This is the last part of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy. While the first part introduced us to the cruel, but strangely familiar dystopian world of Panem and the second part marked the beginning of a rebellion against the system, we are now in the middle of a civil war that engulfs all of Panem.

I liked the first part very much because it functions well as a dystopia. Countless habits and characteristics of our own society are greatly exaggerated to show us for the fools we really are. There is no such value in the second part, plus: we already know the oddities of Panem and the cruelty of the Hunger Games, so there is little new and even less thought-provoking in the second part.

The third and final part still plays in Panem, so technically it is a dystopian novel. However, since the backdrop is  a civil war, it appears to have little to do with our world. Yet, what makes it such a good read – and much better than the second part, is that the characters are true textbook examples of round characters: There is plenty of unexpected development, lots of believable contradictions and inner conflicts and you get to understand that the good guys are not generally all-good and that even the bad guys have some honourable character traits.

Despite all its qualities for which I like the first part of the trilogoy, it shows a somewhat under-complex world. This cannot be said about the final part: Characters and character relations are complex and subject to constant development. Characters have to make compromises, and even the most glorious revolution has its downside, and with this I do not just mean a lack of coffee.

Because of all these qualities, Mockingjay is an absolute recommendation for who liked The Hunger Games. Just skip Catching Fire and catch up on what happens via good friends or a short summary on the internet.

...Oh, and one more thing: Be prepared for a super-kitschy happy ending. And accept it. After all, this is youth literature. If you want something sad, get yourself a Brodsky.