Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

After the brilliant duo of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the final instalment of The Hunger Games, Mockingjay, has let me down slightly.

I was told by several people that the third book was not as good but by half way through I was loving it. It is a complete departure from the previous two and I enjoyed the places that Katniss turned up in. She does get a bit whiny every now and then but her world has gone to pot.

Warning! There are spoilers ahead! Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know what happens...Where it goes off the rails for me is when Peeta returns from his capture, and the whole brainwash thing. I felt the previous two books had built him up to be such a courageous, big hearted guy and it was all snatched away to be replaced by some angry, emotionless robot. I felt betrayed by the author! The worst was that it wasn't fixed. That's it. He's damaged goods. Several other characters that were hinted at possibly being dead in Catching Fire were also confirmed, but there was no real grief (I'm thinking Cinna especially). It is such a downbeat ending, which I didn't see coming so take my hat off to Collins. I have thought whether I liked the ending and I'm still at a loss. I think I did, but all the emotional input that I gave the characters  Haymitch, Gale and Peeta over the series seems to be wasted somewhat. I did however, like the bit with Prim at the end.

I'm interested in how they'll fit all this on screen. Will they change the ending?

It's definitely the weakest of the three so I've given it a 6.5 on the Comfometer.

Thoughts?

Michael

The Hunger Games - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Those who read my Hunger Games review will know that I loved it so there was a lot riding on the sequel. It has taken me a surprisingly long time to get through it (about a month) but this is not due to the book, it's due to the shop falling through (twice), World Book Night and also birthdays (I turned 30! and my wife turned  ****, our birthdays are a day apart). I read the first chapter or two then left it and failed to read for ages then, last week I picked it up and zoomed through 200 pages in an evening. I was hooked.

It follows on from where the Hunger Games ends with Katniss and Peeta about to embark on a tour of the districts as winners. The book is split in three with this all happening in the first part. Treated like celebrities by The Capital and heroes of sorts by the District, it quickly gets to the nitty-gritty politics and balance of power with a shocking scene involving an old man praising them for showing up the Capital and the subsequent punishment. For a YA book it doesn't hold it's punches.

The mid section takes care of Katniss finding what her life will be now, for ever. Suzanne Collins paints the candy-land metropolis of The Capital vividly and peppers it with outlandish characters with faces like cats and 'Auto-puke' drinks, with just enough glimpsed to see how extravagant yet totally unaware the citizens are of the wider picture, much more so than the first book. The third part is where the action kicks in though.

I saw it coming. It's a Quarter Quell where every twenty five years since the Hunger Games began, there is a special rule, a uniqueness to all the other games that came before it. I pretty much guessed it once the Quarter Quell was mentioned but if you don't want to know what the third part is then skip a paragraph....gone? OK, so you must know, Katniss, along with Peeta and all the other remaining winners of past games get put back into this years Hunger Games. Despite the repetitive idea, it feels fresh. From the training right through to when Katniss arrives in the arena there is a renewed danger, a familiar yet completely different approach. Everyone knows what to expect, they've all done it.

I loved it all and have Mockingjay, the third in the trilogy, ready to go and can't wait to delve into it. I gave The Hunger Games an 8 on the comfometer so I'm going to give Catching Fire a 7.5, losing 0.5 just because of the sometime stubbornness of Katniss.

I've also held off watching the trailer until I finished the book and I've just seen it. It looks amazing. Roll on November 22nd!

What did you think?

Michael

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I was a little concerned about reading The Hunger Games to be honest. I'd heard a great deal about how good the book was but the thing is I'd already seen the film and loved it. I would much rather read the book first then see the film after, rather than the other way around. That way I can build up my own scenery, my own characters and delve in deeper, rather than having the protagonist's face be that of whoever played them on screen (this case Jennifer Lawrence, or J-Law (copyright MM 2013)).

From the off though I simply got sucked in. Of course I knew the story from the film, but it didn't matter one bit. Writing from the first person perspective gave the novel a deeper insight into Katniss Everdeen that the film never could get. The parts that were changed or not filmed are just as good as the bits that never made the film, and it was a richer read because of these. The back story of the Avox showed how destructive, authoritative and powerful the Capital really were.

One negative about the book is that part of it, in the caves, became a little repetitive. I actually think this is due to watching the film, as this seems to fly by on screen yet in print, there are many more things going on, in the physical world and emotionally.

The story was fantastic and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, this time with no idea what will happen.

A solid 8 cushions on the comfometer.

Michael