wow.
Okay, first off, here's something odd to address:
I read a lot slower on the Kindle than I do on the computer or with a paper book.
I don't know why! Or how that even works! But I DLed Mockingjay around... I dunno, two o'clock at the latest? Maybe closer to 1:30? And I only just finished. Now, granted, I didn't start reading right away and I did take a short break to make dinner and DL 12 audio books (it's a long story), but still! That's over eight hours to read one YA book. Normally I read YA/MG at a rate of about 100 pages an hour. This was... a lot longer than that!
I'm perplexed. I also have a headache, which I've never had after reading on the Kindle before, but I suppose I don't normally read the Kindle for 8 hours without interruption. Also, the lighting in here isn't great.
Anyway.
BELOW THE CUT THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR MOCKINGJAY. Just so you know. In case you don't read the cut text for whatever reason.
I just. Don't even know what to say. I really don't. I think it's one of the most fucked up, brutal YA books I have ever read. I also think it's the best book in the series.
Like, I seriously just... the whole thing was so fucked up. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But like, when there was that pen of kids at the end? I can't even. That's HORRIFYING. That's something that, if it's included in the film, I will have to close my eyes and ears on because it would give me nightmares forever. It might give me nightmares just from the fucking book.
But it also... fit. I can't even complain about it being over the top, because at that point in the story, it made perfect sense.
I didn't know what to do abotu Peeta. The entire time I was just... oh, every time he was in a scene it broke my heart. He broke my heart over and over again. I wanted to cry, I missed the old Peeta so much. And every time we got a glimpse of him I just... I don't know.
I wish they hadn't played up the Gale vs. Peeta thing so much. It was obvious (at least to me) from the start that she was going to choose Peeta and... I don't know. I don't know if it came across well ever over the course of the three books.
I had all these thoughts to share while I was actually reading, but I was so blown away by the end that they all seem kind of... meaningless in the wake of what happens. I think it ended well. I'm glad everything wasn't sugar coated. I almost cried when Prim died. I just couldn't believe it. I kept hoping she'd be somehow spared and I was still so shocked at the entire scenario that I couldn't even deal with it enough to register she was there and... god. That whole part was so fucking disturbing. I don't even have words for it.
Haymitch. Oh, Haymitch. Haymitch is officially my favorite character, I think. I might reread all three books (in a few weeks, once I've gotten over the impact of this one) and Peeta might edge out in front again, but there just wasn't enough of him in this one and there was so much wonderful Haymitch. Oh, Christ, I love Haymitch.
Except, now I'm thinking about it, and maybe Peeta STILL is my favorite. Because, Finnick and Annie's wedding cake! And "Real or Not Real" and insisting he be handcuffed to the stairs! UGH, I DON'T KNOW, THEY'RE BOTH SO AWESOME.
My thoughts really aren't in any sort of order. I feel like I need to have a spoken conversation with someone to actually say things about this book, because my brain can't handle putting them in actual order. I know I had SO MUCH to say about the first two-thirds of the book that all seems distant now that the last third has happened. That last third was so fucking fucked up.
Finnick was so amazing. So amazing. So fucked up and still there were those slivers of brilliance. And then, omg, him and Annie. My heart broke into a million pieces for her when he died. I was so shocked! I wasn't expecting him to live, but I thought that he'd become so integral that his death would receive at least a little bit of fanfare, you know? I had to read that part twice. I didn't believe it had happened.
I was really shocked that both Gale and Peeta survived--if you asked me after Catching Fire I would have told you that Gale was going to die tragically, leaving Katniss with a guilt-free path to Peeta. I would NOT have predicted that Gale would be instrumental in "winning" the war by questionable means, thus driving a wedge between him and Katniss, after which he would take a cushy job somewhere far away from her.
Yikes.
I don't know, maybe I'll have more thoughts tomorrow. Right now I'm going to see if White Collar is up for DL. I need to distract myself with some mindlessness.
