The Hunger Games: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins was one hard book to get a hold of.  I think after the second Hunger Games Movie, Catching Fire, people snapped this book up in double time.  But I did finally get a copy of it, which pleased me, because I really wanted to know what happened to Katniss, Peta, the other victors... and President Snow.

Below is the cover of the book and the blurb on the back of the book.

I read this book over three days, or nights rather.  You know that attempt to read one chapter before you go to sleep... and the next thing you know it is 3:30am and your eyes are falling out of your head!

While I was compelled to keep reading as I wanted to know how Katniss' story would end, I did not find this book as engaging as the first two books.  Now I don't know if that is because I had watched the movies of the other books before I had read those books or not.

However I did find this book irritating.  Katniss is obviously one messed up girl after her two experiences in the arena.  But she is now determined to be part of the revolution and bring down President Snow and the regime.  However, for much of the book, she is a blithering mess in a cupboard or being drugged to calm her out of a psychotic episode that she has spun into or injured and in hospital.

But Katniss is never really allowed by the leaders of the uprising to fully participate.  They use her as the Mockingjay to rally the citizens of all the other districts, but control her, stage manage her appearances and actions.

There is a great piece where Katniss and her other victors and rebels break free from the leaders of the resistance.  Katniss leads the group in a cat and mouse advance into President Snow's territory.  This is when Katniss shows her true ability to lead, and the victors and rebels with her show their dedication to her role as the Mockingjay.

The book does resolve the story of Katniss and her family and friends.  But don't go expecting a flowers and confetti ending.  Suzanne Collins throws the reader some curve balls right up to the end.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Like I said in my previous review The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I jumped on the bandwagon for this series after watching Catching Fire at the movies.  Having read the first book a few weeks ago, I went and purchased the second book... and soon I will be on the hunt for the third book.

So here is the front cover and the blurb on the back cover:

As I said in the review of the first book, there are things that you read in the book that can not always be accurately portrayed in the movie.  The book will describe to you what a character is thinking, seeing and doing in a more specific way; whereas the film will tend to 'show' you visually.

So reading the movie after the book I of course picked up on some big differences of things that were and were not in the movie compared to the book; and I was filled in on some of the thinking Katniss was having.

Right from the beginning of this book I was engaged in the torment Katniss is experiencing from her time in the Hunger Games arena.  You are soon under no illusions that President Snow does not believe that Katniss is in love with Peeta and he is worried about the implications of what Katniss and Peeta did to win the Hunger Games. 

As Katniss and Peeta tour the districts they discover an uneasiness, and then the worst possible thing that can happen to all the living victors of the Hunger Games takes place - the Quarter Quell.

Right to the end you are invested in what will happen to Katniss and Peeta.  New characters are introduced and you are not sure which way their alliances lie or how trustworthy they are.

The ending of this book gives some satisfaction, but mostly is a cliff hanger... needing you to go to the next book to find out the outcome of who lives and loves in the future.

Right... I better be off to purchase the next book then and put myself out of this misery!!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I had not heard of The Hunger Games series of books until the lead up of the first movie based on the books being released in 2012.  A colleague had been talking about how the books had gotten her mid-teen daughters back into reading that summer. 

 

I accidentally watched the first movie on Sky Movies one day, and thought, oh yeah, it's ok.  I started watching the movie just before the point when Katniss volunteers in the place of her sister... so I kind of didn't get the setting of the book and that affected my understanding of the main ideas in the movie.  Then a few weeks ago a friend suggested we go and watch the second movie Catching Fire.  It was epic!!  I really enjoyed the second move and it helped me understand the first movie more.

 

 

But, as good as the movie may be, there is nothing like reading the original text it is based on.  So I was in The Warehouse and saw The Hunger Games on special and purchased it. 

 

And here is the front cover and blurb on the back of the book: 

 

 

 

 

Previously I had resisted reading this series as when the first movie came out there was a lot of publicity about the violence that the teenagers in the books/movies have to engage in as part of the games.  I remember discussing this with my colleague I mentioned earlier whose daughters were engrossed in the books.  Even though the content of the book was rather questioned at the time for the violence factor, she thought the fact that it engaged her teenagers compensated for this detail.

I was also trying to avoid the hype and jumping on the bandwagon when a book becomes a movie.  Well, guess what?  I'm on the bandwagon now.

The book captured my attention and kept it till the bitter end.  Like I said above, reading the original text is usually way better than the movie itself.

There are things that you read in the book that can not always be accurately portrayed in the movie.  The book will describe to you what a character is thinking, seeing and doing in a more specific way; whereas the film will tend to 'show' you visually.

The great thing about the book of course is that it filled in all the bits that were missing for me from the viewing of the movie The Hunger Games.  It filled me in on the bits that came before I started watching, but also on how Pamen and the districts came into being as well as the personal circumstances of the characters and their families.

I could soon see why my young teenage friends were enjoying the books so much.  It was a riveting read that kept you on alert yourself, in case of a deadly ambush as you read.  The themes of oppression, poverty and starvation as well as survival of the fittest and smartest were also very relevant to keeping me hooked.

So the next time I'm in town, I guess I will be buying the follow on book... and the third.