No quote this week because I just can’t bring myself to potentially ruin the first 2 books if you haven’t read them yet. (You really should read them. In order.)

While this particular book starts a bit slower (new characters in a new setting take a bit of additional world-building) the book is well worth the read. Again, I can predict a bunch of plot items that will take place, but again and again Suzanne Collins surprises me with her plot twists.

One particular thing I like about the Hunger Games series, is Ms. Collins use of names in building the dystopian future. Names like Katniss, Prim, Cinna, and Peeta all feel slightly off, lending themselves to a messed-up world based on our own. Taking Matthews, Davids and Jennifers into a death fight with technical traps doesn’t feel right, but using names Gale and Rue make complete sense in a world full of despair.

At the end of the series, I cried. For two hours. For the first time in the series, I didn’t dream of the characters at night, wondering what would happen, because Ms. Collins gives the reader just the right kind of closure. Mockingjay finishes the series brilliantly, and I can’t wait to see the movies.

What books are you excited to read?