Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3), by Suzanne Collins (2010)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The cliffhanger from "Catching Fire" is resolved, and Katniss and her family are safe...for a day or two, anyway.

I loved "Mockingjay," and thought it was a tremendous way to finish off the "Hunger Games" trilogy.

Katniss has a new role to play, that of a symbolic leader in the rebel cause. It's not long before she becomes far more than a symbol. She becomes a soldier.

One of my favorite parts about "Mockingjay" is that Katniss begins to doubt people she always trusted. Gale? Peeta? Haymitch? They all have her best interests at heart, right?

Everyone seems to be working at cross-purposes, and neither Katniss nor the reader are ever sure who's good and who's bad. Most people are a bit of both.

There are a number of ways Suzanne Collins could have ended her trilogy with some saccharine "they lived happily ever after" scenario. Thankfully, she didn't. Her ending avoids dumbness. Think about it: Katniss is a 16 year-old girl, and she's been through 25 different kinds of hell. She's not suddenly going to be happy and start growing roses. She has physical and emotional scars that need time to heal. The way Collins ends "Mockingjay," we can see healing take place.

I won't go into the specific events in "Mockingjay," for it would be hard to do so without spoilers.

I'll just say that I was pleased by this final installment. It's the perfect way for us to leave Katniss and friends: with hope and flowers.

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