By Susan Collins

So, we have come to the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy.  Let’s jump into it the summary.

“If we burn you burn with us.

Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But she’s still not safe. A revolution is unfolding and everyone, it seems, has a hand in the carefully laid plains – everyone except Katniss.

And yet she must play the most vital part in the final battle. Katniss must become their Mockingjay – the symbol of the rebellion- no matter what the personal cost.”

My spoiler free review is this book will hit you hard. You will come back because you need to know if it will be worth it. I will not tell you how this ends but I will tell you that not telling you how it ends.What I will tell you is that if you want to finish the trilogy, have tissues on hand. Not everyone is going to make it. Reader, be warned.

But before we get on to the book at hand, I would like to talk about the big reveal of District 13 and the revolution. This revelation hurts when you look back at the book. We have Katniss talking about the chance of a rebellion and the idea that District 13 still exists, but Hamish all but calls her delusional for thinking these things. For it to all be true is an incredible shock. I like to think that if she did know, then maybe things would have gone differently.

 There are three things I would like to talk about. Firstly, the name Panem is a shorter version of a longer Latin phrase panem et circenses , which means bread and circuses. In the book, Plutarch says that the districts provide the food and entertainment to keep the capital running. Here is the fun thing. This phrase was created by a satirist, Juvenal, who was saying that the current emperor was placating the people without doing anything useful. I find this commentary about Present Snow very funny.

Secondly, the Propos. Even in the first rebellion, Katniss still has to perform. When she says that she wants to be connected to Gale, she is asked in what way for them to be seen in a relationship because they might lose followers. It seems like no matter what Katniss wants, they expect her to be the Mockingjay and the face of the rebellion whether she wants to be or not. No one seems to be interested in her PTSD and wants her for her image. Add to that the fact that President Coin attempts to kill Katniss because she is no longer needed as a figurehead and sees her as a threat.

Thirdly we have President Coin herself. As I’ve written above, she attempts to get Katniss killed when she is more of a danger to her rise to power. Also, it is my theory that the bombs in front of the Capital building killing around hundred children including Prim was under her orders. And the fact that she even proposes a vote for a final Hunger Game leaves me in no doubt that Katniss was right to shoot her. It brings up a point that most people forget: evolution does not just mean the government being taken over by another, but it also means things coming full circle. But that’s all from me.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.