springdellgirl

No More La-La-La-ing For Me



I have finally read it. Whoa. I had put this book on the back burner because life was so crazy and I was waiting for things to slow down a bit to read it. Well...pretty much everyone I know read it immediately and so I had to spend a lot of time with my fingers in my ears, my eyes closed, going "la-la-la" so I couldn't hear what they were talking about. Case in point...at book club this week at Kariann's I had to hide in the bathroom to avoid hearing anything about the book. Another example...Tyler read it right away and I refused to even look him in the eye when he finished it because I knew his face would give everything away. Add to all this that several people I know didn't like the book...or the ending. Hmmm.

Did I like this book? Heck yes. Did I love it? Heck yes. Did I like the ending? Heck yes.

*******Spoilers********

How could I not like it? She ended up with Peeta. WOOHOO. I love Peeta. You people had me scared. What are all of you? Gale lovers? Not that Gale wasn't a good guy. But come on...he's no Peeta.

Many people said that they found the book dark and violent. Um...yes. Did you miss that in the first two books? Kids fighting to the death...violent deaths and brutality. All three books are dark and violent.

Many people said that the ending wasn't a happy one. What did you expect? This book isn't exactly a Harlequin Romance. It is a book about a Dystopian Society...and Civil War...and surviving horrific circumstances. Did you think that at the end Katniss and Peeta were going to get their party on? I think she got her happy ending. She found love, had a family of her own,and lived in peace. I found the ending very satisfying. What more do you people want?

Some have said that Katniss was weak and not the hard-core butt kicker she was in Hunger Games. I say...good. This girl has been through horrific and brutal circumstances. She has killed numerous people; had to fight for her life numerous times; watched people she cared about die violently; her entire district was destroyed; her country was in shambles; she was on the President's hit list; she feels guilty about the deaths of others; she is scared for the future and fate of those she loves. How could she be the same girl that she was in book one? Her life is forever changed. I found Katniss' weakness, vulnerability and difficulty coping very believable...and REAL. The fact that she was able to carry on at all is a sign of her strength and courage. I would be hiding in closets and falling apart too.

Some have said that Katniss had no free will. and that even her choice of Peeta wasn't a choice he was just the one who was there. I disagree. I feel she had a choice to act or not to act throughout this book. Sometimes things were out of her hands but she still had a choice of how to act or react in whatever circumstances she was in. As far as her choice of Peeta over Gale. She chooses him consistently throughout the series. I think she summed it up very well when she said:

"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." (Pg. 388) That is a choice people.

I will say that in this book you get to know Gale much better and see how he and Katniss work together as a team. There was much less Peeta in this book...which was a disappointment to me. Don't forget that in the other books Gale was always a revolutionist. He is also ambitious. Katniss, on the other hand, just wanted peace and quiet. Peeta wanted the same. Gale could never know or understand all that Katniss had been through...unlike Peeta who experienced it with her.

So here are some of my gripes. I did think that Gale was written out rather hastily. I hated that Finnick died. I grew to really love him. I was more sad about him dying than Prim. I hated Katniss' mother. What the? She's a horrible character. I wanted Cinna to be alive some how and some way. I wanted to know more about the rescue of Peeta, the trial of Katniss and other parts of the story that we weren't privy to due to the book being written from Katniss' point of view. I wanted to know more about Haymitch's past. I wanted to have Madge play some role in this book. I also thought that Suzanne Collins got a little "eco-preachy" at times and that bugged me. I did like the new character of Boggs. I liked the twist in the end and the death of President Coin. I liked that the author stayed true to the characters through out the series. There you go.

My rating: EXCELLENT