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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 24, 2010 19:30:09 GMT -5

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Post by gm bourgeois decadence [aya] on Aug 24, 2010 19:30:09 GMT -5

As you probably all know, Mockingjay was released today... I have read it. I have thoughts. Highlight the passage below to read them, and I'd like to request that everyone else sets their font color to 10141A as well if you're posing a response.

I have mixed feelings about it. Some parts, I squealed with excitement. Mostly, though, I was bored. Or angry.

Things I liked:
>Subtext. (Katniss + Johanna = "Roommates" for life!)
>Throwbacks to TUC (OMFR "Soldier York!" <333333)
>Haymitch says "whatnot" on page 228
>S.S.C. was a thing. Between this and the above, I felt loved and included. Thanks SC <3
>Squad #451 made me think of Fahrenheit 451.
>Plot twists I didn't see coming.
>Deaths I specifically said weren't going to happen.
>I got a new quote I like: "It's hard to put a Gamemaker on a budget."

Things I hated:
>I saw the words Epilogue on the page facing the end of the last chapter. I promptly slammed the book shut, contemplated throwing it at the wall, then settled for picking up the heaps of laundry in my room and scattering them everywhere.
EDIT: broke down and read the epilogue. Actually did throw the book at the wall.
>I hated the ending, and not in a good Gregor and the Code of Claw way.
>For one of Collins' books, it really dragged... a lot.
>Despite the dragging, all the deaths were too confusing and too close together. Had to reread the passage where Finnick was decapitated by the lizards three times and then blink and read it again. Very un-moving Collins!Deaths. Shame, usually she's really good at them.
>Still not enough death for my taste despite this.
>The one major death and the events following it barely made sense to me (I suppose they weren't supposed to, but I didn't like that.)

Last Edit: Aug 24, 2010 19:37:23 GMT -5 by gm bourgeois decadence [aya]

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 24, 2010 22:08:49 GMT -5

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Post by shrimp on Aug 24, 2010 22:08:49 GMT -5

The book was a lot different than the other two. Of course, there isn't going to be another Hunger Games, so it's natural that some things are different. But to be honest, I didn't like it a whole much.

- Too many deaths,
- The plot just confused me after a while. I mean, all of the monsters and traps that they activated was just..... O.O
- I did not like the epilouge that much.

etc.

But the series was still good overall, still my favorite. Just not this book.

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 24, 2010 23:10:27 GMT -5

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Post by jimmylost on Aug 24, 2010 23:10:27 GMT -5

I'll start with the negatives to I can leave on a positive note:

To me I think the strangest thing was this overall mood/theme shift. I understand that with the war going on and everything we couldn't expect things to stay the same but I did expect them to feel the same. The mood was just...dreary, especially toward the end and not in a good hopeless way. I don't think I ever doubted the rebellion would pull through, so there was this sense of useless misery. Maybe because I read it so quickly, but it also felt rushed. Every major even or character appearing in this novel had little or no introduction. I felt like I was just being pulled from even to event, maybe it was to get us feeling more like Katniss but how Katniss feels sucks.

Speaking of Katniss what the hell was up with her, I know she's been through alot but something felt really off about her. I don't know if you guys found this too but I certainly did.

Then there's the death, sooo much death. It started to feel like a lame horror movie at one point with characters just being introduced to die. So obviously I have to disagree with Aya, there was too much death imo. If it had been concentrated down too a few significant characters done properly, or heck even the same characters done properly I would have been happy.

Oh right I said theme before didn't I? It seemed to me that there was a significant switch in what we where intended to learn here. Yes I know this isn't a children's book but the author is always trying to get something across right? Well everything presented to us in THG CF and even the first two thirds of MJay seems to be completely contradicted by Katniss' simple acceptance of her life back in D12. Where the fighting toward your goals, perseveringly despite all odds, she just sits there assuming everything will be fine. Yes again she's been through alot but and it's not like we haven't seen her loose hope before, but this time she seems to never get it back...ever (coughEpiloge ftl).

