I finished Mockingjay the other day, and now I'm ready to evaluate the series as a whole. I really enjoyed it. Here's a couple reasons why:
1. Strong female protagonist who kicks butt!
2. Engaging writing style. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the first person present tense going on, but Collins pulled it off really well. I don't think all authors are capable of that.
3. Katniss ended up with the guy I thought she should endup with.
4. It didn't have an unbelievable happily ever after ending. It was happy in the sense that it wasn't one of those stories where the bad guy wins or you're left feeling like you will never be happy again, but the good that comes in the end came with a price.
I can't really think of much I'd have to say against the series. After some thought, the only things that really come to mind are insignificant details. Such as, perhaps Katniss asks too many rhetorical questions to herself. See? Not a big deal. Of course, now you're going to read the series with my example in mind and become annoyed because you notice every single question she asks. Forget I mentioned it.One issue I've seen raised is the love triangle. Do all teenage girls have problems deciding how they feel about two boys who clearly are attracted to the girl? I never had that problem... Jealous...
But in all seriousness, the love triangle didn't really bother me in this book because there was so much action going on, so many lives at stake, that the love triangle almost sits in the background and then jumps up and down every once in a while to remind you that it's still there. And it gets resolved in the end, in case you couldn't figure that out from my list.
The funny thing is, I didn't choose which guy she should end up with because I totally loved one guy over the other. When reading Twilight, I was totally team Jacob because Edward really annoyed me starting in book two. Sorry, Edward. You're just not my type. In The Hunger Games it was more like reasoning which one I'd most likely fall for were I in that situation and what reason I wouldn't choose the other guy. I'd spell that out for you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.
One last thing I forgot to mention that I liked about the series, I could never guess what was coming next. Not long term anyway. When I was reading the first one, I had a very small idea of how it would end, but then I always found myself asking, "But how can this go into another book?" Turns out I only had a vague idea of how it would end, and the next two books kept up the pace.
I almost wanted a little more out of the ending. Just two more sentences or so. However, we the readers are also given enough.
The series is a quick read and well worth the time.
