Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

 Book Description:

My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.
It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.
The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

Christina's BookReview

“You're punishing him over and over for things that are out of his control. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't have a fully loaded weapon next to you round the clock. But I think it's time you flipped this little scenario in your head. If you'd been taken by the Capitol, and hijacked, and then tried to kill Peeta, is this the way he would be treating you?" demands Haymitch.

I fall silent. It isn't. It isn't how he would be treating me at all. He would be trying to get me back at any cost. Not shutting me out, abandoning me, greeting me with hostility at every turn.”

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

I have to say that from all the books in this series I was both impressed with this book and upset.

I thought that this book contained more action and more bad ass scenes. I thought that we really get into war and we get to see the rebel side of it which was great. From the Mockingjay commercials to the visting and saving of the districts, it was all amazing. It was sad to read about the hardship happening and all the deaths from District 12.

With that said I have to explain why I was upset with this book.

1. Peeta was given "the short end of the stick" as we say. I know that is was a perfect twist to the story but I was tired of him suffering. I feel like throughout the series they found ways to make him seem weak when in truth I thought that he was incredible in his own ways. He was left out through most of MJ and when he was in the picture he again was the one needing the help.

2. Katniss never fully acknowledges that she fell in love with Peeta. SHe says she chose Peeta because he brought her safety. Again, WTH! He wasn't only "safe", he fought with her, for her and gave everything of himself for her. He should have been chosen because of all of that, not because he was safe!

3. All the characters that I came to love and adore were killed off. There really was no one left! :-(

Okay so enough with the ranting. Other then my Peeta rant the book was good and if you read THG and CF then read MJ.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) Review HERE

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) Review HERE

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

 Book Description:

Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

Christina's BookReview

“We star-crossed lovers of District 12, who suffered so much and enjoyed so little the rewards of our victory, do not seek our fans' favor, grace them with our smiles, or catch their kisses. We are unforgiving. And I love it. Getting to be myself at last.”

When I first started to read Catching Fire I surprisingly was having a very difficult time getting into it. I waited a month and then went back to reading it and was surprised how immersed I was in book after getting passed the little bump.

I was so upset with the twist to the Quarter Quell but wasnt surprised. President Snow's visit hinted to something terrible coming and that is exactly what happened.

Katniss was an obvious target in this book after what happened in the arena during The Hunger Games. Her relationship with Peeta grew into much more then just friendship. She was determined to get him home after the Quater Quell by sacrificing herself and that alone made me like her more. Peeta always his sweet, gracious and amazing self was again sacrificing himself for Katniss and that made me love him even more. Of couse we get a little of Gale in CF but not enough to make an impression. I did feel bad with that one scene. I loved the new chracters and even found myself sad when some didn't make it in the arena. My new fave character in CF was Finnick and I have to say that I couldn't wait to read more about him.

Catching Fire was as intense and The Hunger Games and twice as sadder. I can't wait to see how this book is portrayed on the big screen.

I recommend this book to everyone that has read The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) Review HERE

MockingJay (The Hunger Games #3) Review HERE