Oh yes and NOT ENOUGH FIGHTING, this was supposed to be war!

I make it sound so much worse then it is though because even with all my personal problems with it, I LOVED THIS BOOK. THG will always be the best in my mind but this was still probably in my top twenty...maybe. I feel like with re-reading I'll probably forgive some of it's faults and of course the shining moments will always be there.

Death, yes I know I said I disapproved of all the dieing but there was a couple deaths I will admit where handled well: Cinna's and Prim's. Like most the deaths in Mjay Prim's was rushed but the aftermath for Katniss was so beautifully tragic. The first and only time I cried was when she finds Peeta planting the Primroses. At first I was really pissed off by the way Cinna's death was addressed but after a while I realized it's because his presence is so constant in this book it's like he's not dead, more like a guardian angle.

The Twists, like Aya I loved them. I didn't see a single one coming and that's saying something for me. I haven't been so surprised by a book in a while actually. My favorite would have to be the '76th Hunger Games' that was just cleave and I almost wish Collins had gone more in depth with that.

Character interactions, there was so much slash feed it almost seemed intentional, and at some points I almost believed it was *points to Aya's post*. Of course it was all really well handled and my favorite moment it probably when Peeta first joins them at lunch (or dinner or whatever). Oh and Finally meeting Annie and well I just loved all the character stuff.

umm...there are more positives I'm sure I'm just still trying to recover from the Epilogue I mean...wth? (so much for ending on a good note

)

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 0:20:12 GMT -5

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Post by ∂αмєη on Aug 25, 2010 0:20:12 GMT -5

Alright. Well.
First things first.

I didn't enjoy the book as much as the other two.

Let me establish that I read it in about 5 and a half hours.
From 12:30 til about 6 EST, after having to do this huge thing across the bookstore (Different stations representing what you need to survive the games. Challenges and Trivia for each one Once completed, you got a ballet for the free signed copy [which I won (:])

So, I didn't have very much energy to focus on things.

So. Firstly.
The deaths.
Some where good, some were horrible.
Boggs' death was amazing imo. I loved his character, and almost shed a tear when I read that he was dying.
Finnick's. Come on. He was probably my favourite charrie. And how does she kill him. With one small paragraph. I had to re-read it to understand that Finnick was gone. And, Katniss, who had gone through so much with Finnick, didn't even blink an eye. She just looked down, saw Finnick die, and moved on, with no grief.
Prims. Dear god, I cried xD I know I don't sound manly when I say that, but I cried so much. At first, I didn't understand why I was crying. And the chapter after that, I had to re-read so many times to understand that little 13 year old Prim was dead. And that death, which should mean the most to Katniss, was barely described. All we know is that Mrs. Everdeen is in a depression, and that Katniss is obviously depressed. Well. I could've guessed that would happen. I expected so much more detail if a main charrie died. And I just didn't find it there.
MADGE. Made me the maddest person alive. They mention Madge at the beginning, that she couldn't be found. My heart was racing. I wanted her back so much. She was one of my favourite female charries. But instead, Collins just kills her, in the bombings.

Now. Onto twists.

PEETA. The hijacking. I'm sorry, but that was the worst part of the whole book. I couldn't wait to read all the lovey-dovey stuff said between Katniss and Peeta. I was anticipating it to be so romantic, and that she would immediately realize that he is the one she loves. Instead, Collins makes Peeta an absolute psycho, removes his personality completely, and replaces it with something even worse than Gale's smug personality. I barely forgave the whole hijacking thing at the end, with them being together, but let me say barely is a strong word here.

Killing Coin. I expected that. As soon as she talked to Snow. I don't like expecting things.

Now, onto the more positive things.

