Make it an Uneven Three

I have finally finished The Hunger Games trilogy....not because it took me forever to read the books, but because it took me forever to get book three. I was unable to borrow the first book, The Hunger Games, from my library because there was a wait list....a wait list of about 200 people! Luckily, I have a little brother in middle school who was borrowing it from his school's library. Despite the fact that I personally asked him to let me borrow it when he was finished....Leah was given first dibs on the the book. She read through the book rather quickly, which meant that I got it only two days after she started it. It took me another two days to finish the first book. This was a major achievement recently...I have been unable to find a book that made me WANT to read, despite it being 10:00 at night on a weekday. I love books like this (even though I lose out on sleep). Leah read through the second book, Catching Fire, pretty quickly, so I also received that book in record time (only a day after I finished the first one). Once again (despite a few negative comments about the book from my little brother), I finished this book in only a few days. The third book was an issue. Thomas didn't like this one as much, so it took him FOREVER to finish it. Then, despite my asking for it, Leah got to read it. Then, despite my asking for it, Chris got to read it. Then, despite my asking for it, it was returned. Then it was Valentine's Day and my dad gave the third book, The Mockingjay, to my  mom for her present. It is now March 6th and I finished the third book yesterday (two days after I started it)....it took that long for my mom to read it. She had several negative comments about this book...that it wasn't a page turner like the first two...that it wasn't very interesting... But, despite these comments, I wanted to - had to - finish the trilogy! Did Katniss end up with Peeta or Gale?! Did President Snow win?! Who would end up dying?! Would there really be a war?! Was District 13 really there?! All these questions, and more, had to be answered. It only took me two days to answer them.

Now, I just have to write my own book reviews of the series. And, since my mom is my main reader, she'll just have to put up with my praise of all three books....and perhaps I can change her mind.

Book 1: THE HUNGER GAMES

I got on the band wagon super late, but just had to read this trilogy since the movie was coming out in March; and I always like to read the books BEFORE I see the movies. I just hope this movie doesn't ruin the books like the Twilight movies ruined the books for me.

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 6)

I love books about alternate worlds. I enjoyed Margaret Atwood's Handmaiden and Lois Lowry's The Giver. I have always found them very interesting. Part of me always liked the Giver's world....while at the same time, I was thankful for colors and choices (and being alive, since I was the smaller twin!). It isn't too hard to imagine the United States destroying itself...we think we're all powerful, are constantly coming up with new technologies and weapons, etc. I like how Suzanne Collins said she came up with the idea for Hunger Games. She said she was switching between channels - one was the report on a war and the other was those game shows where people go through obstacles and land in the water, and get hit with large objects. She just put the two together to make the Hunger Games.

I was surprised that this book is meant for young adults. It is a pretty adult concept, although she keeps it pretty PG (especially in today's ratings). There is no sex or cursing...although there is lots of violence (especially in the third book) and mature thinking (Katniss experiences very adult situations - having to fight to the death and all). I had had no idea what this book was about before I started reading. To think that a country would "willingly" sacrifice it's children to keep it under control - not very civilized. Yet, when we hear about the Capitol, it seems a very civilized place. The Capitol people don't experience hunger or death the way the other Districts do.

Each District has it's own exported product - District 12 is coal. And the farther away the Districts get from the Capitol, the poorer they are. District 13 used to be the last District, but it rebelled and was destroyed by the Capitol (and the reason for the Games is to remind the other Districts why they shouldn't rebel).

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" (Effie Trinket, pg. 19)

The Hunger Games are supposed to be viewed as a privilege by the Districts. This is what makes the book so riveting. You'd expect people to refuse to join the Games, for people to not enjoy watching them. But, when we learn about all the "rules" and that each tribute gets a "mentor" and has to have "sponsors" in order to get things they need while in the Games. As the book moves on we learn each tribute gets a stylist team and a makeover so that they look good on TV. This is not just some Game.....it's THE GAME....viewers are constantly watching the Games and want to be entertained. The Gamemakers have to make it interesting. If no one's killing each other, it's not interesting enough.

