The book Mockingjay, by Collins, is the third book in the Hunger Games series. It is told from Katniss Everdeen's point of view. In the two previous books, Katniss and Peeta Mellark, are tributes of District 12 to participate in the Hunger Games. They come out victorious and return to District 12. The first book describes their first games, and is the beginning of their love story. The second book, Catching Fire, is where Katniss and Peeta participate in the Quarter Quell, with other victors. Little do they know that the rebels against the Capitol have plans for them. Katniss and Peeta are unaware of these plans, but some of the others are not.
At the end of this book, Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee are rescued by the rebels. Beetee and Finnick were other tributes from District 3 and 4 respectively. Peeta, Johanna Mason, and Enobaria are left behind, not rescued. Johanna was a tribute from 7 and Enobaria from 2. Johanna actually knew rebel secrets. While Katniss is being rescued, the Capitol is destroying District 12 with bombs.However some of them escape and are taken to District 13, where they are eagerly welcome. Among them are Katniss's oldest friend, Gale, who has caused a rift between her and Peeta, her mother, and her younger sister Prim (short for primrose)
In the Mockingjay, Katniss agrees to become the mockingjay for the rebels and District 13. She demands the immunity of Peeta, Johanna, and Enobaria, when they are rescued, as well as Annie, the girl in District 4 who Finnick loves.
Mockingjays were a cross between mockingbirds and jabberjays, which were created by the Capitol and sent out in the Districts, since they could record information. The jabberjays failed and were expected to became extinct in the wild. They didn't; they bred with mockingbirds and created a new species.
The first two parts of the book-the ashes and the assault are good. The third part, the assassin, is ridiculous. My suggestion is to skip it. Then read the last 2 or 3 chapters of the book.
A lot of people die in this book. Some of them old, some of them new. Collins has a way of creating characters, trying to make her reader like them, usually succeeding, and then killing them off. It's terrible. Really. Really terrible. A lot more people die in this book, then in the other two. Which makes it a worse book. And I resent Collins for killing off some of her characters.
Gale, Katniss's friend, becomes a rebel. It's hard to figure out the relationship between him and Katniss because he's always taken a backseat to Peeta. But at the end, he abandons Katniss and goes to District 2 for some fancy job.
Peeta changes from the other books. Basically the Capitol brainwashed him. And his memories are distorted. He is afraid of Katniss now, rather than in love with her. Katniss now realizes how much she loved him.
After the rebels enter the Capitol, take and overthrow it, Katniss who is in revenge against President Snow, and wants to kill him, on execution day, kills President Coin instead.(Coin killed her sister, Prim) President Snow also dies that day. Katniss, her mentor Haymitch, a rebel, and Peeta return to District 12. They recover together. Katniss and Peeta recover from everything-the Games, the Quarter Quell, the rebellion. Peeta recovers from being brainwashed, but still suffers from it a little Katniss and Peeta fall in love again. Without Gale around or in the back of her head. Other people who survived the bombing come back, rebuild, plan for the District to be used as a place for growing plants and medicines.
The ending is one of the best parts-minus the epilogue, which is set about 20 years in the future, reveals that Katniss and Peeta have two children-a girl and a boy-still live in District 12, and are worried about their children finding out about their lives as in these 3 books. But the ending, is where Katniss and Peeta recover, fall in love, and it's a really beautiful part.
So we know that Peeta and Katniss get married and have children but we don't know much about the other characters. We know what happens to Gale and Haymitch. We know that Katniss's mom goes to District 4 and sets up a hospital there. She probably becomes friends with Annie, who returns to District 4 and has a son. Johanna either returns to District 13 or home to District 7. Enobaria most likely goes home to District 2. However, the ending is nearly perfect, regardless of what happens to the other tributes.
One of the last themes of the book, sums it all up- humans have the ability to survive after extreme losses of life, and recover. Like Peeta and Katniss do.
I give this book 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5. There are good parts and bad parts. I liked the first two books much better.
