The girl who was on fire...
Mockingjay, man. Mockingjay.
I'm so utterly perplexed and distraught by the outcome of this third book. I mean, I do love it, on the basis that I love the series, reading it with such desperation to know whether these characters (that I've gotten attached to) will make it or not. The suspense killed me. I ate the book up. My bloodshot eyes are a testament of this. Here are some observations I made:
1. I suspected that there would be a bloodbath, and I knew Katniss would be at the tip of it all, but there have been several turn of events that really took me by surprise. Like, WHY PRIM?! ;___;
2. Forget that the entirety of the novel was depressing, it also reaked of something primitive and perverse, like watching something beautiful rot right before your eyes and subsequently feeling repulsed by it. Political agendas, propaganda, revenge... heavy material, I gotta say.
3. What the Capitol did to Peeta? I don't know if I can ever forgive Suzanne Collins for doing that to him, and worse even is how Katniss reacted to it. Death is always expected in a war and we deal with it, but such torment is just too much. Amazing fiction, but hard to read. Peeta may have been a very predictable/boring character, but he was always my favorite. I will always love the boy with the bread.
What do you think? I have so much to say, but I'm still mulling it over it in my head.
"Yes, but is she scarred and bloody? Is she glowing with the fire of rebellion? Just how grimy can we make her without disgusting people? At any rate, she has to be something. I mean, obviously this"--Fulvia moves in on me quickly, framing my face with her hands--"won't cut it." I jerk my head back reflexively but she's already busy gathering her things. "So, with that in mind, we have another little surprise for you. Come, come."
Fulvia gives us a wave, and Gale and I follow her and Plutarch out into the hall.
"So well intended, and yet so insulting," Gale whispers in my ear.
"Welcome to the Capitol," I mouth back.
Chapter 3
This is like 1 out of 5 jokes in the whole book! TREASURE IT.
When the cabinets are empty, I rise to find that Gale has materialized in my kitchen. It's disturbing how soundlessly he can appear. He's leaning on the table, his fingers spread wide against the wood grain. I set the box between us. "Remember?" he asks. "This is where you kissed me."
So the heavy dose of morphling administered after the whipping wasn't enough to erase that from his consciousness. "I didn't think you'd remember that," I say.
"Have to be dead to forget. Maybe even not then," he tells me. "Maybe I'll be like that man in 'The Hanging Tree.' Still waiting for an answer." Gale, who I have never seen cry, has tears in his eyes. To keep them from spilling over, I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes, and misery. It's a surprising flavor for such a gentle kiss. He pulls away first and gives me a wry smile. "I knew you'd kiss me."
"How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself.
"Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention." He picks up the box. "Don't worry, Katniss. It'll pass." He leaves before I can answer.
Chapter 9
OH MY GOD ;____;
A chill runs through me. Am I really that cold and calculating? Gale didn't say, "Katniss will pick whoever it will break her heart to give up," or even "whoever she can't live without." Those would have implied I was motivated by a kind of passion. But my best friend predicts I will choose the person who I think I "can't survive without." There's not the least indication that love, or desire, or even compatibility will sway me. I'll just conduct an unfeeling assessment of what my potential mates can offer me. As if in the end, it will be the question of whether a baker or a hunter will extend my longevity the most. It's a horrible thing for Gale to say, for Peeta not to refute. Especially when every emotion I have has been taken and exploited by the Capitol or the rebels. At the moment, the choice would be simple. I can survive just fine without either of them.
Chapter 24
Katniss, you really are impossible to handle! Ngl, happy she ended up with Peeta <33
ETA: my dear friend elliania has a really interesting take on the novel/series in this post.
I'm so utterly perplexed and distraught by the outcome of this third book. I mean, I do love it, on the basis that I love the series, reading it with such desperation to know whether these characters (that I've gotten attached to) will make it or not. The suspense killed me. I ate the book up. My bloodshot eyes are a testament of this. Here are some observations I made:
1. I suspected that there would be a bloodbath, and I knew Katniss would be at the tip of it all, but there have been several turn of events that really took me by surprise. Like, WHY PRIM?! ;___;
2. Forget that the entirety of the novel was depressing, it also reaked of something primitive and perverse, like watching something beautiful rot right before your eyes and subsequently feeling repulsed by it. Political agendas, propaganda, revenge... heavy material, I gotta say.
3. What the Capitol did to Peeta? I don't know if I can ever forgive Suzanne Collins for doing that to him, and worse even is how Katniss reacted to it. Death is always expected in a war and we deal with it, but such torment is just too much. Amazing fiction, but hard to read. Peeta may have been a very predictable/boring character, but he was always my favorite. I will always love the boy with the bread.
What do you think? I have so much to say, but I'm still mulling it over it in my head.
"Yes, but is she scarred and bloody? Is she glowing with the fire of rebellion? Just how grimy can we make her without disgusting people? At any rate, she has to be something. I mean, obviously this"--Fulvia moves in on me quickly, framing my face with her hands--"won't cut it." I jerk my head back reflexively but she's already busy gathering her things. "So, with that in mind, we have another little surprise for you. Come, come."
Fulvia gives us a wave, and Gale and I follow her and Plutarch out into the hall.
"So well intended, and yet so insulting," Gale whispers in my ear.
"Welcome to the Capitol," I mouth back.
Chapter 3
This is like 1 out of 5 jokes in the whole book! TREASURE IT.
When the cabinets are empty, I rise to find that Gale has materialized in my kitchen. It's disturbing how soundlessly he can appear. He's leaning on the table, his fingers spread wide against the wood grain. I set the box between us. "Remember?" he asks. "This is where you kissed me."
So the heavy dose of morphling administered after the whipping wasn't enough to erase that from his consciousness. "I didn't think you'd remember that," I say.
"Have to be dead to forget. Maybe even not then," he tells me. "Maybe I'll be like that man in 'The Hanging Tree.' Still waiting for an answer." Gale, who I have never seen cry, has tears in his eyes. To keep them from spilling over, I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes, and misery. It's a surprising flavor for such a gentle kiss. He pulls away first and gives me a wry smile. "I knew you'd kiss me."
"How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself.
"Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention." He picks up the box. "Don't worry, Katniss. It'll pass." He leaves before I can answer.
Chapter 9
OH MY GOD ;____;
A chill runs through me. Am I really that cold and calculating? Gale didn't say, "Katniss will pick whoever it will break her heart to give up," or even "whoever she can't live without." Those would have implied I was motivated by a kind of passion. But my best friend predicts I will choose the person who I think I "can't survive without." There's not the least indication that love, or desire, or even compatibility will sway me. I'll just conduct an unfeeling assessment of what my potential mates can offer me. As if in the end, it will be the question of whether a baker or a hunter will extend my longevity the most. It's a horrible thing for Gale to say, for Peeta not to refute. Especially when every emotion I have has been taken and exploited by the Capitol or the rebels. At the moment, the choice would be simple. I can survive just fine without either of them.
Chapter 24
Katniss, you really are impossible to handle! Ngl, happy she ended up with Peeta <33
ETA: my dear friend elliania has a really interesting take on the novel/series in this post.