Buttercup. I just thought of that little kitteh as a small cherry on top of the beautiful delicious cake that was The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Buttercup was a little character that had to put a smile on your face, with all the hissing and arguments with Katniss. I loved how Buttercup became so important in the third. Well, important meaning talked about often. Buttercup was like a real person for me, and that's what made it even better. And with the whole ending thing, them crying over the loss of Prim, well that made me forgive the horrible thing Collins did to little Prim.

Johanna. OMK [Oh My Katniss], That was probably the best part of the book. I liked Johanna, and I guess that was because I could see a bit of myself in her. The fact that she is living life in the moment, and letting nobody get in her way of peacefulness [That's what I got off of her charrie anyways]. And when she became a closer friend to Katniss, I smiled. I literally let a huge smile cross my face. With the whole roommate thing. Ahh, that was perfect.

New Charries:
Coin - Hated her.
Boggs - Loved him.
Katniss's Squad [forgot the number] - Enjoyable, except for Leeq 1 and 2. Come on Collins. Give them actual names :/
Fluvius [or whatever. the girl who is always with Plutarch] - A decent charrie.
The camera crew and Cressedia [or however it's spelt] - AMAZING! (:

Those are the only ones that made a lasting impression.

Now. The whole propo thing.

I found that it took away from the whole idea of things. Katniss wasn't a girl who would accept being on camera, even in war. So, I donno. The whole "filming her for propo's" thing was a little overused imo.
However, the description of the propos they had, like We Remember, was remarkable. I found that good. Because I know that if I was a Capitol citizen, and I saw those, I would join the rebels without a second thought.

Technology:
The weapons - An extra touch to the book. The bows were cool, but my favourite was Finnick's Trident, with it's return feature. Something that wasn't overused.
The Holo - Too hightech :/
The communicuff - COOL concept (:
Pods - Overused.

So, that is it for now.
General Summary:
The book felt more like a fanfiction, not the actual book.
I've read a fanfiction on The girl on fire that was better than Mockingjay, at least imo. [http://www.thegirlonfire.com/viewstory.php?sid=11&warning=4] For those of you who want to read it. It is rated for mature audiences (There's a sex scene xD)

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 9:25:11 GMT -5

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Post by CRZ on Aug 25, 2010 9:25:11 GMT -5

I mostly agree with everyones comments about the book. This was definitely the worst book out of the three. Still good, but not as fast-paced and suspenseful as the first two. Like Damenstorm, I read it straight through. Although I wasn't there for the midnight opening, I pre ordered it and thanks to the slow service, I received it yesterday at 4pm! It took me until 1215am, including a short 10 min. break for dinner, to read it. I don't know if it was me being tired, or the slowness of the book, but towards the end I started t get bored and felt myself getting TIRED OF THE BOOK!?!?! I felt that the reason why the first two were so great and exciting, was because of the games. If Collins had went into depth on the 76th games, it would have been interesting. I disagree with Damenstorm about his dislike of the hijacking. I felt like this really showed how much Katniss loves Peeta, and the sacrifices and the hardships they have to go through in order to be together. The ending was a disappointment. When finding out there was an epilogue, I wanted to kill myself. I liked the idea of district 13 and how they live their life. The idea of the tatooed scheduales and the portioned meals was a good part of the book. I thought the most surprising book was when Katniss shot Coin, or when Peeta choked Katniss. That was a real shock. Overall, the book was a dissapointment, but it was good to get closure from the series.

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Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 9:26:57 GMT -5 by CRZ

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 12:28:28 GMT -5

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Post by gm bourgeois decadence [aya] on Aug 25, 2010 12:28:28 GMT -5

Yeah, the book definitely felt... like there were certain scenes Collins wanted to happen, and she needed to get Katniss involved in the fighting somehow, and get her into the Capitol... but her reasons for getting her into the thick of things — the propos — made Katniss seem out of character, almost. She was waaaaay too complacent about being used as propaganda; it was kinda like the Capitol having her act all in love with Peeta, except she was much more willing.

Speaking of Katniss's complacency, what was up with her just going back to District 12? She didn't really fight for anything at all, not viciously, not Katniss-like the entire book. Irksome.

