Mockingjay: The Hunger Games, Book 3
4.6 | 96,868 ratings
Price: 19.27
Last update: 02-02-2026
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- Karissa EckertExcellent conclusion; stays true to Katniss's trait of being a survivorThis is the third, and final, book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. If you read the first two books, you will read this one. All I can say is to be prepared for one heck of a ride. A lot happens in this book and Collins doesn't hold off on killing off a lot of people.
The book starts where Catching Fire left off. Katniss is in District 13 with Gale, her mom, and her sister Prim. The Rebel group based in District 13 is trying to get Katniss to take up the Mockingjay symbol and become the face of their revolution. Katniss is unsure if she wants to go this route or not. Peeta is still missing and presumed captured by President Snow and being held in the Capital. Katniss's journey eventually leads to the capital itself and a final face-off with President Snow.
This is a hard book to review without spoilers but I will give it my best shot. The pace of this book is relentless. Collins does not pull punches when it comes to killing off large groups of people, as well as people we love and care about. This is a dark book, and that is putting it mildly.
As far as characterization goes we begin to see even more of what defines Katniss as a character; she is not sentimental, she is a survivor foremost and that it what sets her apart from others. A lot of the decisions made by Katniss in this book are driven by that personality trait. In fact at one point Gale and Peeta are discussing Katniss and who she will "choose". Gale sums it up perfectly when he says something to the effect of "Katniss will choose whoever she can't survive without."
On to other characters. The ruthlessness we saw in Gale at the end of the Catching Fire is built upon in this book. Gale is ruthless and practical to the point of dislike at times. He begins to look like a character that likes what Katniss stands for, rather than who she is. At the end of book two I was Team Gale all the way. I thought that Gale and Katniss had more in common in survival instincts and could pull off a good relationship based on those characteristics. As this book starts and continues, we see a side of Gale that is more ruthless and dispassionate than ever before.
In order to avoid spoilers I won't say much about Peeta, except that he is back in the story for the second half of the book.
Collins does an excellent job at showing both sides of the story. You get to see both the good the rebel forces do, and the harm they cause in rebelling against the Capital. As Katniss and team enter the capital, Collins relates the Capital takeover as yet another type of dome just like previous "Hunger Games" this is an interesting idea and ties the three novels together well. In each of them we see our teams of characters struggling to stay alive, doing things no one should have to do. In each book there are brutal deaths.
There's quite the twist at the end of this book. People may be surprised at who Katniss kills. All I have to say about this is that I was satisfied with the choice Katniss made, and had actually been hoping that Collins would have it play out that way. Katniss's actions at the end seemed like the best way to follow Katniss's beliefs, while trying to ensure the best ending for humanity as a whole.
The epilogue was interesting. It was kind of nice to get a definitive ending to everything that played out before. It wrapped things up nicely. Still, I didn't think the epilogue was necessary and I think the book would have actually been a bit better and more thought-provoking without it. As with the previous books the writing style of this book was incredibly readable and engaging; no matter people think of the plot, you have to admit Collins is one heck of a great writer.
Overall I thought this was an excellent conclusion to the series. Readers may not like how some of things play-out; but I thought they played out realistically and I liked the decisions Katniss made at the end...I thought her decisions really stayed true to the core personality trait of her character, which was to survive. I am eagerly awaiting whatever Collins comes up with next. - titania86A realistic and gritty conclusion to a great dystopian seriesKatniss Everdeen is recovering from her escape from the latest Hunger Games, which required the winners of the previous Games to participate. The rebels came in and rescued her and Finnick Odair from the breached dome, leaving the other tributes in the clutches of President Snow. President Coin of District 13 wants Katniss to become the face of the revolution. She has already gained fame from the Games and the tour following it. This could be instrumental in the downfall of the Capitol and President Snow. After negotiating freedom for the captured tributes and the privilege of killing Snow herself, Katniss reluctantly agrees. She doesn't realize until later that being such a symbol costs her more than she bargained for. She has to decide how much of herself and her loved ones she is willing to sacrifice for this cause. As time goes on, a beaten and defeated Peeta is paraded in the media as Katniss becomes a stronger driving force for the rebels. How long can Katniss focus on her goal when Peeta is obviously suffering? Will she survive long enough to see the rebellion to the end?
I was disappointed to read Catching Fire so soon after it came out because I had to wait so long to read the last book. I finally got to read it recently and I was very pleased with it. It had its flaws along the way, but overall it was a satisfying and realistic end to the trilogy. The thing that is prominently featured in this book is war. In the other books, there were the actual games, which were like a tiny microcosm version of a war, in the first book and in the second book it was all about media exposure and how to appear in the public. The third book is a combination of the first two. The actual war shown in the novel is much more bleak and realistic than the carefully controlled atmosphere of the Games. It's a necessary evil in this book because you can't hope to change anything major in that society without it. The power of the media figures strongly as well as in previous books. Her position as a symbol for the rebellion helps other rebels and has a strong effect on the public at large. It also shows that her position hasn't really changed all that much from the beginning. She's still a pawn for someone to move around and use for their advantage. Katniss has to decide whether or not it's worth it to be under the control of the rebels or under that of the capitol. This is a realistic view that any governing power is going to have its problems and corruption because it's run by humans.
The characters we have to come to know are very much changed in this book. They have all been forced to grow up at a young age and when someone witnesses such awful things, they can't help but be changed. If they had stayed the same, I would call it bad writing because it would just be unrealistic. Katniss is still the kick-ass heroine, but she is injured and scarred, physically and mentally. She is weakened and does act uncharacteristically while hiding in closets and running scared. I think the "uncharacteristic" behavior is a symptom of war and happens to real soldiers, as seen with things like PTSD. Her hero journey comes at a price. When she's finished with the war, assuming she survives, how is she going to move on with her life? She has to pick up the shattered pieces of herself and find a way to move on. This is one of the most realistic aspects of the book and many don't like it, but I think it makes the book go from good to excellent. Although it's still on Katniss' mind, the love triangle between Gale, Katniss, and Peeta is pushed to the background and rightfully so. With so many people's lives on the line, why would one girl's romantic antics take precedence?
The one aspect of the novel that I didn't like was that a certain character was thrown under the proverbial bus, making Katniss' romantic choice very easy. Other than that, the book was excellent. The realistic and depressing angle the book goes in shatters any hope of any idyllic happy ending Katniss might have had. It makes reading the novel exciting because you never know what's going to happen. I've read a great many reviews where the writer complains about how depressing, horrible, and disturbing this book is. Just because it's a YA novel doesn't mean that it has to be all rainbows and glitter all the time. Deal with it or don't read it. So, if you liked the previous Hunger Games books and aren't afraid of a little bleakness, I would encourage you to read this. If not, you can go read something with rainbows, unicorns, and possibly some glittery vampires.