Mockingjay (Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins - Book Review

Jabberjays were an all-male species created by the Capitol in its early day, designed to spy on the rebels and repeat entire conversations to their handlers.

After proving to be of little help to the Capitol, Jabberjays are released to the wild, expected to become extinct shortly, but when they mated with female Mockingbirds, Mockingjays were the outcome.

They carried the ability to mimic sounds of all sorts, but only if they like what they hear.

 Katniss Everdeen, the female protagonist of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, had a special connection to the defiant birds.

She even wore a pin of the Mockingjay since her first participation in the Games, and eventually, Katniss and her bird symbol became icons of broiling anger that threatens to erupt.

Mockingjay is the third and concluding book of the trilogy. At the end of its prequel; Catching Fire, Katniss and a few of her allies escape from the Arena of the Hunger Games with a bang.

She is picked up by her coach/friend Haymitch, her best friend Gale, and Plutarch Heavensbee, the head Gamekeeper who catalyzed the revolution in the Capitol of Panem from the inside.

Katniss finds out that the Capitol has punished her for her disobedience by wiping out her whole district; District 12.

What makes it all much worse for her is that her partner/onscreen-boyfriend Peta Mellark was not rescued from the Arena with her, instead he was taken prisoner by the Capitol, and saving him may not be possible.

Katniss is taken to District 13; the base for the imminent revolution. The District is run by President Coin, a powerful woman who is intent on bringing down the Capitol at any price.

Of all three books, Mockingjay has the most political projections. Even though symbolism was always at the heart of the Hunger Games trilogy, its intensity is multiplied in Mockingjay.

As Ideologies clash, the lines between the struggle for freedom and the struggle for power become blurry.

Collins’s description of the kind of life lead in District 13 has undeniable communist air; strict rules, rationings, and harsh punishments are justified by their supporters to be necessary in acute times.

Katniss is not happy with the way things are but has no choice but to follow through if she wanted to bring down the brutal regime that took everything from her.

There is more maturity in Mockingjay compared to its prequels; it is more real and relatable as it forces the readers to ask themselves difficult questions about who they really are and how far they are willing to go for what they believe in.

The book is emotionally draining; we lose beloved characters and see others get hurt, but we also get a realistic ending. It is not all sunshine; it is real in that it has a pretty face and an ugly one.

One bright note is that fans finally get an answer to the love triangle that broke our hearts too many times over the trilogy.

Unlike many other book series, the Hunger Games trilogy improves with every book. Although its pace is much slower than the other two books, it is still intense, haunting, and thought-provoking.

As the concluding volume of the trilogy, Mockingjay deserves a solid 9/10 rating.