Mockingjay

Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers of the futuristic society of Panem. The series was inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Roman Gladiator games. Reviewers have noted that it tackles issues such as loyalty, war, and poverty, as well as questioning reality.

The novel and audiobook were released on August 24, 2010, while the e-book was released six days earlier, on August 18. Mockingjay sold 450,000 copies in the first week of release, exceeding Scholastic's expectations. It received a generally positive reaction from critics.

The trilogy takes place in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which occupies what used to be North America. Panem is ruled by the Capitol and is surrounded by 12 districts that provide for it. A thirteenth district had previously been destroyed in a war against the Capitol. In the first novel, The Hunger Games, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister Prim's place in the Hunger Games, a competition in which one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to battle each other to the death on live television, a punishment inflicted by the Capitol. When told that both tributes from a district will be allowed to live if they are the last alive, Katniss and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark pretend to be in love to gain sympathy from the viewers but threaten suicide when they are the remaining two tributes and told only one is now allowed to live. This was seen as an act of rebellion against the Capitol. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete again in a special anniversary Hunger Games consisting of tributes who have won past Games. However, before it is over a few tributes, including Katniss, are rescued by rebels who live in District 13, while Peeta is taken to the Capitol. Katniss' friend Gale Hawthorne informs her that District 12 has been destroyed.

After her rescue by the rebels of District 13, Katniss is convinced to become "the Mockingjay": a symbol of the rebellion against the ruling Capitol. As part of a deal, she demands that the leader of District 13, President Coin, grant immunity to all of the victors of the Hunger Games. She also demands the right to kill President Snow, the leader of the Capitol, herself. In a daring rescue, Peeta and others previously captured are rescued from the Capitol. However, Peeta has been brainwashed into believing Katniss is the enemy and tries to strangle her upon their reunion in District 13.

The rebels, including Katniss, take control of the districts and finally begin an assault on the Capitol itself. However, an assault on a "safe" Capitol neighborhood goes wrong, and Katniss and her team flee further into the Capitol with the intent of finding and killing President Snow. Many members of Katniss' team are killed, including Finnick Odair. Eventually, Katniss finds herself pressing on alone towards Snow's mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children (but is actually intended to provide human shields for Snow). Afterwards, bombs placed in supply packages kill many of these children and a rebel medical team, including Katniss' sister, Prim. Prim's death scars Katniss to the point of mental instability.

President Snow is tried and found guilty, but he tells Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered by President Coin, not the Capitol. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have been the result of a plan originally developed by her friend, Gale. Katniss realizes that she will never be able to look at Gale the same way, regardless of whether or not he was directly involved in Prim's death. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow in which they agreed not to lie to each other. When she is supposed to execute Snow, she realizes that he was telling the truth and kills Coin instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own blood or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss is acquitted due to her apparent insanity and returns to her home in District 12, along with others who are attempting to rebuild it. Peeta returns months after as well, having largely recovered from his brainwashing. Finally, Katniss surmises that falling in love with Peeta was inevitable, as he had always represented to her the promise of a better future, rather than the destruction she now associates with Gale. She says that she did not need Gale's fire, as she already had it herself; she needed Peeta, who symbolized the hope she needed to survive. Together with Haymitch they create a book filled with previous tributes and others who died in the war so that they will not be forgotten.

In the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, more than fifteen years later. She and Peeta are married and have two unnamed children. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the day her children learn the details of their parents' involvement in both the Games and the war. When she feels distressed, Katniss plays a comforting but repetitive "game," reminding herself of every good thing that she has ever seen someone do. The series ends with the sentiment, "But there are much worse games to play."

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the format is in .epub, so you may have to download adobe digital edition, it's free though