Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay, the final volume of the Hunger Games trilogy, was the most anticipated teen novel of the summer.  It's an often-violent dystopian adventure featuring political intrigue, media manipulation, propaganda, and a love triangle.

Katniss Everdeen, victor of the Hunger Games and survivor of the Quarter Quell is in the spotlight of yet another deadly serious media production.  The rebels of District 13 want her to be the public face of their fight against the ruling Capital, but their methods and motivations are unnervingly close to those of the power that they would unseat.  Katniss must again pick her battles, deciding how best to support her family, survive her manipulators, maintain her individuality, and fight for a just society.

Katniss is one stubborn survivor.  She is passionate, impulsive, and increasingly bitter and shellshocked as the trilogy progresses.  In Mockingjay she spends about half her time in hospital beds recovering from one injury or another.  Katniss seems to be about to crack up at any moment which is a little unnerving when we're used to seeing her so strong, no less so when compared to the mental fragility of the other previous victors.  Each is shown to be suffering from some form of mental illness or post-traumatic stress.  It's been a while since I've read the previous books, but I think this one may be even more grim and violent.  Or perhaps the violence of war is more shockingly realistic than the reality show violence of the previous books.

I enjoyed Mockingjay, and Katniss is one of my favourite kick-ass protagonists, but I still can't get my head around why this series has captured so much attention.  The subject matter is timely and the books are page-turners, but there are other good books out there that don't inspire a fraction of this excitement.  A book store employee I was chatting with observed that it's one of the few series that appeals to both boys and girls, which may be part of the explanation, but I imagine in the end it comes down to luck.  The Hunger Games captured the right attention at the right time and has been launched into series super-stardom.

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

Unwind is another dystopian adventure.  The premise: the United States had a second civil war over the abortion issue.  The war eventually resolved with an agreement that from conception to age 13, no child could be harmed.  However, when children are between 13 and 18 years old their parents can choose to unwind them.  This involves harvesting every part of their body for transplantation.  They are not considered to be dead as every part of them will be alive.  I don't need to go into how impossibly silly this all is.

The three protagonists are runaway teenagers trying to remain whole until their 18th birthdays when they can no longer become unwound.  Relying on themselves and each other, they learn about friendship, love, regret, anger, forgiveness, and despair.  Once you get over the premise, it's a pretty nice story about growing up and accepting yourself. A straight-forward adventure story with some likeable characters.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is far better than I expected a zombie survival story to be.  Also, far more romantic.

Mary lives in a small village surrounded by a tall fence.  Outside that fence is the Forest of Hands and Teeth, a no man's land inhabited by their undead neighbours.  Inside, the villagers believe that they are the last bastion of humanity in a world overtaken by the unconsecrated.  They live simple lives, farming, patrolling the fences, and building up the human race, as they are instructed to do by their religious leaders. Mary dreams of a life beyond the fences, but it is only after a series of tragedies that she seriously considers leaving all that she knows.

Typical to this dystopian adventure genre, Mary uncovers hints that all is not as it seems, and that their leaders may not be entirely benevolent.  Complicating matters is her love for Travis who is betrothed to her best friend Cassandra while she herself is betrothed to Travis' brother Harry who may be in love with either her or Cassandra or both.  It's all quite dramatic, but social customs keep everyone frustratingly impotent until the unconsecrated attack and everyone goes into survival mode.

While the romantic angst dragged on a little too much for my sensibilities, this book is perfect for readers who have finished Twilight but like a little surreality in their love stories.  Besides, it's better written, the protagonist is stronger and smarter, and there are sequels for the story addicts.