“Mockingjay” is the third and final book in the “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins, author of “Gregor the Overlander.” A forewarning: if you have not read the first two books, “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire,” please read those before you read “Mockingjay.”  The first two books in the series are excellent and give much more background on the final novel. Read those first and come back when you have.

For those of you still here, “Mockingjay” begins with Katniss in the remains of District 12, which the Capitol bombed after the escape from the Quarter Quell in “Catching Fire.” The final installment of the series takes readers through the underground, military-esque, unfamiliar world of District 13 as the rebels plan their propaganda, starring the Mockingjay, Katniss, who strikes a deal with 13’s President Coin in exchange for the immunity of Peeta, Haymitch, Johanna and Finnick. In addition, to no one’s surprise, she will also have the privilege of executing President Snow if the rebels win.

Collins’s writing is one of the best in modern literature if not one of the best ever. The plot is intriguing; each detail makes the plot flow and holds meaning and the characters are complex and important in their own way. All of it falls into place in an intense and brutal, yet logical manner.

Nothing with a post-apocalyptic story ever held my attention longer than it took me to blow it off until I got into the “Hunger Games” trilogy. I am quite sad it is over, but every good thing must end, and the conflict that drove the series is resolved.

In short, “Mockingjay” is a must-read for anyone who read the first two books.