Name: Inesa's review of Mockingjay [sound recording]
Item: Mockingjay [sound recording]
Rating: 3
Author: Inesa

Mockingjay [sound recording]

Suzanne Collins

Two-time Hunger Games survivor Katniss Everdeen is targeted by a vengeful Capitol that vows to make Katniss and all of District 12 pay for the current unrest.

Mockingjay

Cassidy Nolan

That’s when I make a list in my head or every act of goodness I’ve seen someone do. It’s like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years.

My children, who don’t know they play on a graveyard.

On the night when I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.

So after, when he whispers, “You love me. Real or not real?”

“I went to the woods this morning and dug these up. For her,” he says. “I thought we could plant them along the side of the house.”

I look at the bushes, the clods of dirt hanging from their roots, and catch my breath as the word 

 registers. I’m about to yell vicious things at Peeta when the full name comes to me. Not plain rose but evening primrose. The flower my sister was named for.

“Are you preparing for another war, Plutarch?” I ask.

“Oh, not now. Now we’re in that sweet period where everyone agrees that our recent horrors should never be repeated,” he says. “But collective thinking is usually short-lived. We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction. Although who knows? Maybe this will be it, Katniss.”

“The time it sticks. Maybe we are witnessing the evolution of the human race. Think about that.”

You can spin it any way you like. Snow thought the Hunger Games were an efficient means of control. Coin thought the parachutes would expedite the war. But in the end, who does it benefit? No one. The truth is, it benefits no one to live in a world where these things happen.

I yank my head back in confusion to find myself looking into Peeta’s eyes, only now they hold my gaze. Blood runs from the teeth marks on the hand he clamped over my nightlock. “Let me go!” I snarl at him, trying to wrest my arm from his grasp.

I weigh my options carefully, think everything through. Keeping my eyes on the rose, I say, “I vote yes . . . for Prim.”

“Haymitch, it’s up to you,” says Coin.

A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but then I feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment, then. When we find out exactly just how alike we are, and how much he truly understands me.

“I’m with the Mockingjay,” he says.

All those people I loved, dead, and we are discussing the next Hunger Games in an attempt to avoid wasting life. Nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change now.

“But I wasn’t watching Coin. I was watching you, Mockingjay. And you were watching me. I’m afraid we have both been played for fools.”

I refuse for this to be true. Some things even I can’t survive. I utter my first words since my sister’s death. “I don’t believe you.”

Snow shakes his head in mock disappointment. “Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen. I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other.”

“There are so many things we should discuss, but I have a feeling your visit will be brief. So, first things first.” He begins to cough, and when he removed the handkerchief from his mouth, it’s redder. “I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am about your sister.”

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. There is no District 12. I am the Mockingjay. I brought down the Capitol. President Snow hates me. He killed my sister. Now I will kill him. And then the Hunger Games will be over . . .

I wrap my arms around his neck, feel his arms hesitate before they embrace me. Not as steady as they once were, but still warm and strong. A thousand moments surge through me. All the times these arms were my only refuge from the world. Perhaps not fully appreciated then, but so sweet in my memory, and now gone forever.

I get out the key, unlock Peeta’s cuffs, and stuff them in my pocket. He rubs his wrists. Flexes them. I feel a kind of desperation rising up in me. It’s like I’m back in the Quarter Quell, with Beetee giving Johanna and me that coil of wire.

But my best friend predicts I will choose the person I think I “can’t survive without.” There’s not the least indication that love, or desire, or even compatibility will sway me. I’ll just conduct an unfeeling assessment of what my potential mates can offer me. As if in the end, it will be the question of whether a baker or a hunter will extend my longevity the most. It’s a horrible thing for Gale to say, for Peeta not to refute. Especially when every emotion I have has been taken and exploited by the Capitol or the rebels. At the moment, the choice would be simple. I can survive just fine without either of them.

“Yeah.” I hear Peeta’s handcuffs slide down the support as he settles in. “I wonder how she’ll make up her mind.”

“Oh, that I do know.” I can just catch Gale’s last words through the layer of fur. “Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without.”

“I wake up ten times a night anyway.”

“To make sure Katniss is still here?” asks Peeta.

There’s a long pause before Peeta speaks again. “That was funny, what Tigris said. About no one knowing what to do with her.”

“I doubt Coin knows what to do with me now that I’m still alive.”

Tigris gives a throaty cackle. “No one knows what to do with you, girlie.”

“What do you think, Peeta?” I finally ask him.

“I think . . . you still have no idea. The effect you can have.”

