Mockingjay

I would call Mockingjay the redeeming book of the Hunger Games Triology; however, that would probably be overstating its quality.  Nevertheless, I found Mockingjay to be the most enjoyable of the three books.

Mockingjay is still written in present tense, but I noticed this fact less than I did in the first two books.  Whether that is because it was better written or because I've gotten used to the style is up for debate.  Of course, had Collins change the tense in the last book, I would have been more annoyed for the inconsistency.

What Mockingjay has that The Hunger Games and Catching Fire don't is unpredictability.  There is no arena.  It is not black and white who the enemies are, and a lot of questions are not given direct answers.  The plot twists and turns unexpectedly more than once.  Also, the author does not shy away from the realities of war.  Characters, some of which the reader has come to love, die.

As a side note, Gale finally gets some page time.  Despite the love triangle, Gale is a character who, up to this point, is talked about but rarely actually seen.  Finally, the reader gets to see who this guy is.

Speaking of the love triangle, it (thankfully) takes a back seat to the main plot.  The characters are deeper than they have been shown previously.  Katniss has bigger things to worry about.

All that being said, Mockingjay still does not make the list of one of my favorites.  Even if it is mildly annoying how Katniss managed to be injured or sedated at the end of every other chapter at first, much of this has to do with the ending.  It is abrupt and largely unsatisfying.  I will avoid details in order to avoid spoilers; however, if the reader was wanting a "they lived happily ever after" or even a "everything turned out okay," then they chose the wrong trilogy.

All in all, I would say that I'm glad I read The Hunger Games trilogy; however, I do not know that I will plan on ever doing so again.  If I do, it will be a long time.