I thought I was going to plow through Catching Fire the same I did with Hunger Games, and I'm really not. It's fantastic(ally bleak and painful), but the stakes are so different somehow, and it's eating me up.

I can't imagine what's going to happen, and I really can't imagine Mockingjay being ever grimmer. Yikes?

I really can't imagine Mockingjay being ever grimmer.

You have NO idea. The grim goes to 11.

What Teppy said.

I finished Mockingjay. I didn't actually break down weeping in that one like I did in the first two, but you guys are right - bleak bleak bleak. But I wasn't as actively depressed reading it, for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on why, since I am just astounded at sheer number of people who didn't make it but I don't know. Maybe the first two numbed me sufficiently that I stopped feeling feelings.

But I am very sad that there are no more books to read - the characters and their world have consumed my thoughts all day.

Someone said above that the end of Mockingjay was hopeful, but I didn't get that at all. Unless you define "hopeful" as "well, I can't quite work up the energy to kill myself, and I have no way of knowing whether Peeta will suddenly go all Manchurian Candidate again and snap my neck like a twig. Which would be fine with me."

I can't call that "hopeful."

I think it was hopeful. It's implied that Katniss and Peeta are together for quite a long time and that he has basically learned to control the rage-y feelings, so I don't think there's much of a chance of him freaking out and killing her, considering how much he loves her. I feel like the ending was as hopeful as it could be considering the unbelievably awful political situation with Snow and Coin both being not-great options and their entire society being a mess. I was DEVASTATED when Prim died, especially since I'm completely convinced that it was Gale's bomb that killed her. It's sad that Katniss's mother didn't go back to 12, but it makes sense, I think. Considering how catatonic and useless she was for most of Katniss's life after her father died, there's no way she could handle being there missing Prim too. It's unfair to Katniss, but Katniss is stronger than her mother, emotionally, and if her mother can somehow cope with her grief by working in the hospital, it's for the best. And I sort of like that she and Gale grew apart - it's horribly sad, but - sometimes irreconcilable differences happen and I liked the realism. That was long, sorry! I just have lots of thoughts.

Argh! I just finished Hunger Games last night...

Feeling a lot of sadness and frustration, Jesse? I was right where you are a week ago.

Annoyed that I didn't get all three books before I started!

I picked up Mockingjay from the library Saturday, but then I accidentally got caught up in The Mist on television and felt in danger of a bleak overdose.