Mockingjay is the highly anticipated final installment in the acclaimed The Hunger Games trilogy. This young adult dystopic trilogy is often compared to novels such as Battle Royale and The Lord of the Flies─survival of the fittest in a dog-eat-dog world set in what used to be America.
In the third book, the story’s protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is called on to be the symbol of a revolution, with her decision greatly affecting the outcome of the rebellion. She must become the Mockingjay no matter what the cost.
While the premise of the book seems daunting, it was written without the use of big words and overly dramatic storytelling. The simplicity of the author’s choice of words, however, did not lessen the impact of the message the author is trying to convey. Readers can relate to the raw emotions depicted in the story, making it harder to put down the book.
The story also packs in enough pulse-quickening war scenes and romantic episodes to keep the story interesting for both sexes. Numerous well-placed laugh-out-loud moments also help lighten the mood of the story.
Avid readers of the series will also be glad to know that a lot of questions from the previous books are answered in Mockingjay, regardless of triviality, with the closing lines of every chapter making the reader itching to know what happens next.
Also answered in Mockingjay is the heated debate on whom Katniss will choose in the infamous love triangle of Katniss, her bestfriend Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Mellark, the boy with the bread.
On the downside though, the pacing of the book seemed a bit dragging in certain parts. While practically all questions have been answered, most of them aren’t exactly designed to create a fairy tale ending. They merely satisfy the need to tie up loose ends, which is quite understandable considering the story’s dystopic nature.
To date, Mockingjay is at the top of various bestsellers’ lists after only a few days from its release, proving that author Suzanne Collins certainly has the odds in her favor.