Katniss only ends up at the Games because she volunteers to replace her sister, Prim. Already, Katniss has become known for this act of kindness. Katniss goes through a lot during her stay in the Games. This is very fast-paced and very much a page turner. You want to find out who her allies will be, and why Peeta is at first against her, and then disappears. You want both Peeta and Katniss to survive. I knew Katniss had to live (there are two more books in the series), but I didn't know how she'd manage to get Peeta out. Katniss is not made out to be a heartless killer. She only kills when she is protecting herself or others. This makes her likable and a hero. You WANT her to win. But, you also want Peeta to win - who is also not a heartless killer and who loves Katniss.

The whole love story between Peeta and Katniss is at first ridiculous - why did she have to add this in? But, it makes you want Peeta live and gives Katniss more of a human quality. She, at first, only pretends to love Peeta, but she eventually realizes she loves him.

The book ends with Peeta and Katniss about to kill themselves with poisonous berries. But, the Gamemakers decide two people can win this time. There are two victors...and Peeta and Katniss must start their Victor's Tour.

Book 2: CATCHING FIRE

"I have a problem, Miss Everdeen. A problem that began the moment you pulled out those poisonous berries in the arena." (President Snow, pg. 20)

The Victors are starting their Victor's Tour, and Katniss gets a visit from President Snow. She realizes that she has created mild rebellions in the Districts because the rules were changed...which means, perhaps, other things can change as well. As Katniss and Peeta go on Tour, they must "act" like they are in love. We learn this is natural for Peeta, but perhaps not as natural for Katniss.

They see a few mild rebellious acts while on tour, but nothing Katniss seems to care too much about. Then, at the end of the Tour, we learn it's going to be a Quarter Quell...an extra Game that year. And that only previous Victors will be chosen for the Quell....something that was never supposed to happen.

And, of course, Peeta and Katniss must return to the Games. We see the Capitol and her stylists again....the trainings and the interviews. This time, the Arena they're in is pretty intense. There are tons of different "Muttations" and horrors that await them in the forests and in the water. The monkey attack made me quite anxious for them.

The whole time, Katniss believes she is going to save Peeta, no matter what. She allies herself with others, who also want to save Peeta. At the very end, Katniss fires an arrow into the force field that surrounds the arena and manages to bring an end to the Games. She is rescued by District 13 (it does exist)....but we learn that Peeta is not. Her friend Gale and his family, as well as Katniss' mother and sister, were able to escape District 12 before it was completely destroyed by the Capitol. They are living in District 13.

" The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol's plans. The symbol of the rebellion." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 386-387)

Book 3: THE MOCKINGJAY

The Mockingjay, we have learned, is a bird that is a hybrid of mockingbirds and jabberjays. Jabberjays were created (they're Muttations, or "Mutts") by the Capitol that are used to aid the Capitol....the birds could repeat what Rebels were saying and report back to the Capitol. Unfortunately for the Capitol, the Rebels learned this and would give misinformation to the jabberjays. The jabberjays then mated with mockingbirds and created mockingjays. These birds would listen to singing and repeat back the songs - they loved to sing. Katniss and her father were extremely good singers. And Katniss was given a mockingjay pin by her friend, Madge, before her first Games.

"I had already put something in motion that I had no ability to control." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 6)

The rebellion is in full swing by the time Katniss recovers from her injuries from the Arena. She learns that Peeta was taken by the Capitol and is being tortured. She also learns that District 13 (with it's strict, military-like rules) wants her to lead the rebellion....a rebellion she had never really thought to create. Sure Katniss didn't like the idea of the Hunger Games, but she was never one to call the Capitol out. She was only going to eat the poisoned berries so that she wouldn't have to kill Peeta and he wouldn't have to kill her (and she knew Peeta would never have killed her). She didn't want to start a rebellion - she didn't want people to die "for her" or "because of her". But, in the end, she does want the end of the war...and she wants Peeta back.

I can see where the negative comments started coming from my mom and little brother. For most of the first part of the book, Katniss is wandering around District 13, ignoring the rules, sleeping, and trying to not imagine Peeta being tortured or imagine her days in the Games. This, to me, is understandable. She just went through something traumatic - twice. She lost her best friend. She lost other friends in the arena and from the bombing of District 12. She lost her home. It kind of reminds me of Harry Potter in Book 5....how angry he was about everything....which you learn to understand; he had almost died several times!