Totally understand what whoever said about it feeling a bit more like fanfiction than the book itself. I'm attributing that to Collins needing Katniss to be involved in the fighting but not really having a reason for her to be there...

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 14:46:08 GMT -5

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Post by Cel on Aug 25, 2010 14:46:08 GMT -5

It was my favorite book in the series. As different as it was from the other books in the series, I felt this was a perfect end to the series. Well, kind of. I still don't like the Prim died, and that some deaths were simply not given enough time, but I really got into the book. That said, I was up until about 12:30 reading it. The main reason I loved it was for it's simple humanity. It felt like SC embraced all of the imperfections in the characters. One of the main examples of this was, for me, that Katniss voted for a new hunger games at the end. Yes, I realize that it may have just been a ploy to get Coin up next to Snow, but I really think it exemplifies the glaring imperfections in Katniss's character, in addition to her love for her sister.

Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 15:18:01 GMT -5 by gm bourgeois decadence [aya]

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 17:37:52 GMT -5

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Post by Micra on Aug 25, 2010 17:37:52 GMT -5

Well, I didn't hate it.

Nor did I love it.

I'll start with the worst. The Epilogue. I thought it was cute that Katniss has kids. I squeed over them a bit. But overall, I did not like the Epilogue. At all. Also, may I ask where Gale is? Haymitch?

The last we see of Haymitch (my favorite) he's simply sitting around drunk. Again. Other than that, he sticks a few pictures in Katniss' memorial book. The man who has been with her since the beginning, and understands her almost as well, if not better as Gale and her family, is left hanging.

And Gale. "Oh yeah, he's not dead, and he's in District Two. The End." Gale was another character I liked (although his methods were extreme) and the last we hear of him is Katniss criticizing how angry he is. "Gale's fire kindled with rage and hatred"? I find this unacceptable. I doubt that, no matter how angry Katniss was about the bomb, she would drop her best friend like an bad habit.

And Finnick. The Capitol made him do what? What? If I hated the Capitol before, now I really hate them. He and Annie were, of course, adorable together, and their wedding was one of my favorite scenes in the book. But when he died, I felt cheated. It was worse than Fred Weasley in Deathly Hallows. I cried in the middle of class. Because Finnick was amazing. And after everything he went through, I think he deserved life, or at least a better death scene.

MADGE. Why? What? In the bombing? Again, a character who deserved a much better death scene.

The exploding parachutes drove me up a wall. Mostly because I like Gale and the idea that his bomb may have killed Prim made me have to put the book down with ~~rage~~ sadness. I also didn't like that Katniss voted for the Capitol Hunger Games, even though I'd have secretly liked to see that happen and where it went. And of course, I hated Prim's death. I just did. She didn't deserve to go like that, and the idea that Coin may have sent her onto the front lines...

I hate Coin.

But one of the things that irritates me the most is Gale's apparent heartlessness. The whole book, all he wants to do is make out with Katniss and blow things up. There's got to be more to his character than that. Come on.

Now, for what I liked.

I liked the beginning, even though it was depressing. I can't really say why, I just did.

FINNICK. I love him so much, and again, him and Annie are so sweet together I can't stand it. I normally don't have much patience for romance. But I still love them. The best part of the ending was reading that they have a son. I hope he looks like Finnick.

I liked Boggs a lot, and he was easily one of my favoites.

I actually liked the hijacking of Peeta. It was unexpected, it complicated things, and it made Katniss realize what a jerk she was. I actually welcomed the idea of sweet, lovable Peeta as a Capitol mutt, and his rediscovering himself was nice to read too.

I love how Cinna is present in Katniss' life even though he's *sniff* dead. And while I hated the propos, I loved the 'We Remember' idea.

Hmm, what else.

Oh yes, Buttercup. I adored Buttercup. Every time Katniss and Buttercup were together, I wanted to call some animal abuse support group or something. But I admit, them mourning Prim together was teary-eye worthy.

