Tuesday, August 31, 2010

My Mockingjay Experience

I have read Mockingjay. Yes, I have finally read the conclusion to The Hunger Games trilogy and I am reeling. I will not write a review for this book; I can't even wrap my head around what I might say about it other than these few things.
  1. As predicted I could not put it down once I started reading. 
  2. Also as predicted it shocked the hell out of me.
  3. I am satisfied by the ending. Do not mistake that to mean that I liked the ending and all that it entails.
  4. I need to read it again. I know I missed a good amount of detail in my haste to get to the end and so I will be rereading all three books, back-to-back-to-back.
  5. I have no idea what grade it should get. I was hooked from the first page and that generally means it's worthy of an A. There were a few things about the book that would make me give it a C. I don't think it's a B book though. 
What in the world will Suzanne Collins write about next? I learned earlier tonight that she's working on the screenplay for the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games. Will I see it, that's the question. For now, I'm happy I've finally finished this series and can, after a bit, put it to rest for a while. Here's a bit from Mockingjay that I wanted to share, one of my favorite parts, from pages 99-100.
..."I want to tell the rebels that I am alive. That I'm right here in District Eight, where the Capitol has just bombed a hospital full of unarmed men, women, and children. There will be no survivors." The shock I've been feeling begins to give way to fury. "I want to tell people that if you think for one second the Capitol will treat us fairly if there's a cease-fire, you're deluding yourself. Because you know who they are and what they do." My hands go out automatically, as if to indicate the whole horror around me. "This is what they do! And we must fight back!"

     I'm moving in toward the camera now, carried forward by my rage. "President Snow says he's sending us a message? Well, I have one for him. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our districts to the ground, but do you see that?" One of the cameras follows as I point to the planes burning on the roof of the warehouse across from us. The Capitol seal on a wing glows clearly through the flames. "Fire is catching!" I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. "And if we burn, you burn with us!"

     My last words hang in the air. I feel suspended in time. Held aloft in a cloud of heat that generates not from my surroundings, but from my own being.

     "Cut!" Cressida's voice snaps me back to reality, extinguishes me. She gives me a nod of approval. "That's a wrap."

4 comments:

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

I almost didn't open this post for fear of spoilers but, I should have known better. Now I feel like I need to kick it in high gear to see what all this fuss is about. I will be taking advantage of this long weekend so friggin' help me.

Glad you enjoyed it? You did enjoy it right?

Jen said...

I did enjoy it even though I felt like I'd been through the wringer in the process. When I finished it last night at 1:30 am, I felt like I had been holding my breath for hours. Very intense, especially for a YA novel/series.

Glad you're feeling better!

Sweet Calliope said...

Now I really want to read this series too! Great post Jen!

Glad you are feeling better too Jen D. :)

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

You're both too sweet. Thanks!