Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay may very well be the most highly anticipated novel of the year!  I know that I personally have been very excited to finally get my hands on this book to find out the path Katniss Everdeen and her companions will take.  And, from the word in the social media circles and my few friends that have actually read the first two books in the series, I know that I have not been the only one!  This last Tuesday, we all finally had the chance!!

For those who may not yet know, Mockingjay is the final book in the series written by Suzanne Collins, with the first two being The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  If you remember my reviews of the first two books (click back for a refresher if you need it!), I absolutely fell in love with this series.  Keeping with those reviews and the author's request, I will not be sharing any spoilers here.  I do not want to ruin this adventure for others because I want them to experience Katniss's story for themselves, to feel what I felt as I was unable to read the pages fast enough, and to close the final book with a sense of  . . . something . . . I'm not really sure what I felt, but I am going to attempt to describe my feelings . . .

I did not want to go into Mockingjay with too high of expectations.  I did not want to set a high bar and then not have the book live up to it.  I wanted to take this roller coaster ride and just let the wind blow through my hair and my stomach take its twists and turns, ups and downs . . . not really knowing what would come next . . . but hoping with all hope that it would end soon, still alive and breathing.  Collins definitely took me on this ride!!  I experienced emotions of joy and sadness, many ups and downs, many unexpected twists, and some that I could see coming.  In the end, I was left with a simple . . . WOW!!!!

I loved this last chapter of Katniss's story.  It can be a hard one to digest and I will admit that there were some details that I was not happy with.  Most importantly, it is a story that is raw and realistic.  It left me thinking a LOT after I read the last sentence, and even as I write this, I am still pondering.  I want to pick up the books again and read them all the way through, but I almost feel like I need some time to heal and process . . . just like Katniss.  Her story is one that will stay with me, one that is hard to forget, and one, though fictional, can maybe teach us all a little something about life itself.  You really can't get more genuine than that!

I will return to Panem some day.  It will be a good reminder, an unforgettable book that needs to be re-visited, and one that I believe will only be better with every re-read!  In the meantime, I need to figure out a way to display these books . . . the covers are absolutely brilliant and beautiful in and of themselves!

I have spoken briefly with some of you who want to chat more about this book, but do not want to spoil it for others that have not yet had the experience.  I would like to invite you all to join me in discussing the ending to Collins' story in the Discussion section of Tif Talks Books on Facebook.  Please avoid any spoilers here!