I love Beetee. He hacked the Capitol, and designed these amazing weapons. Guy's great, really.

Overall, I liked it until the ending.

I think a good/tragic ending for the book would have been Katniss' execution, voting for the Capitol Games even though Coin was dead, and some kind of theme of how humanity is hopeless.

But I s'pose that would be a bit too depressing.

I'm sure I'll think of more to talk about later, after I process it all.

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 17:53:20 GMT -5

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Post by Lulu on Aug 25, 2010 17:53:20 GMT -5

Finished it yesterday, haven't gotten a chance to come on since then, but here I am. Okay so I had mixed feelings...

Like Soup, I had to jump with excitement every time I saw a TUC reference...(Castor and Pollux were both bats!). This was the book which made me see the similarities between the two series (I got such a Code of Claw feeling from this, with the various different battles all spread out, the whole broken-after-Prim's death thing for Kat reminded me of Gregor with Ares...in fact, the whole ending after that was really similar, Kat and Gregor both wake up in the hospital bed, the other side surrenders, they both go 'home' but feel like it's not really home anymore...oh, and President Coin was SO Solovet.) and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing...but CoC ended so much better than MJ did. And wait, where the hell is the SSC reference and how did I miss it?!?!?!? EDIT: OMR. Found it.

I don't feel like any of the deaths were done very well. Maybe Boggs, but that's about it. For both Prim and Finnick I was like...wtf happened? -reread- Even though I liked Finnick much better than Prim, it was her death that hit me the hardest...almost cried. Didn't, but almost. I'm kind of glad she killed her though...well, maybe not glad she killed her, just glad she killed a mainish character. Oh, and Cinna? What the hell? I kept expecting him to pull a Ripred and make some surprise appearance when everyone thought he was dead...he didn't go out with nearly enough of a bang. I wouldn't even have minded him dying after he showed up again, I just wanted him to have this big, dramatic death! Then there's Madge...she really really was awesome enough to deserve a bigger part in this book.

Johanna. Johanna, Johanna, Johanna. She's my favorite character, hands down...loved her in this. She was fantastic. I wish she'd gotten to go to the Capitol, though...

Even with all the crap that went on with Coin, I still would have rather had Katniss shoot Snow than her. I really, really wanted her to kill him. I was half expecting her to pull a Mary Sue and find the compassion in her to not kill either one and decide to be the 'bigger person', which would have pissed me off so much. I'm sick of main characters deciding not to 'stoop to the bad person's level'. Go ahead, stoop to their level! It's more exciting that way! So at least she didn't do that. That also applies to her voting yes to the Capitol Hunger Games, which made me like...cheer. I love her lack of compassion in that situation, it's so rare in main characters yet so much more real. Her sister just died, of course she's gonna want revenge! But I have a feeling a lot of other authors would have made her vote no.

And finally...Peeta. ~~Screw that little bastard~~ I really, really hate him. I personally wished he'd either a)died or b)stayed in his hijacked state and not be the 'miracle patient' who, miraculously, got cured of a disease that was supposed to keep him from loving Katniss. At one point I really wanted her to end up with Gale but towards the middle I was done with that crap and just wanted her to end up with neither. I would have SO preferred it if Peeta had died and Gale had gone to D2 like he did, so she had neither. But no, we had a Twilight moment and ~~Bella~~ Katniss ends up with her ~~Edward~~ Peeta and everything's all happy happy and they get a freaking epilogue just like HP7 did with cute little kids and a promise of happiness. No...it just didn't work at all. And Peeta sucks.

The battle/action scenes, though, were fantastic. IMO no YA autor can write battles like SC. Though nothing will ever beat the epic Firelands battle in CoC, I felt like most of the MJ battle scenes were just as well done as the TUC ones.

Overall, I enjoyed it, I really did. It was well done for the most part, I just wish some things would have been changed or at least written better...and I'd really like an alternate ending. The ending was...really bad, in my eyes. It wasn't my favorite book in the series, but it was good, and I think it was a decent ending, if not perfect.

