I didn't want to be completely unpleasant and give Mockingjay a one star. But I have to say that two stars is generous. My interest in this series came when the first movie was released last year. I was seeing it in theaters completely unaware it was based on a book. I didn't have time to read the series until earlier this year. With The Hunger Games, I felt Katniss was a respectable female leading character; defensive, strong, protective, resilient. I don't think it was a brilliant book but it was suspenseful and thrilling.

A friend of mine told me that Catching Fire was something I could read in a day; as she had done. Life made my life busy so I couldn't read it within a day but I couldn't stop turning the pages. Sometimes I'd skip ahead to the next chapter and read the final line of it just keep the intrigue and anticipation going. By far I thought the series was getting a lot stronger.

And, then Mockingjay. This reading was such a disappointment. I realized that my inability to be infatuated with the series was because of Stephanie Collins' horrible world building. Unlike Harry Potter where every name or place is consistent and has a theme, Collins is all over the map.

Part of my dislike of reading Mockingjay was that Katniss' doubts and unsuredness gets exhausting. We never quite see her develop into a leader - point blank. She moments of leadership but nothing ever fully enveloping why she is the symbol of the rebellion. I was iffy about her mixed feelings for Peeta and Gale in the first book because I was looking forward to a character where a lot of her identity was mixed up in what boys thought of her. Then after three novels of her going back and forth between Gale and Peeta, the love stories became truly and very deeply redundant. There are some nice touching moments at the finale between Katniss and her chosen partner (won't say who for spoilers), but I found a deeper and more worthwhile relationship between Finnick and Annie - which ends very disappointingly.

Certain names are Greek or Roman, others aren't; they're simple and to the point like The Hob, or The Nut - seriously a mount nicknamed the Nut by Katniss? It was almost laughable to read through. A lot of the terms Collins uses to describe things aren't clear and they feel they are pieced together randomly; the technology, the storyline building, mindhacking with the tracker jays, the devices and decisions characters make especially on the rebels end to take over the Capitol. The dialogue isn't distinct for many characters. Sometimes I'd get characters confused thinking one person was someone else and vice versa (Boggs and Beetee come to mind). I felt the entire third novel was off from where it could have gone with District 13 vs The Capitol. The story just became about one empire throwing over another. The Mockingjay goes up in flames but in a blaze of glory that is remotely exciting or fulfilling.

Two things were rewarding about this: Effie and Buttercup, the two baddest-*** characters make their last appearances.

Unlike Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I couldn't wait to finish reading this book. Not because it kept me curling my toes in anticipation of what was going to happen next, but just to get it over with already.