Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Recommended for 14 years-adult.

It seems like I was waiting for this book for AGES and then when it finally came out a few weeks ago I felt like my world was coming to an end. Well, a small part of my world at any rate. I suddenly realised I hadn't even thought about what life after finishing The Hunger Games would be like.

Fortunately Collins catered for people like me, creating a book which lingers with you long after you turn the final page.

Mockingjay is the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy, and it packs a heavy punch. The pace of the narrative is fast, with major events happening left, right and centre. Of central concern to the reader is WHAT HAPPENED TO PEETA AFTER KATNISS ESCAPED FROM THE HUNGER GAMES RING? The answer will leave you shocked.

Although the ending feels somewhat rushed, and Katniss does end up with (choose?) the wrong guy, Collins kind of wrote herself into a corner after the dramatic events of the finale. All the loose ends are tied up, but not with the narrative finese of her earlier two books. Still, it was a satisfying resolution to the trilogy.

Recommended for kids over 14 because there is a fair bit of gore - flesh-eating muttations etc etc. Very entertaining.