Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Buy Mockingjay Book by Suzanne Collins (9781407132105) at Angus and Robertson with free shippingthis post does contain spoilers--read at your own risk
I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather.


I picked it up from the library a couple weeks ago, immediately disappointed by the spine's lack of thickness when I was aware that the novel was split into two cinematic parts, the first due for release in November 2014, the second November 2015. I mean, you read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a 200,000-word book, and you understand (A Writer's Journey). But, um, Mockingjay is half that, and one movie would easily cover all the major plot points (A Writer's Journey).

I had heard from Grace, a fellow book reviewer and writer (check out her blog!), that Katniss's attitude worsened even from what it was in Catching Fire. I didn't personally find that quite the case; still, Katniss will probably never be my favorite heroine. She's overly judgmental, and though she does love some people fiercely ("There are few people whom I really love, and even fewer of whom I think well," said Elizabeth Bennet), she does have a bad attitude. It's understandable that the Hunger Games would have given her PTSD, but she never was the nicest person on earth. I mean, Peeta has major PTSD too, and he doesn't act like that.

One main problem I've felt that the entirety of The Hunger Games series has--well, maybe the first doesn't quite fit this--is that Suzanne Collins didn't develop her plots nearly enough. Mockingjay reads as if there are still holes which haven't been filled, as if the story was hurried along on the way to the publishing press. Something that I can say for Harry Potter is that J.K. Rowling spent a credible amount of time developing her plot, storyworld, and characters--that's probably also why I like that series far better than this one. For example, Peeta, who, at the end of Catching Fire, has been captured by the Capitol leaders, has been injected with huge amounts of tracker jacker venom in order to change his memories of Katniss from safety and love to fear and hatred. He recovers from that far too quickly to be realistic, and even though he lapses back into it off and on, the effect is pretty cheap. Thankfully, the plot was kind enough to add some deaths of the best characters in the book--out of the graciousness of my heart, I won't tell you who. Haha. Although for one of them in particular, I really wasn't happy.

Also, the ending of the novel got rushed. It was one of those Mansfield Park endings, where the author spends the last eight pages resolving the love triangle. Dorky. But, whatever . . . ends the confusion, anyway (even though I already knew who Katniss would end up with).

Rating: 4.5 stars.

If you've read The Hunger Games series, what'd you think of it? I love to talk to my readers, so don't be shy!

cited...A Writer's Journey. "Word Counts." Copyright 9 April 2012. Web. 27 August 2014. http://awriterjourney.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/word-counts/.

4 comments:

  1. I felt the ending was rushed, too.
    I'm wondering how they're going to split it into a two-part movie. It isn't much bigger, if any bigger, than the other two. Perhaps they're going to make one of the closest book adaptions ever and use every detail? (Though I doubt that because they left off characters from the books) Then again, maybe they'll add stuff...

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    1. Yeah, I know. I did like the last line--I felt that was pretty brilliant. But it's like splitting The Hobbit into three movies--yes, you get great detail, but also a lot of appendages that the writer never used. :)

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  2. Looking forward to eventually reading the rest of this series - especially with the movies about to come out. Katniss isn't my favorite heroine either; there's just something about her...

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    1. I am excited to see Mockingjay in theaters. It'll probs be pretty good; I liked both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire movies (better than their respective books). Anyway. Thanks for commenting, Rissi :)

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