Mockingjay

*I'm going to attempt to be spoiler-free about this one, but there are going to be huge spoilers if you haven't read the other two. I can't help that, though*

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.
from amazon.com

Beth says 5 Stars...

Oh. My. God. That was my reaction when I finished this book. Quite often hyped books disappoint, but Mockingjay wasn't one of them. Whatever I had expected from Collins, this wasn't it, but in the best possible way. Yes, it still moved the story forward, but it wasn't a repeat of the first two. This novel centers on the rebellion and Katniss's struggle to find her place in the new world she's been thrust into. It was very interesting to get to learn more about District 13, which has always been this mythical place; an example of the might of the Capital in it's supposed destruction. Well, shall we say that things are a bit more complicated than that. The plot was beyond amazing. I never knew what was coming next, and only was able to predict one twist. I was constantly on the edge of my seat and couldn't put it down, despite having homework...

This one, even though it's as action packed as expected, really belongs to the characters. I felt that I truly got to know Katniss in a way that doesn't happen very often. Perhaps it was the combination of the first person narrative and the intense action, but I feel that the main connection came from how much of the book was psychologically focused. Collins really delved deep into what makes Katniss tick, and it's fascinating and scary. I think that quite often in books there's all of this violence and everyone is completely fine. In this one, they aren't. You get to see the toll that living this life has taken on all of them, from Katniss to Peeta to Gale to the multitudes of rebels.

I'm going to have to cut this one a little short, because I'm afraid that I'll ruin it for everyone else. Grab it yesterday, because it's one of the few books for which the hype is completely deserved. If you haven't read this series, get out from under the rock where you've been living and read them ASAP. You won't regret it.