Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

!: The Hunger Games Trilogy Book Review

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of those books that was originally written for a Young Adult audience but crossed over into the waiting hands of adults. There is something so powerful about a well told story that transcends the intended age group and draws in readers of all ages. It has often been said that some of the best books for adults are found between the covers of young adult fiction.

And so it proved with The Hunger Games. Released in 2008, the first book in an eventual trilogy was so beautifully written that it garnered praise from all corners of the literary globe. Critics, fellow authors and readers were taken by the journey of Katniss Evergreen and her role as a sacrificial warrior, manipulated by the state to perform in brutal gladiatorial style games between children that could have only one victor.

Collins managed to infuse this brutal dystopian future with moments of pure beauty that rival any in modern fiction. Written in first person, readers journeyed with Katniss as she is chosen, prepares for battle before the eyes of a viewing nation, sees the larger hands at work and finally realises her place in the world as she begins to fight for her life against other children bent on their own survival in the arena.

Despite a rather inconclusive ending that placed The Hunger Games as only a small part of a larger story arc, the book was embraced. The second book, Catching Fire, continued the story but invariably added little to Katniss' story as the setting again became the arena and survival the goal.

Mockingjay, the final book of the trilogy was released in August 2010 and for many was an unsatisfying conclusion to what could have been a truly memorable series. Collins places Katniss again in the hands of others and much of the story is told as she is manipulated into different situations and reacts accordingly.

The Hunger Games remains a book full of beauty and horror and a story that is worth telling. For the other two books in the series they are great lessons on writing and how to give your character focus amongst the events of plot.