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Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 18:50:49 GMT -5 by Lulu

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 18:05:38 GMT -5

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Post by [Ree]craft on Aug 25, 2010 18:05:38 GMT -5

Okay, so, the glorious Ree shall speak

'Kay, I liked it up until the battle at the captiol, and then the whole book collapsed.

Believe it or not, I liked the propos. I dunno why, but I thought they were kinda cool. It doesn't make sense that Katniss would really act out that stuff, but the point was that she wasn't acting. She was actually in the districts, not necessarily fighting, but doing whatever.

I luved Buttercup. I'm a crazy cat lover, so Buttercup's new importance made me sooo happy. I cried when Buttercup was all sad about Prim not being there.... That was the only time I cried. Yeah, I know I'm weird.

Finnick, Annie relationship was perfect. They were so cute <3. I'm sick of all of these passionate sex relationships that everybody makes, but Finnick and Annie were cute. Warm and fuzzy like a cookie

Both Coin and Snow die. Makes sense. Good ending, but you can see it coming on.

Down sides.

Well, mainly, the climax battle in the capitol was boring. REALLY boring. I skipped half of it honestly. I don't think I missed any major points. It was also kinda stupid with the pods and all. I mean, the captiol residents live with these defense things? And even if I missed something and they don't live with it, they're still stupid. Big waste of money on the capitol's part, and very impractical.

Finnick dying. Oh my god, I will kill collins for this. Finnick should NOT have died. Seriously, Finnick was the best character since he was introduced until the end. And Katniss doesn't even care. Honestly? No, because Katniss only cares about herself and her little circle of men drooling at her.

Peeta didn't die. I thought he should so die. As soon as he said that line about how they should kill him, I thought, he's a goner. He's definitely gonna die. But nooo.... He lives, which didn't really make sense. Nor did it make sense about how he recovers from his hijacking. He just suddenly gets better, which is weird. Why should that happen when the doctors have done NOTHING?

Katniss didn't die. After killing some many people, causing so much destruction, she doesn't die. Sure she's completely going crazy over it, but she should still die. She has some many deaths on her hands, and she's so frikkin selfish, that the only was to really make this book made sense is to make it a tragedy. Have her die and finally be at peace.

No other countries. Where did the rest of the world go? Is Panem the only country that exists now? Then why don't they extend over the world. *shakes head sadly* It is impossible to think that the rest of the world is gone. That would be improbable and a little stupid.

Gale goes off to Two. Seriously? He just leaves and Katniss and he never speak again. In the beginning of the series I thought he was the better match for Katniss. Peeta was to soft and kind, and couldn't understand Katniss's toughness and lithe skill. But in Mockingjay, Gale turns into something of a monster, and I feel like, maybe this rebellion hasn't done much to make Gale a better person. Peeta, on the other hand becomes much tougher, and his calm would suit Katniss's hysteria. However, I still think the three of them should have died.

Now I'd like to point out how some crazy rumors have been dashed. I hated these rumors cause they were in my opinion overkill.

-Katniss's father is alive and in District 13 (Seriously, how's that supposed to work out?)
-Leevy (the little girl from 12) Has a big main role to play. (Er- no she doesn't)

Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 18:06:56 GMT -5 by [Ree]craft

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 18:54:05 GMT -5

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Post by pikasoccer on Aug 25, 2010 18:54:05 GMT -5

So, here's my opinion.

This book completely changed my views of the Hunger Games series. I HATED this book, to be honest. I know that sounds blunt, but it's the truth. I was overly shocked when I read Finnick's (<33), Prim's, Madge's (no more Madniss? Poor Damen xD) and Bogg's. It rocked me to my core.

Peeta's hijacking was surprising. (You would enjoy reading that, Damen xDD) I didn't really know what was going to happen. I mean, I think what would have been worse is if he never got better.

