Let’s Talk About Mockingjay

Let me first start by saying that I am about to get all spoilery up in here.

This isn’t something I normally do because I hate to give away plots to books, but I want need to talk about this story.

Seriously, no holds barred–we’re talking right down to the very last page.

Please. If you haven’t read these, just stop whatever it is you’re doing, and go now to your nearest bookstore–pick them up, and I’ll see you again in three days.

Stop reading if you haven’t finished Mockingjay or any of the other books in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

You’ve been warned.

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Whew, okay now that all those non-readers are gone… we can talk.

It was greatness. I’ll just say that first. I’ve never cried so hard in a book, not even in that series when you know who killed that other guy.

When they played Real or Not Real that one last time, I’ve probably read that scene at least 50 times, and I will read it at least 50 more.

I’m totally Team Peeta. Have been from the second they locked eyes at the reaping and never once wavered. Not when Gale fed her family while she was gone, not when he kissed her on the hunting trip, and definitely not when he was Mr. Revolution Man. Nope, never. I’ve never done that before in a story. I always change my mind in a love triangle, but for me Peeta was such a great character that I never found a reason not to love him.

So, what I really need to know is, did Peeta ever find that love her had for her? The one that was so strong he couldn’t bare to see her die? The one that made him team up with the careers and give up his own life to go back in the arena? All the story says is that in time he stopped cringing as much.

That isn’t enough for me! I need to know if he really remembered. I need to know if eventually the hijack was more of a memory, or even if, for brief moments, he felt that way about her again. And the thing is, I don’t need to know it for Kat, I need to know that for Peeta’s sake he was able to at least have that back.

Did he? Someone find a spot in the text for me that shows me he did… because I’ll go mad not knowing.

Even though I’m a Peeta girl, I still wanted Kat to make the choice between the two, and not the realization of her relief when she learned Gale was in District 2 with his good job. (Aside: WTF? What JOB?!? District 12 was Gale’s home–what job was worth him giving it up?) I need to know what Gale ended up doing for the rest of his life, and I need to know if he ever found true love, (I wanted him with Johanna) or if he spent his life pining away for Katniss and died alone.

Snow died of unknown causes? Like, they don’t know if he got trampled by the crowd or he just choked to death on his own blood? Oh, come on–Peeta should have killed that torturing bastard. And he should have done it with Katniss’ bow–I don’t know where he the arrow could have come from, but it would have made me happy to see him do it.

Instead, Kat is pulled away and we get told what happened later. I don’t care if they had to switch POV’s or what, but I really would have liked to seen the actual trial.

Speaking of getting told what happened after the fact… DUDE–Kat just wakes up after the bombing to discover Peeta and Gale are both okay? What happened to Peeta’s big distraction plan? What happened to Gale when he was pulled away? How did they capture Snow? Did any of the children survive the bombing?

And now, the bombing… I still feel like I need more information! Who set off that bomb? Was it the revolution, or was it the Capitol? At first I was sure it was the Revolution, but then–I started thinking about it, and why would all those kids be herded together? I know they said it was to protect Snow, but what if it was more than that? What if– what if the two sides were working together? Were they? Was that what this was supposed to signify?

I know there had to be a death, I knew that going in to this last book. There would have to be a great sacrifice on Kat’s part in order for us to see that the spoils of victory are never pretty. But, the death of the person the entire series was based on saving?

Come on. I get it, I really do… war is tragic, and many times you lose the very thing you’re fighting for… but this is fiction, and hasn’t Kat been through enough? Gale’s off in district 2, Peeta’s wavering between hijacked and sort of being able to stand her, she lost her father all those years ago, her home is ruins… and she has to lose the one thing that’s kept her going through all these hardships?

Now, let’s talk about Peeta. What happened to him in the capitol? I know he was hijacked, but when? Was he hijacked before or after he did the interviews with Caesar? Did he really want a ceasefire? I don’t think he did, but couldn’t he have sent some sort of message to Kat in his words, morse code… something. If it was so easy to extract him, why did they wait so long? Why didn’t Kat make THAT the bargaining chip in her agreement to be the Mockingjay? Wouldn’t it have made more sense that she wanted Peeta safe with her instead of “my sister gets to keep her cat that I can’t really stand all that much, anyway?”

Did they ever admit to anyone that there was no baby? I actually wanted to see her “lose it” as a ploy for the audience during the Quell Hunger Games. I wanted her to realize she could lead the revolt from inside the arena, and really come into her own as the face of the Revolution. I hated the idea that she never really grew into that role.

So Peeta and Kat end in a simple life with their babies and the rebuilding of her broken down district, and that’s sweet–but why is neither Peeta nor Kat finishing this story in some sort of leader position? I would have loved to see Peeta overcome his hijack and Kat use her fame to help him rise to power and be the leader Panem so desperately needed. But, even if that was too much for them, and they both wanted to return to their beloved home–he would have made a great leader for District 12… Kat by his side, and giving him the children he craves because she knows they’re finally safe with their father in charge.

All that being said, I’ve never cared more about characters or what happens to them in a book, and that in itself is beyond impressive. I still love it, and just the fact that I can’t stop thinking about the loose ends is significant enough for me to add The Hunger Games my favorite books of all time.