This is a departure from what I normally read, but my book club picked it so I gave it a try. I liked the idea of this book, even though it seemed really depressing. In the future there is a nation (Panem) where 24 teens are stuck in an arena, forced to battle to the death on live TV for the world to watch. The winner gets a lifetime of glory and riches while the losers get, well, death. The story is written in from the point of view of Katniss, a young girl in the games. I had a hard time connecting with her character, so her first person account fell a bit flat for me. While the writing style wasn't really to my taste, it was fast paced and pretty exciting. If this book didn't end so abruptly I would tell you to just read this one and leave it at that. It was an interesting concept and the story was pretty good, but the author pretty much ends the book mid-thought...
I was pretty excited to finally get my hands on the final installment of this series from the library (it had quite the waiting list) just so I could see how everything would end. Basically the rebellion is in full swing and a battle of sorts ensues between the districts and the Capitol. Since Katniss is telling the story there were once again pieces of the story that were summed up so quickly (parts where Katniss wasn't directly involved) that it was pretty lame. This book was hard to wade through and when I finished I was just happy to be done. Oh, and I didn't like how it ended.
To sum it up. If you want a quick read then go ahead and read The Hunger Games. If you really liked that and want more read Catching Fire. If you want to know how it all ends, just ask me and I'll tell you. Then you won't have to waste your time reading Mockingjay.
Scout Finch, Philadelphia PA
