All 4 Hunger Games books ranked worst to best (including A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

3. Mockingjay

Mockingjay is the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, and it ranks third on the list of Hunger Games books. Overall, I enjoyed the book more than A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but there’s still something missing in Mockingjay that was present in the first two Hunger Games books. To me, it’s the lack of actual Hunger Games. There’s no 76th annual Hunger Games in Mockingjay.

The book begins after the events of Catching Fire, and it follows Katniss’s journey with District 13 and the fight to overthrow President Snow and the Capital. There are many twists and turns in this story, notably Peeta’s rescue, his murderous anti-Katniss energy, and the assault on the Capital.

Obviously, it wouldn’t have made sense in the story to send Katniss and Peeta back to the arena, but that suspense, intrigue, and consistency would have made Mockingjay even better to me. Unfortunately, Mockingjay becomes a war movie, essentially, and that part of the story isn’t that interesting.

I will say, though, that the end of Mockingjay is stellar. Katniss’s perfect arrow placement is exquisite, and that twist scores major points. Collins’ courage as a storyteller comes through in the last few chapters of Mockingjay. The story begins with Katniss trying to save her sister, and it ends with Katniss unable to do that. It’s a brutal reminder of the perils of war and the corruption of those in power. We’re all just tributes.