Mockingjay

I finally finished Mockingjay.  It's about time.  I honestly don't want to (and shouldn't) say a whole lot - because I certainly don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't read the series or finished the last book yet.  What I will say is that I like it.  It was very different from the first two; in fact, I think each book in this series has it's own personality, style, and messages.  I liked that it was different.  I liked the ending.  I, of course, got choked up here and there because as with any good series, you get attached to people and you feel for them and with them as you read.  I think that I liked this series so much because of Katniss and Peeta.  They are great and memorable characters.  Also, Panem is so our world but so not our world all at the same time.  Collins isn't making a grand point of shoving ideas down your throat - the reader can make whatever connections he/she wants between Panem and our world today.  At the heart of this series is Katniss, a girl standing up for family and for what she believes in.  A girl trying to figure out her place and her role in a society in which everyone else is out for his/her own goals.  I really enjoyed the series and am sad it's over.  Next up, though, the conclusion to the Chaos Walking Trilolgy - Monsters of Men.  Pretty pumped to see how this other series following Todd and Viola wraps up.