So I finally finished the series. And I still stand behind my claim: it should’ve been written on the adult level. Without giving too much away, who honestly believes that two teenagers forced to pretend to love each other on the brink of possible death while stuck in a cave are only going to kiss? (This all comes from book one, so if you’re reading this you should know what I’m talking about)

I also have been frustrated with the unending of the books. So another proposal I have (for anyone reading or planning to read the books) is to read them all in a row as if it’s just one book. The language is simple, so it’s a quick read and so reading what may total to 1000 or so pages straight might freak you out, but I promise it will help understand the flow, characters, and drama of the story better!

Overall I was a bit unexcited to read the final book. I couldn’t get into the beginning, I still believe that the first book, The Hunger Games, might be the best, but Mockingjay finally gives you a conclusion that the last 600 pages have been building. It isn’t a nicely tided up with bows type of conclusion, but it is a conclusion that I, as a reader who invested time in reading and knowing these characters, was able to enjoy and accept.

So all in all the final book was worth sticking through, even though a bit awkwardly pieced together and it seemed to jump around (either from an odd story line or Collins’ not wanting to go into too much detail. I’m mainly talking about what happens with Katniss after the final fireball explosion.) And the only other problem I had, was not with the book, but with the actor that will be playing Peeta in the movie (at least the first movie)…I still don’t picture his as Peeta. I didn’t look at who was playing anyone until after I read the first book so I was a bit thrown off when I saw him. But oh well…we will see what happens after the movie.

Have you read The Hunger Game trilogy? What did you think of the books?

Here are some of my favorite quotes (some names have been removed to keep from spoilers):

That’s when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I’ve seen someone do. It’s like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years. But there are much worse games to play.

That what I need to survive is not —-’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go no, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.