Audiobook Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay

Author:  Suzanne Collins

Narrator: Carolyn McCormick


Unabridged Length: 11 hrs, 43 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the Gooodreads website:

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

My Review: 
Mockingjay was a fitting end to an amazing series.  Not wanting to put this series in my past, I held off on listening to the final book for as long as I could.  Once I started, I could tell that this installment would give me a satisfying closure for the trilogy.

Katniss gets caught up with the rebel alliance that is located at District 13.  Her family and Gayle are with her, but her thoughts are filled with Peeta every day.  The Capitol captured Peeta after the jumbled Quarter Quell and have been holding him hostage.  Katniss knows that his life hangs in the balance every moment he is in their custody.

After much persuasion, Katniss agrees to become the face of the Mockingjay, satisfying all the residents of Panem that are in support of the revolution.  A big driving force for Katniss fulfilling this role is the knowledge that one day she will have the opportunity to be alone with President Snow, at which time she will be in  control of his demise.

I don't think I've given any important details away.  Of course Katniss's romantic life is still in turmoil throughout most of the book, as she struggles to find out who truly owns her heart.  This will also be resolved by the end of the book, but I'm not going to tell you who she chooses!  This is a series that I didn't think I would enjoy, but SURPRISE, I loved it!  With themes of love, friendship, and survival, there is much in these books to ponder.  I don't know if I would necessarily suggest these books as a book club selection, but I don't hesitate in recommending the entire series for leisure reading.  

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from  the library to listen for my own entertainment.

Audiobook Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title:  Catching Fire

Author:  Suzanne Collins

Narrator:  Carolyn McCormick

Unabridged Length:  11 hrs, 41 mn.

Here is a summary of the book from the Goodreads website:

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn.
 
My Review:
In the second book of this trilogy Collins takes us back to Panem adding a whole new set of problems to the lives of Peeta and Katniss, who were the winners of the last Hunger Games.  One would think that life would be easy for our new victors, but the Capitol is doing everything in their power to be sure they don't step out of line.
  
I think it is during the Victory Tour when Katniss first notices the additional security detail assigned to her entire group.  She becomes even more alarmed when spectators are reprimanded or even murdered for speaking out during the tour.  She only knows that she needs her behavior to be acceptable by the Capitol, so she acts appropriately, even with the rumors of rebellion  becoming more believable.

Tension builds up in this audiobook as the next Hunger Games grow closer.  Every twenty-five years marks the Quarter Quell games, and this year is time for the next Quarter Quell.  The game makers strive to make the Quell games as memorable and action packed as possible.  The Capitol can change any rules they want for these special games.  During a past Quell they even had each District provide double the amount of tributes so the blood bath was that much more intense.  Let me tell you that when the requirements of the current Quell were announced, my jaw dropped as I sat in my car listening to it.

I'm not going to tell you any more about this book, except that it was awesome.  With themes of survival and friendship once again, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat or in my case, gripping the steering wheel.  If you read The Hunger Games, you will not want to miss this next novel.  I'm sure you could read this one without reading The Hunger Games first, but I do think you will have a much more gratifying experience by starting with the first book before reading Catching Fire.  I highly recommend this book!

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from my local library and listened to it for my own entertainment.

Audiobook Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title:  The Hunger Games

Author:  Suzanne Collins

Narrator:  Carolyn McCormick

Unabridged Length:  11 hrs, 14 mn.


Here is a summary of the book from the Goodreads website:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Review:
I am not one to hop on the bandwagon of popular fiction, but my friend Miranda said that I HAVE to listen to this audiobook!  I have to admit that I didn't really know anything about this book when I checked it out at the library, so it turned into a pleasant surprise.  

Collins immerses us into a dystopian society that was formerly North America, but is now known as Panem.  The time of the annual Hunger Games is approaching as everyone prepares to attend the Reaping.  All citizens are required to attend the Reaping, where they will choose each Districts representatives that will participate in the games.

As you can tell from the summary above, young Prim is selected from her District, but that is when Katniss comes forward to take her place in the games.  It takes a courageous girl to step forward knowing that it is very possible she will be murdered because of her decision.  A boy and girl from each District will be chosen to participate, and the games will not be over until there is only one child standing.

When the games actually begin, I think I turned into a nervous wreck as I listened to this audio.  It was very intense as these young people are forced to murder in order to stay alive.  We see how Katniss herself deals with these conflicting feelings that arise as she fights for her own survival.

I am not going to tell you any more about this book, except that it was amazing!  I know that this book is considered a young adult novel, but obviously readers of all ages have found enjoyment from it.  With themes of survival, honor, trust, and family, there really is something that will appeal to just about everyone.  I don't hesitate in recommending this novel to just about anyone I know.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this audiobook from the library for my own listening entertainment.