I have several issues.

1. The first thing that I find really problematic with this book is that Prim died. And it's not just that it was unnecessary, I feel that this betrays the entire premise because trying to save Prim's life was literally the thing that propelled Katniss into all this mess. From there on, it was about her own survival, yes, but to have Prim die now after everything Katniss has done... it feels like a stab in the back from the author. It feels like a painful betrayal. It kind of renders everything pointless. Because saving Prim, that moment when Katniss said "I volunteer!" was her spark. It's what started everything, and just... no. POINTLESS (AND FULL OF BETRAYAL) CHARACTER DEATH: 1

2. The assassination mission. It was clearly meant to be the third book's "Hunger Games", with the format of people dying right and left in various traps, only they're all working together instead of against each other. But it failed completely because the only thing that's been carrying me to the end of the book was the alluded promise that in the end, Katniss will be the one that brings President Snow down; that she would get into that mansion and accomplish her mission as intended. But instead, when she got close enough, WE HAVE PRIM DYING INSTEAD. I was devastated when Finnick died but I was ready to forgive Collins for it when I still had the promise that he died for something, for a noble cause. But since Katniss and her team achieved absolutely NOTHING by infiltrating the Capitol, his death became pointless, and this infuriated me because he's one of the characters that actually deserved to live, especially after he finally got married. POINTLESS CHARACTER DEATHS: 2

3. Gale. He was written out of the equation by being written as the person indirectly responsible for Prim's death. HEY HER DEATH JUST GOT TWICE WORSE THANKS FOR THAT. I think that was a cop out to solve the so-called triangle. Yeah, sure, an explanation was provided about how Katniss and Peeta actually complemented each other because they're different, as opposed to Gale and Katniss who are similar, but why couldn't that be enough then? Why couldn't Gale have stayed too and Katniss chose Peeta for this reason? Is it because even the writer actually secretly felt that the reason wasn't enough to justify the choice either, and so that's why she took Gale out of the equation? Because that's how it felt for me.

The truth is; Katniss settled when she allegedly chose Peeta. Anyone could see that.

4. The fact that Peeta "wore her down" eventually to have kids. NO. That is just so wrong. And maybe the fact that it took her fifteen years to agree to have kids was supposed to make things believable and more okay, but it was still messed up if you think about it. Because after everything that happened and after the way they were both portrayed in the aftermath I'm not so sure they're fit to be parents. There's too much damage there.

A lot of people love Peeta, but I never get that. I'm a Gale fangirl through and through. I've always been bothered by how "perfect" Peeta is. How GOOD he is, how noble. Does he even have a flaw? Isn't he actually a Gary Stu? I'm just glad that at least the romance isn't so prominent. (Although why did Katniss have to go around kissing both guys for the last two books, anyway? She's really taking advantage of them, if you ask me.) I've always felt that Katniss' so-called feelings for him is underlined by so many different things that are NOT love. In the first book, it was sympathy. In the second, it was the desire to save his life. In the third, it was guilt and the desire to help him become normal again after the whole brainwashing fiasco. There is always something that makes her feel responsible for him, and I fear she's just confused it for love. Because I've always seen their love as one-sided. But maybe I'm biased.