughts on Mockingjay?  Was it all you hoped it would be?  Are you sad that it's all over?  Did you remain Team Peeta or Team Gale after finishing the trilogy, or were your loyalties switched around?  Team Katniss, perhaps?  (And if you must know, Gale never got enough page time for me to really connect with him - I was Team Peeta from the very start but I can definitely rally behind the Team Katniss folks.)  It's no surprise to me that these books have the pop culture status that they have gained.  The stories are captivating and the writing is really well done.  I'd like to read more of Collins's work and am really intrigued by her Gregor the Overlander series.  I'm interested to see how she handles a traditional fantasy setting as opposed to her dystopian world of Panem.  If anyone has thoughts or recommendations on those books, I'd love to hear them too!