With the release of  “Mockingjay,” Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy comes to a dramatic close. Taking place in a dystopian society, the “Hunger Games” trilogy was written for a young adult audience but has gained the attention of critics and developed a large adult following. Collins’ series is a critical parallel of American waste and lust for war, as well as its dependence on other country’s resources.

The trilogy is set in Panem, a futuristic, resource-lacking country that is divided into 12 districts and the Capitol. Each district is forced to send a boy and girl tribute to the annual Hunger Games, where all 24 tributes fight to the death on live TV, an obvious allusion to reality TV.

The winner of the Hunger Games earns more food provisions for his or her respective district. The Capitol’s intent with these games is to remind its citizens of its power.

The books follow Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers in place of her younger sister as the tribute for District 12 in the first book.  Despite the odds, Everdeen has managed to survive.

In the latest book, Everdeen has become the symbol of the revolt against the Capitol or the “Mockingjay.” The last book also unveils District 13, a district that Panem inhabitants previously thought was destroyed. With the ongoing war, this book is the most violent one yet.

Those who avidly read the “Hunger Games” books will not be let down. Questions raised throughout the series are answered, and an epilogue is even included.  Collins manages to keep readers at the edge of their seats until the very end, a quality that made her first two books, “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire,” hard to put down.

There are places in “Mockingjay” where the plot lags and it feels like there is not much going on, which is a huge departure from the first two books. The love triangle developed in the previous books is put on the back burner, which may disappoint some fans. However, this is made up for in the climatic ending.

Those who haven’t read the first two books will probably be lost trying to pick up with “Mockingjay.”  However, the “Hunger Games” is overall a very compelling series and would make a great read between classes.