The ending surprised me. I was, of course, overly ecstatic when Katniss chose Peeta. But something inside me couldn't help but feel sorry for Gale. He was one of my favorites, and somehow I know that I would feel sorry for either Gale or Peeta if they weren't 'chosen' by Katniss.

I expected Coin's death. That wasn't surprising at all. I was glad Haymitch made it. In a way, Haymitch was the closest thing Katniss had to a father. As much as she would hate to admit it.

So, in a nutshell, Mockingjay ruined the whole love for Hunger Games for me. I don't think I have the want to read it again. It completely changed my perspective on the whole story. And I really don't know what I'm going to do with the book. It's probably going to sit on my shelf collecting dust now :)

Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 18:54:23 GMT -5 by pikasoccer

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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 19:23:04 GMT -5

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Post by ∂αмєη on Aug 25, 2010 19:23:04 GMT -5

Alright. So more insight

I read it over, and this time I some what enjoyed Peeta's hijacking.
It was good to see the tougher side of him. Personally, I enjoyed his compassionate wuss side better, but it was good to see that he was tough, even if the Capitol had to turn him into a mutt to do that.

Gale = monster. He was not a favourite character of mine at all. Yeah, of course I liked him a bit, because he was Katniss's best friend. But in mockingjay, he was a heartless jerk, that (and somebody already said this) just wanted to make out with Katniss, or blow up/kill something.

I don't know why, but I enjoyed the epilogue. I was team Peeta the whole way [until I found team madniss], and it was good to see them together, with two kids. [Any guesses on names

Rue and ...?]

So, yes, I am depressed that Madge died. I'm mad that Finnick had such an unimportant death. And yes, Prim made me sad. But I realize that the only reason why I didn't like it as much is that it's the end. It's the final words that will be said [in general] by Suzanne about Katniss. So, I guess I just was expecting too much, so, when it didn't meet my standards, I jumped to hating it.

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts

-Z-
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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 19:36:57 GMT -5

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Post by -Z- on Aug 25, 2010 19:36:57 GMT -5

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say honestly that I loved this book. Partially because of how much I hated it... XD That's why I loved it so much, cause I had never seen an author so readily destroy everything. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being as cruel to my characters as the next RP-er, but when it comes to novels, let alone trilogies there has to be some guiding rules to what you do to your characters. I feel like Collins picked it up, leafed it through, then threw it into her fireplace.

Good points. There were quite a lot of things I did enjoy.

Finnick getting Annie back, of course, however short lived (more to come on that in the "bad points" section.

The new characters. Specifically Boggs and Katniss' camera crew. I even enjoyed Coin a bit, no matter how much I didn't like her, she was a good character. Oh, and Pollux and Castor :D

She ends up with Peeta. I realize a lot of people don't like Peeta. I did. (More to come in the bad points section here too)

Buttercup. I never liked that darn cat. This book changed my mind.

I liked how Katniss treated the seige on the Capitol like another Hunger Games. Cause that was something I was missing from the first two that I was afraid wouldn't tranfer over to Mockingjay.

Katniss AND Haymitch voting for the Capitol Hunger Games. After Prim's death, I kinda knew Katniss would vote yes. And with that line... Time to see how much Haymitch and I are like or something like that, I was expecting Haymitch to pull a big "hell no" and throw her off.

And probably a few other things I'm not really remembering. Onto bad points.

FINNICK DYING. WTH. NO. I texted my friend and told her to return the book when that happened. And then kept reading only to find out Castor had died too. Without even being mentioned. It was just "Finnick death. Oh, and here's a list of dead people, including Castor all of a sudden."

PRIM DYING. This killed my soul so hard. The entire darn plot of HG came up because Katniss didn't want her sister to die. So she volunteers and saves her. Killing her after all that pretty much made the whole thing in vain. All of the series. Just... Bad. So bad.

