Part of me just doesn't know what to say. Maybe I was expecting something else, but I am really not sure if I love it or hate it. The first two were
so good but I feel........unsatisfied somehow. My feelings of non-satisfaction for once have nothing to do with this being the end of the series.* I just do not care for how the whole storyline wrapped up, especially Gale's exit from the main narrative. He gave up - he didn't bow out gracefully, he just faded away. Also, I like my heroes and heroines to have little falls so that they do seem human, but when they fall too far & too much, they become caricatures or someone you really wouldn't want to read a book about because they always annoy you. Katniss eventually did that for me and she felt nothing like the character that Collins first wrote her to be. Too much of the essential character of Katniss was lost.
One last thing, which is not a positive statement for Collins' writing: I started liking the secondary characters in the storyline more than I like Peeta, Gale, or Katniss.
I don't even think I can summarize this book. You'll just have to read it yourself and be the judge.
*Actually I lied: J.K. Rowling once again sets the standard, in my opinion, for YA series fiction. She wrapped up the Harry Potter series so beautifully that I didn't feel unsatisfied with that ending.
Finally finished the book and have to agree and disagree with you on a few points. Gale's behavior was determined by Katniss - as soon as he did not protect Prim, he was dead to Katniss too. In many ways she is a very black and white character with little gray in between. And after all, how much can one human take and not be changed by it? But I too felt this book was more about the seocndary characters... it was too much like the "make the choice to live happily ever after" ending of Harry Potter, although with a darker edge.
ReplyDeleteneed a *like* button :)
ReplyDelete