While Cressida and Pollux make fur nests for each of us, I attend to Peeta’s wrists. Gently rinsing away the blood, putting on an antiseptic, and bandaging them beneath the cuffs. “You’ve got to keep them clean, otherwise the infection could spread and—“

“I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss,” says Peeta. “Even if my mother isn’t a healer.”

I’m jolted back in time, to another wound, another set of bandages. “You said that same thing to me in the first Hunger Games. Real or not real?”

“Real,” he says. “And you risked your life getting the medicine that saved me?”

“Did Snow ban you from the Games?” I ask. She just stares back at me. Somewhere her tiger tail flicks with displeasure. “Because I’m going to kill him, you know.” Her mouth spreads into what I take for a smile.

I stare at her face, wondering if her parents actually named her Tigris, inspiring her mutilation, or if she chose the style and changed her name to match her stripes.

I clench his hands to the point of pain. “Stay with me.”

His pupils contract to pinpoints, dilate again rapidly, and then return to something resembling normalcy. “Always,” he murmurs.

It’s a long shot, it’s suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air. My hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. “Don’t let him take you from me.”

Peeta’s panting hard as he fights the nightmares raging in his head. “No. I don’t want to . . .”

Inesa

Collins

The Hunger Games

One of the “slower” paced books of the series but one of the most heartbreaking. Katniss always stood with the fact that no innocent life should’ve been lost regardless of their cause. Her anger was always placed on Snow and later Coin, she truly deserved to be the mockingjay, sad the cost of it broke her apart

lily

I have made it to the end of the Original The Hunger Games Trilogy and what a series it has been, Deciding to read the books was one of the best decisions I have made and that I can’t remember the movies at all means that I have been able to experiences these for as if it’s all for the first time. 

Katniss has narrowly escaped the claws of the Capitol. She is the face of the rebellion, and the strain of that responsibility shows. Nothing is clear cut, nothing is easy, and nothing makes sense. The suspense, the tension, and the electric air is apparent, and it won't matter if Katniss is ready or not. The rebellion is catching fire. Welcome to the war against the Capitol.

It’s hard to know how I’m feeling, Things don't turn out the way you want them to or the way you expect them to. This one isn't like the first two and shows a realistic aspect of what would happen in a real war zone. It gives the reader a sense of why nobody is clearly justified in their actions and why Katniss, Peeta, Gale and everyone involved could and won't ever be the same again.

There is no way, even if I wanted to, I could ever forget the story of Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay, and the people of Panem.

Ian Brakspear

I have made it to the end of the Original The Hunger Games Trilogy and what a series it has been, Deciding to read the books was one of the best decisions I have made and that I can’t remember the movies at all means that I have been able to experiences these for as if it’s all for the first time. 

Katniss has narrowly escaped the claws of the Capitol. She is the face of the rebellion, and the strain of that responsibility shows. Nothing is clear cut, nothing is easy, and nothing makes sense. The suspense, the tension, and the electric air is apparent, and it won't matter if Katniss is ready or not. The rebellion is catching fire. Welcome to the war against the Capitol.

 

It’s hard to know how I’m feeling, Things don't turn out the way you want them to or the way you expect them to. This one isn't like the first two and shows a realistic aspect of what would happen in a real war zone. It gives the reader a sense of why nobody is clearly justified in their actions and why Katniss, Peeta, Gale and everyone involved could and won't ever be the same again.

 

There is no way, even if I wanted to, I could ever forget the story of Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay, and the people of Panem.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

I still don’t understand why everyone hates Gale. It was implied that he designed the trap the prim got caught in and the weapons but he didn’t know that district 13 was going to do it. He didn’t pull the trigger. He felt horrible about the fact that it happened even telling Katniss that he failed her. Now, I’m not saying that Katniss and Gale should have ended up together but they are too much alike for that relationship to work… too many of the same traumas. 

Overall pretty good book, but just like the movie I did feel like it lagged a little.

Bushra Yenice

“If we burn, you burn!”

I still don’t understand why everyone hates Gale. It was implied that he designed the trap the prim got caught in and the weapons but he didn’t know that district 13 was going to do it. He didn’t pull the trigger. He felt horrible about the fact that it happened even telling Katniss that he failed her. Now, I’m not saying that Katniss and Gale should have ended up together but they are too much alike for that relationship to work… too many of the same traumas. 

Overall pretty good book, but just like the movie I did feel like it lagged a little.

Treyden Talbot

fuck this series is so much better than i thought it was

August Stone

So gripping, the epilogue will never not be the most bittersweet, perfect ending to a series ever! 