Their respective death scenes. I read and reread Finnick's death six times over before it sunk in that he died. And then Katniss barely had time to realize it was Prim herself before the parachutes went off. Her confusion magnified a thousand times over for me, especially when the beginning of the next chapter went into tripsville.

Peeta's hijacking was just... What? like... I supported Peeta through the first two, even though I liked Gale well enough. But SC flat out made me hate Peeta in this one, and even like Gale quite a bit more. I switched teams for most of MJ... Til Gale just bailed. Said "You'll always be thinking about it. You wont miss." and poomf. Gone.

Madge died too. And Snow. Collins made me like snow for like a minute before just killing him in a totally non-descript way. WTH.

In the end, I liked it though. However, I dont look at it as part of the same series really. Hunger Games happened. It had a sequel, Catching Fire. End of series. SC decided to write another book with the same characters. That's all Mockinjay is. And when I see it like that, I can allow myself to like it.

gm bourgeois decadence [aya]
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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 19:55:49 GMT -5

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Post by gm bourgeois decadence [aya] on Aug 25, 2010 19:55:49 GMT -5

Aug 25, 2010 18:54:05 GMT -5 @pikasoccer said:
I was overly shocked when I read Finnick's (<33), Prim's, Madge's (no more Madniss? Poor Damen xD) and Bogg's. It rocked me to my core.

Poor Damen!? How about poor Aya!

I wish that if Madge was going to be irrelevant except for two different ~~pairings~~ paragraphs during the book, she could be at the very least irrelevant and alive. Stupid.

Maybe it's better that none of the "presumed dead" characters were brought back, really, because cliché! But bringing back Madge/Cinna > Epilogue. Damned epilogue.

And the deaths! "Hmm... let's see, of the fifteen or so main-ish characters, let's kill... the sexgod [he was a hooker btw], the little girl, and Katniss' ~~primary love interest~~ only ~~girlfriend~~ female friend. Oh, and we'll give you a host of new characters and kill them off when you don't even care, can't follow, and have to revisit three pages later and it won't make much sense!" Nuuuuu, Suzanne, what are you doing!?

I'm disappointed in Collins, because CoC proved that she truly knows how to get the scenes she wants logically without breaking character (more than should be; ie: Ripred and Lizzie) and get the most beautifully devastatingly perfect ending. And The Hunger Games deserved better than Mockingjay. Now, to quote Effie (wtf was "oh, lookit, hey, it's Effie" on like the second to last chapter!) "I'm sorry, but that's what I think."

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jimmylost
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Up and Down [[MJAY SPOILERS]] Aug 25, 2010 20:05:52 GMT -5

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Post by jimmylost on Aug 25, 2010 20:05:52 GMT -5

So After reading through everyone's comments As of like an hour ago) I think I saw something no one else did, though I may be completely wrong:

Katniss never voted for The Games, she was giving Coin a last chance. Notice how she asked who's idea The Games where? She was judjing Coin's character, when she says 'for Prim' that's when she decideds to kill Coin, then votes yes just to see if she'll go through with it. When she doesn't her death at Katniss' hands is solidified. Hymitch picked up on this and went along with it for the same reasons as Katniss.

That is all.

Last Edit: Aug 25, 2010 20:10:38 GMT -5 by jimmylost

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Post by gm bourgeois decadence [aya] on Aug 24, 2010 19:30:09 GMT -5

Post by shrimp on Aug 24, 2010 22:08:49 GMT -5

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Post by ∂αмєη on Aug 25, 2010 0:20:12 GMT -5

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Post by [Ree]craft on Aug 25, 2010 18:05:38 GMT -5

Post by pikasoccer on Aug 25, 2010 18:54:05 GMT -5

Post by ∂αмєη on Aug 25, 2010 19:23:04 GMT -5

Post by -Z- on Aug 25, 2010 19:36:57 GMT -5

Post by gm bourgeois decadence [aya] on Aug 25, 2010 19:55:49 GMT -5

Post by jimmylost on Aug 25, 2010 20:05:52 GMT -5