Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Publisher- Scholastic

Publication Date- August 24, 2010

Pages- 390

Series- The Hunger Games Trilogy

*May contain spoilers for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire*

Katniss has escaped The Hunger Games yet again, but just barely. If it weren’t for District 13, she would be dead and Panem may be at its end. District 12 is no more, and very few citizens escaped. The capitol is mad, and the Quarter Quell added fuel to the fire that is the rebellion against them. Districts 13 needs Katniss to be the face of the rebellion. Districts are having wars and Peeta is in the Capitol’s clutches. Nothing is well, nobody is safe.

This book is a war. It is my least favorite book in the series, but it is not as bad as many people say, at least not to me. It is much more emotional, it was a little depressing to me for the first half. (To be honest, they could have cut out the first half of the book and it would have been much better.) It took me a while to read, unlike the others which took me about two days a piece. The last half was definitely better and faster paced than the first half. Much more rewarding. I loved the ending too. I mean the end result, but I think the way Collins went about writing it gives you no closure. It felt like she was rushed for a deadline. I’m torn. If you read the first 2, you HAVE to read this one. 

Can you believe they are splitting the movie into 2 parts? Is the first one just going to be Katniss sitting in a closet? I mean, Harry Potter NEEDED to be split, Breaking Dawn, not so much, but this is ridiculous. Stop being greedy for money! People in Hollywood are rich enough!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Publisher- Scholastic

Publication Date- September 1, 2009

Pages- 391

Series- The Hunger Games trilogy

*May contain spoilers for The Hunger Games!*

Katniss and Peeta have miraculously survived the Hunger Games. They are now back in District 12, living in Victors Village. But nothing can go back to normal like Katniss wants, and people are turning their backs on her. And as she sees on her victory tour, her actions in the arena have caused a uprising against the capitol.

For me the beginning was like the Hunger Games, a bit slow. The thing that kept me going was the act that I had experienced Collins’ writing before, and pretty much knew it would get better. And it did. Katniss and Peeta go on a victory tour of the 12 districts, which is what the first bit of the book is about. The book is difficult to explain without giving spoilers. Let me just say that this will not disappoint any fans of the first book. There is action and love and many more emotions, like the first one. Many say this is better than the first, and while I don’t quite agree, it is still an excellent book worth reading. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Publisher- Scholastic Press

Publication Date- September 14, 2008

Pages- 374 

Series- The Hunger Games Trilogy

Awards-  2008 Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008, The New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008"  2009 winner of the Golden Duck Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category, 2008 Cybil Winner for fantasy and science-fiction books, One of School Library Journal's Best Books 2008, 2008 Booklist Editors' Choice in 2008.2011, won the 2011 California Young Reader Medal. 

Sometime in the future, America doesn’t exist. In its place is a country called Panem. Panem is divided into 12 districts that all have their own specialties, and the Capitol, which controls the country. Every year, 2 people, one boy and one girl, are chosen from each district to compete in the Hunger Games, where the 24 tributes are put into an arena and are expected to fight to the death while every citizen of Panem watches on live TV. Katniss Everdeen lives on the outskirts of District 12, the poorest district. When Katniss’s sister, Prim, is chosen as their district’s tribute, Katniss volunteers in her place, and promises she will try to win for her.

I have to admit, it took me forever to get past the first two chapters of this book. I read chapter 1 and put it down, picking it up months later. (This was when it first came out, and it had not been very publicized.) But I powered through to Chapter 3, and I couldn’t put it down. It was great, to say the least. I wasn’t expecting it to be this good I wasn’t expecting there to really be any good action in it. I was wrong. I’ve never really been into Dystopian, but this has totally changed my mind. This is told through Katniss’s point of view, which really adds to the emotion. You will feel like you are in the arena, your heart will be pumping. It is action packed and emotional, a really great page turner.