I read a lot slower on the Kindle than I do on the computer or with a paper book.
I don't know why! Or how that even works! But I DLed Mockingjay around... I dunno, two o'clock at the latest? Maybe closer to 1:30? And I only just finished. Now, granted, I didn't start reading right away and I did take a short break to make dinner and DL 12 audio books (it's a long story), but still! That's over eight hours to read one YA book. Normally I read YA/MG at a rate of about 100 pages an hour. This was... a lot longer than that!
I'm perplexed. I also have a headache, which I've never had after reading on the Kindle before, but I suppose I don't normally read the Kindle for 8 hours without interruption. Also, the lighting in here isn't great.
Anyway.
BELOW THE CUT THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR MOCKINGJAY. Just so you know. In case you don't read the cut text for whatever reason.
I just. Don't even know what to say. I really don't. I think it's one of the most fucked up, brutal YA books I have ever read. I also think it's the best book in the series.
Like, I seriously just... the whole thing was so fucked up. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But like, when there was that pen of kids at the end? I can't even. That's HORRIFYING. That's something that, if it's included in the film, I will have to close my eyes and ears on because it would give me nightmares forever. It might give me nightmares just from the fucking book.
But it also... fit. I can't even complain about it being over the top, because at that point in the story, it made perfect sense.
I didn't know what to do abotu Peeta. The entire time I was just... oh, every time he was in a scene it broke my heart. He broke my heart over and over again. I wanted to cry, I missed the old Peeta so much. And every time we got a glimpse of him I just... I don't know.
I wish they hadn't played up the Gale vs. Peeta thing so much. It was obvious (at least to me) from the start that she was going to choose Peeta and... I don't know. I don't know if it came across well ever over the course of the three books.
I had all these thoughts to share while I was actually reading, but I was so blown away by the end that they all seem kind of... meaningless in the wake of what happens. I think it ended well. I'm glad everything wasn't sugar coated. I almost cried when Prim died. I just couldn't believe it. I kept hoping she'd be somehow spared and I was still so shocked at the entire scenario that I couldn't even deal with it enough to register she was there and... god. That whole part was so fucking disturbing. I don't even have words for it.
Haymitch. Oh, Haymitch. Haymitch is officially my favorite character, I think. I might reread all three books (in a few weeks, once I've gotten over the impact of this one) and Peeta might edge out in front again, but there just wasn't enough of him in this one and there was so much wonderful Haymitch. Oh, Christ, I love Haymitch.
Except, now I'm thinking about it, and maybe Peeta STILL is my favorite. Because, Finnick and Annie's wedding cake! And "Real or Not Real" and insisting he be handcuffed to the stairs! UGH, I DON'T KNOW, THEY'RE BOTH SO AWESOME.
My thoughts really aren't in any sort of order. I feel like I need to have a spoken conversation with someone to actually say things about this book, because my brain can't handle putting them in actual order. I know I had SO MUCH to say about the first two-thirds of the book that all seems distant now that the last third has happened. That last third was so fucking fucked up.
Finnick was so amazing. So amazing. So fucked up and still there were those slivers of brilliance. And then, omg, him and Annie. My heart broke into a million pieces for her when he died. I was so shocked! I wasn't expecting him to live, but I thought that he'd become so integral that his death would receive at least a little bit of fanfare, you know? I had to read that part twice. I didn't believe it had happened.
I was really shocked that both Gale and Peeta survived--if you asked me after Catching Fire I would have told you that Gale was going to die tragically, leaving Katniss with a guilt-free path to Peeta. I would NOT have predicted that Gale would be instrumental in "winning" the war by questionable means, thus driving a wedge between him and Katniss, after which he would take a cushy job somewhere far away from her.
Yikes.
I don't know, maybe I'll have more thoughts tomorrow. Right now I'm going to see if White Collar is up for DL. I need to distract myself with some mindlessness.