Kira Louise Morris

I found the book to be interesting but some parts of it to be a bit cringe.

Ashley Lively

The entire series is so perfectly crafted and this was a brilliant ending. It shows that some demons will never go away but we can always grow, move on and remember.

Fakornam Zevor 

This book was a bit slow paced compared to the other two, except for the ending which happened so fast. I would have loved to read more about the transition and the changes in the country and also the character. That being said, I liked the ending of the series and enjoyed reading them very much.

Yega

i cant even,, im sobbing so much dude im so&!*#;#

The greatly anticipated final book in the New York Times bestselling Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss Everdeen. The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!!

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3)

Shruti Bector 

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” ...

Final book of trilogy. It is slow paced in comparison with other two and felt little extra stretched at some places. Catnis was irritating at alot of events. But the end is so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was a way better trilogy than my expectations.

tori 👻

** spoiler alert **
           There were so many details I didn't remember, like Johanna and Katniss sharing a room in 13 (honestly how the fuck did i forget that) and the bond they create the way they can. it felt good to go back.
Still not giving it 5 stars because you can't convince me that killing Finnick off had a narrative point or any impact to the storyline. It was purely shock value and that's a no from me. It's just another name to the list and it's honestly cruel.

On the other hand, I appreciate the ending a lot and, I don't know now, but I remember back in the day people didn't like it much because it felt rushed. But to me it matches the pace of the entire series. The Hunger Games is extremely fast paced, it only made sense it would end like that, too.
It also leaves the reader to wonder how did Katniss and Peeta actually grow back together. We've seen them do it for the sake of the games, leaving the ending to us actually gives them the privacy they needed in the first place. I've never doubted their feelings for each other, specially since Catching Fire, it's just like Finnick says: anyone paying attention can see it.

I love that District 12 becomes the district of healing. it's interesting that the most valuable thing to protect was lost to both of them, with Prim dying and Peeta being hijacked and turned into something he was not. It's nice to read they managed to live with those losses and eventually found happiness, even if the scars would never actually vanish. That's human nature.

Now for my favorite quote:
"Several sets of arms would embrace me. But in the end, the only person I truly want to comfort me is Haymitch, because he loves Peeta, too."

the hunger games series is a modern classic.

Daphne Li-Chen

kelsey

But there are much worse games to play.

suzanne collins does an amazing job depicting grief and ptsd and effects of war. this should be required reading in every school

Greer Andersson

** spoiler alert **
           5 ⭐️
The most perfect ending to this trilogy. I know a lot of people enjoy the first two books more and I can’t blame them because I also agree. But honestly I think this book is so so underrated.

The politics are so interesting and the plot is arguably more devastating than the first 2 books. I will never get over losing Finnick AND Prim. 

Again, I’m repeating myself here but there are so many details that I wish they kept in the movies. Also I need to mention Finnick again, I will NEVER get over his death.

Amira 

loved how she wrote katniss’ relationship with both gale and peeta bc it resonates so much. theres so many mixed feelings, so hot and cold but she loves them both so strongly, even if she doesn’t know in what way. i think that makes the feelings even stronger, when you can’t put a name to it but its just instinctual. which is why the ending is so disappointing?? goes against everything katniss has ever expressed an opinion about - marriage and kids

Sarah Sammis

Like so many dystopian stories, the trilogy suffers from problems of scale. Despite Katniss traveling from district to district, there's never a good sense of how big each district is. When speaking of them in the abstract, they seem huge. When traveling through them, they are small enough to fit the needs of the plot.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

Bella Baxter

Le Sigh. Ripped my heart out in so many places.  Couldn't stop myself from continuing to read it, though. I just had to know what was coming up next. It was great.

My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.

The Hunger Games #3

I enjoyed reading this but not as much as the other books in the series. I know Katniss was supposed to be recovering and stuff, but it just felt like she was kind of just floating around. I mean she wanted Peeta back so bad, but he comes back damaged, and she acts like she wants nothing to do with him. I felt like it was kind of rushed as well, them making their way through the capital and all, even though we were gearing up to that the whole book. Overall, still an amazing book, just not my favorite in the series. 

Maggie Hotmer

aleksandra

2.5/5

Unfortunately, my least favorite book from the series. I don't know why, but the plot didn't interest me as much as in the previous parts. I also forgot why I don't read books with love triangles. But this book reminded me why.

Rosibel Silva Pineda

Ya basta, lloré mucho, pero que bien armada la historia.

river

i prefer really not to um.. not to speak.. if i speak i am in big trouble

Inesa &
Mockingjay [sound recording]

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Mockingjay [sound recording]