We soon realize that this is a whole 'nother "game". There's the war, and Katniss is expected to act like the symbol of the rebellion. She's dressed and readied, just like before the Games. She expected to say and do certain things, just like in the Games. She doesn't know who to trust, just like in the Games. Yes, there's a lot of time between each video shoot (and action scene), but a lot of it is with Katniss coming to terms with who she is and what she needs to do. She's also worried about Peeta.

"My lips are just forming his name when his fingers lock around my throat." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 177)

Peeta is in District 13, but he's not himself. The thought of him being rescued had made me so excited for Katniss! She would finally have kind, loving, brave Peeta back with her! Gale was slowly turning into a war-crazy soldier, so I looked forward to Peeta's return. However, we quickly learn that Peeta has been "hijacked" or filled with memories that are distorted to make Katniss look like the enemy. He tries to kill her, more than once.

I was very surprised by this. I guess I should have realized that they wouldn't have been able to rescue him to quickly without something else going on. Peeta is kept under lock and key and they attempt to save his memories.

Eventually, Katniss gets to go to war. Her group, which consists of Gale and Peeta (and others), goes straight into the Capitol. This is another Game in and of itself. The whole city is booby-trapped with things just as horrible as in the arenas. I was so nervous for them the whole time! Slowly, people start dying from her group and they have to make their way to the President's Mansion before they're discovered.

When the lizard Mutts chase them in the sewers - oooh I was so nervous! I even paused to tell Brian how anxious and scared I was for Katniss! (He laughed at me.) Katniss finally makes it to the Mansion, where a group of children are being held hostage. Suddenly, a plane drops gifts to the children, which end up being bombs. Half of the gifts go off. Rebel medics suddenly appear, running towards the children. Katniss recognizes Prim, her sister. Then the other half of the bombs go off, killing Prim. Man, did I cry! This was so incredibly sad!

"Don't worry. I've saved him for you." (President Coin, pg. 350)

Katniss is once again having to heal from an injury. The Rebels have overtaken the Capitol and President Snow is tried and found guilty, sentenced to be executed.

Katniss is fighting the sorrow of loosing a sister. She's realizing (with President Snow's help) that it was most likely the Rebels who sent those gifts to the children...the bombs. She also realizes, that it was probably one of Gale's ideas (he is good at snaring).
Before Katniss executes Snow, there's a dispute among the leaders about whether to execute all of the Capitol residents, or let them live. They decide to hold one last Hunger Game in which the Capitol children are expected to fight each other. Katniss agrees to this. 

WHAT?! I was trying to figure out Katniss' plan. Why would she allow another Hunger Game?! The whole point of the rebellion was to get rid of the Hunger Games and the newly appointed President Coin is going to start another one?! I couldn't believe it.

And I also couldn't believe Katniss would really kill President Snow. In the end, of course, she doesn't. And I realize that she made the right choice. She shot President Coin....creating chaos. But, in the end, peace is once again found in Panem...and will hopefully stay there.

"We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction." (Plutarch Heavensbee, pg. 379)

I really like what Plutarch says here. There's peace in Panem, for now. Who knows how long it will last. People quickly forget. Isn't that why we (nowadays) have so many memorials? There's the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the 9/11 Memorial. So that we don't forget. Even in the Bible, God made memorials. After the flood, He created the rainbow, which we're supposed to remember as God's promise to never flood the whole earth again. Several times in the Bible God has people create memorials to remember what God has done for them. We all need a little help remembering.

And that's what the Hunger Games were intended for - to remind people not to rebel. Hopefully, Katniss' world no longer needs that reminder and can remember another, humane, way.

"That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 388)

"You love me. Real or not real?" (Peeta Mellark)

"Real." (Katniss Everdeen, pg. 388)

I am happy with Katniss' choice in Peeta, instead of Gale. Gale was all about the rebellion, no matter how many lives are lost (very similar to some of the Gamemakers). But Peeta was peaceful and strong. He could support Katniss and protect her and keep her calm.

Over all, I LOVED this series! It had a love story. It had fighting. It had a message.