If We Burn, You Burn With Us!

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read the first two books in the trilogy, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, or don't mind knowing some of what happens in them. Mockingjay, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Mockingjay~
The Hunger Games
Book 3
By Suzanne Collins
Amazon ~ Powell's

The war has begun.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen is still alive. With District 12 reduced to ashes, her friends dead or captured, and her dreams haunted by her latest run in The Hunger Games, it's not surprising that her brain's a little jumbled. Unfortunately her recovery can't take too much longer.

The leader has been picked.

District 13, a civilization thought to have been destroyed 75 years ago, is once again leading the charge against the Capitol. Those in charge need Katniss to be the figurehead of the rebellion, the Mockingjay.

Everything comes down to this.

Problem is, Katniss is tired of being told what to do. She's tired of the lies, of the planning behind closed doors, of the betrayal. But she's also tired of the injustice, the inhumanity, the indecency that she and her loved ones have suffered. Neither side is innocent, but which one will she choose? And can she live with the lesser of two evils?

The Mockingjay will soar.


This is still pretty raw, but I'll try my best to be tactful and sincere in my review. If you've read the trilogy so far, you'll no doubt have connected with Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, or any of the other characters. I doubt you would have continued this far otherwise. After all, the subject material isn't exactly inviting.

This is No Place for a Girl on Fire

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read The Hunger Games or don't mind knowing what happens in it. Catching Fire, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Catching Fire~
The Hunger Games
Book 2
By Suzanne Collins
Amazon ~ Powell's

Katniss and Peeta have won the Hunger Games. For the first time in its 74 runnings, two tributes were allowed to win—to survive. They thought the worst of it was over.

Who knew so much could be triggered by a handful of berries?

It's time for the annual Victory Tour, where the winners are to visit each District and deliver inspiring speeches about their triumph in the Games. It's a time of celebration masking dread as the masses are reminded that they're half-a-year closer to another reaping. But with these tributes' victory hinging on an act of love (or possibly defiance), the Districts are teetering on the edge of rebellion.

When President Snow stops by for a chat, you know you're in trouble.

Katniss is already dealing with an internal war of her own. Gale, her best friend since forever, has made it clear that he wants to be something more. Peeta, on the other hand, has been something more, but how much of that was real and how much was just to survive? But before she's able to sort out her feelings for either, President Snow hands her an ultimatum: Convince the masses that she's still madly in love with Peeta, or Gale dies.

Quite the send off.

Determined not to have any more lives ended by her actions, Katniss prepares herself for a long tour. District 11, the home of her fallen friend, Rue, is the first stop, which brings up a whole slew of other emotions. But when even a small gesture of gratitude and honesty can spark a rebellion, Katniss will have to keep her emotions in check if she wants to keep those around her safe.

Then again, perhaps her emotions are just what the nation needs...


Equally brutal, but for different reasons. Where the first book was mainly about a horrifying competition, the second shows the beginnings of war. From the disparity between the empowered few and the enslaved masses—parties where guests fill their stomachs then vomit to do it again and again versus families starving to death—to the Capitol's attempts to control any dissidents—mainly through fear and violence—this book definitely has a darker tone about it. And you thought kids killing each other on live TV was dark...

Katniss, the Girl Who Was on Fire

~The Hunger Games~
The Hunger Games
Book 1
By Suzanne Collins
Amazon ~ Powell's

At 16 years old, Katniss Everdeen has to admit that the odds have never been in her favor. With her father dead and her mother in a near-catatonic state, it's been up to her to keep the family alive these past five years. Sure, it's been tough caring for her sister and mother, but between hunting, foraging, and making sacrifices she's managed it alright so far.

But in the span of one breath everything changes.

The Hunger Games are an annual competition waged between the 12 Districts of Panem. Part retribution for their failed rebellion, part entertainment spectacle, the Capitol forces each District to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to compete on live TV. The winner gains wealth and glory, not only for themselves but for their entire district. The rest are killed in the process.

In District 12, the poorest district, tributes are chosen primarily by lottery. But when her sister's name is called, Katniss steps up as a volunteer.

Now the odds are truly stacking against her. Her handler for the competition is an idiot and her mentor is a drunk. One of those she is pitted against is strikingly similar to her sister, while another was her one-time savior. As her life is pitted against other youths with more resources and more training, she doubts that her meager hunting skills will prove useful.

Still, one's luck has got to turn sometime, and who knows, Katniss may prove to be more of a contender than she thinks.


Going into this, you know it's going to be a tough book. I mean, the main premise is kids, as young as twelve, being picked out in a lottery (called "the reaping") and set to kill each other for the country's enjoyment. It's not even a scenario where it's an accident that erodes the kids' psyches over time. No, it's a government running the show and using this gory spectacle to keep their subjects in line.