Real or not real -- this book is awesome. Real! I thought it was the perfect ending to the trilogy, even though I want to cry that it is over. It is not a completely happy ending, but there is no way that it could have been (or should have been) after everything that Katniss has been through. Even aside from the psychological damage, in this book alone, Katniss is strangled, shot, burned, has a ruptured spleen, broken ribs, shrapnel in her leg...she literally lives in the hospital. But she overcomes it all and finds love and eventually realizes that she can escape from the horrors by focusing on the good deeds and acts of kindness that she has witnessed. This series gives you examples of every possible reaction to violence and war -- anger and lust for revenge, depression, tears, compassion, immobility, calm purposefulness in caring for the injured, self-sacrifice, courage, humor, addiction -- and raises so many questions. Could you kill another to save your life or the life of someone you love? When does saving many justify the killing of a few? Should you always accept an eye for an eye? Can you love two people at the same time? What is not fair during war? Is it ever acceptable to use others? Are there fates worse than death? It's like a philosophy course disguised as YA lit. And while all these questions are being raised, you get a completely gripping story and unforgettable characters. I can't think of many villains creepier than President Snow...he smells like blood and roses, which gives me the willies just thinking about it. This series will be definitely be on my list of books to be reread like once a year - READ THEM NOW!
Up next - Because I have been so absorbed with THG, I feel like I need something very different that I know will be good. So get ready for Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens.
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