After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:48 AM

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

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.

I finished this yesterday after a marathon reading, and all I can say now is "wow." Just WOW. It was great. Just as I'd expected it to be, and then some. It really left me thinking, too, which I know was one of the intended results. There were quite a few things that happened that made me cry, or cringe, but I won't post any spoilers here. I'll just say that I liked the ending :) Oh, and that one should read this with a box of tissues handy, but considering the topic of the series, that shouldn't come as a surprise. One of the main things that I must give props to Collins for is her accurate portrayal of the effects of war, especially on children. I don't think our society really sees this much--the news doesn't talk about it, and we don't live on a battlefield. But I think it's important, and something we need to understand, if only to remind us why peace is so valuable. Collins manages to show this, without being didactic about it, and I really think that's awesome.

I must admit, I had to go read Bridget Jones' Diary after reading this, though--I needed something a little lighter.

Anyone got any comments or more spoilery topics to talk about in the comments?