Okay on one hand, I liked this book.
liked it enough that i cannot stop reading because I NEED to know what
happened-specifically to Peeta. I also liked what happened at the
end...but...well...
From
the first page of The Hunger Games to the end of Mockingjay, the one thing, the
one character that kept me reading was Peeta. I liked Katniss alright, but she
wasn't what drew me into the series. Katniss, like many reviews are saying, was
a victim in this awful war. In the first 2 books she acted against the
'control'. She rebelled-which is WHY so many people looked up
to her. Which is why they wanted her face to be the seal of their rebellion. It
made sense. But here's where I feel Ms. Coillins made a grave mistake in
Mockingjay...she eliminated the 'goodness' that had motivated Katniss to move
forward even when she didn't want to during the games from her life.
True, this whole series has been about fighting oppression and power. About fighting against a government set out to only make their own lives better, and I felt the first 2 books did that nicely. They were so dark, so horrifying, but inside all of that horror there was a spark of light, of sunshine, and that spark was Peeta and Prim-but mostly Peeta since he was there with her to remind her time and time again the type of goodness that was there to save.
Peeta represented true goodness, love, compassion. He was what kept Katniss from falling over the edge into total darkness. He was her rock, her friend, and no matter how confused she felt-she loved him, even if she didn't know it yet. The failure in Mockingjay was that, Ms. Collins took that light away from Katniss. There was no goodness anymore, and therefore Katniss lost her own 'personal spark'. Yet, this was never told to in the story. We just saw Katniss growing weaker and weaker, and were never given a reason as to why. People are complaining about how 'soft' her character went and I completely agree. But what isn't being talked about is the reason why.
I don't know about everyone else, but Peeta was the only bright spot in this entire series for me. Everything was so dark and hopeless-except him. He was the one the masses clung to. His words, his light, his goodness. He is what made Katniss look so incredible. It was his presence and words that make it happened. It is my opinion that she could not have risen to the level she was at without him-which is why she fell short in Mockingjay. The dynamic between them and what they accomplished together at both 'Games' was what drove the series for me. It wasn't even so much about the romance-although that did add another human layer to this story which made it all that much more gut wrenching and true.
True, this whole series has been about fighting oppression and power. About fighting against a government set out to only make their own lives better, and I felt the first 2 books did that nicely. They were so dark, so horrifying, but inside all of that horror there was a spark of light, of sunshine, and that spark was Peeta and Prim-but mostly Peeta since he was there with her to remind her time and time again the type of goodness that was there to save.
Peeta represented true goodness, love, compassion. He was what kept Katniss from falling over the edge into total darkness. He was her rock, her friend, and no matter how confused she felt-she loved him, even if she didn't know it yet. The failure in Mockingjay was that, Ms. Collins took that light away from Katniss. There was no goodness anymore, and therefore Katniss lost her own 'personal spark'. Yet, this was never told to in the story. We just saw Katniss growing weaker and weaker, and were never given a reason as to why. People are complaining about how 'soft' her character went and I completely agree. But what isn't being talked about is the reason why.
I don't know about everyone else, but Peeta was the only bright spot in this entire series for me. Everything was so dark and hopeless-except him. He was the one the masses clung to. His words, his light, his goodness. He is what made Katniss look so incredible. It was his presence and words that make it happened. It is my opinion that she could not have risen to the level she was at without him-which is why she fell short in Mockingjay. The dynamic between them and what they accomplished together at both 'Games' was what drove the series for me. It wasn't even so much about the romance-although that did add another human layer to this story which made it all that much more gut wrenching and true.
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The
main thing people wondering about was 'Who is Katniss going to choose? Gale or
Peeta?' Yet, we get to Mockingjay and the author COMPLETELY obliterated
that theme. Sure, we all understand that the war was the main plot, but the HEART of
any story is it's characters and their personal journey. Love being one that
drives most stories. The love was all but absent here. Sure, we get a
resolution, Katniss chooses in the end, but it doesn't FEEL good to
the reader. We were given no 'reunion' scene. We were given no 'love-filled'
embrace. We were TOLD, 'and this happened.' Not fulfilling. Not at all.
Readers need closure. It doesn't have to be a 'happily ever after' which would
have been completely off base for this story. But we need to see that in spite
of everything that had happened, everything that the characters have suffered,
that it had been worth SOMETHING. That everything they fought for,
everything so many people died for, was worth something in the end. I'm
disappointed because it wasn't like that. It was more like 'Yes, I finally
admitted to myself that Peeta was who I loved, then I had some babies with him
because he wanted them.'
Ok, I guess my review has come to the end. I just feel like she could have ended the book the same, but could have made that hopelessness feeling go away just a little. Because what is life if there is no hope? This novel left the reader feeling empty, drained, and hopeless. Not even being able to care about what happened to those characters we'd grown to love.
Ok, I guess my review has come to the end. I just feel like she could have ended the book the same, but could have made that hopelessness feeling go away just a little. Because what is life if there is no hope? This novel left the reader feeling empty, drained, and hopeless. Not even being able to care about what happened to those characters we'd grown to love.
So
for this novel, my rating would be 4/10 !
