My mom was saying that part where she stripped naked in front of Peeta was a indicator of her being comfortable with her body especially around Peeta (her future husband)
But the timing seems too soon for them. they were just getting back to themselves. Maybe if they had another time jump to indicate a rebuild between them, would have made it more realistic.
I like this letter from Peeta Katniss would never agree with me, but she is an amazing mother. She thinks I'm the better parent out of the two of us, but somehow, I just know that's not entirely true. Whenever she is with our daughter, I see a whole different side of her. It's somewhat familiar because she cared for Prim in a similar way. But in her attitude, I can also sense something completely new. Something softer. Something...beautiful. I caught her one afternoon, in a daze as she watched Willow pick dandelions in the Meadow. Nothing could distract her, not even my heavy footsteps coming from behind. She startled at first as I placed my hand on her shoulder, but soon relaxed and gave me a quick smile. "I love her so much Peeta." She said with a tone that was nearly desperate. "I know you do Katniss." I told her as I gave her shoulder what I hoped was a reassuring rub. She took a long pause before saying anything else. I could tell she was pondering something. "Do you think she'll ever love me as much as I love her?" Almost as if on cue, I see our little girl run up to meet us. Katniss bent down to catch her in her arms, and as she did I noticed the flower in Willow's hand. It wasn't a dandelion like the ones I watched her pick, but a- “It's a Primrose mommy! For you!" Willow stated proudly. I could see the tears welling in Katniss's eyes as she smiled. "Thank you sweetheart! What's this for?" She asked happily as she took the Primrose from Willow's hand. "Because I love you." And with that, she wrapped arms around her mother's neck, embracing her with all her might. As she did, I took the opportunity to whisper in Katniss's ear, "I think she already does.”
Omg! I can’t believe I didn’t see this until now? I almost forgot about it and this didn’t pop up, I just found it by accident but I’m so glad I saw it! I read it all those months ago so seeing your notes on it was also a nice refresher, I remember this one being my favourite with the Peeta pov series as well. I remember being really confused at the beginning and it started to make more sense as it went on, which I actually really liked because it kind of makes us as the reader understand Peeta’s mental state and how disoriented he is. It broke my heart but I find his hijacking fascinating and being in his head during it was so interesting, especially when he was in district 13. It was sad how he saw his old self as weak and stupid, and he’s disgusted by how naive he was and he’s so cynical. Haymitch is the perfect person for him to kind of take out that anger on, I know that sounds horrible but Haymitch understands, and I think this kind of anger at Haymitch has been building up even before the hijacking… their relationship does make me sad. I like how even know peeta is angry at Haymitch and doesn’t want him there, peeta gets annoyed when he is called sensitive by the doctors because of what Haymitch said, and he likes the fact that his sarcastic mark made Haymitch laugh. Something I found interesting if I remember it correctly, is that Haymitch said that he believes Peeta always had this part of him inside himself after he told Haymitch to fuck off, and Delly and Prim disagree but Peeta is more intrigued and agrees with what Haymitch says. It’s also depressing but sometimes I could see why this peeta thought the way he did, I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be for people to constantly talk about his old self and what he would want and his love for Katniss, when he’s like ‘who cares?’ He was tortured for close to 2 months and at that point that’s not his biggest concern, and he’s not his old self so why would that matter to him. It was nice seeing him slowly get better even though he wasn’t fully himself. I think I said this in the last one but in general with the series one thing I wish was touched upon a bit more was his relationship with his family, not even in this one but I feel like the first chapter was an interesting set up with his relationship with his brothers, especially Ryan if thats the right name but then it feels like it wasn’t really touched upon again. It is understandable since he isn’t exactly close to his family and he never really gets that closure but I thought there’s be a bit more. I agree, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the lake scene either. I know Katniss likes to swim in the lake naked and maybe it’s to show her growing as a person, or maybe the fact that after all that’s happened she doesn’t care about those things anymore but I just imagine it differently myself with more of a build up. The back to twelve fic is interesting, I do recommend it but it’s not really my style of ‘growing back together’ fic. It’s in Katniss pov and it was written before they wrote the peeta pov series and I think they edited some things to connect some things that was written for Peeta’s pov so they match but you can tell it feels different. I thinks it’s personal preference because I’m boring and when it comes to growing back together fics I like more of the earlier stages of them actually growing together and trusting each other again and building that relationship back up and learning to heal and help each other. Obviously that’s in this fic, but from what I remember it does moreso have a lot of huge time jumps and it does turn pretty political and gets even more that way as it goes on, which makes sense for the series it is but after all the trauma… I just like reading about the domestic healing personally lol. Even though that’s not as interesting. I do think there’s a lot of interesting things that is done with that fic though, some of the decisions they made with characters are really depressing but realistic with what happened to them (I won’t say incase you don’t want any spoilers) and I actually think what was done with Gale in back to twelve is something I’ve not seen before but I actually really liked. I do think it’s a worth a try but it’s understandable if you choose to read it or decide to just stick to the peeta pov trilogy. Thank you for this video though! It’s actually made me want to read it again, since I only read it once all those months ago but it also feels like a big commitment again so I’ll see how it goes!
I agree with you on “back to 12”. I loved it up until the lake scene and I think when they got married, after that, well, It does turn pretty political, and I would usually just skip some parts regarding it, the nukes, and some underground lost tunnels, also Haymitch and Daily, like whaaat, also - Gale’s fate is quite grim
I just finished reading this trilogy last night. Incredibly crafted! And such a wonderful insight into Peeta’s character. Could totally be cannon in my eyes. I think “Throwing Sparks” was my favorite Peeta POV, but this book was incredibly well written. Every time they would just have one line separated from everything else that said “Green.” Or “Orange.” I just broke. I read the lines with tense baited breath. Thank you for your videos! This is my first time on tour channel was looking for someone to squeal with about these. Just gonna browse through the rest of your videos now.
I can’t explain how much I’ve looked forward to this video. The previous two were great and I was very excited to see your take on this one :) Here are a few things liked or thought was well done in the book (apologies for the amount I’m about to write in advance lmao): - Peeta’s utter confusion at the start and the scene constantly switching between his first days in the Capitol and his first days in 13 was pretty jarring on first read, but I think that’s exactly what the writer was going for. Peeta is pretty delirious at this point and doesn’t really know what’s going on and the writing style makes you feel like you’re right there with him. - I loved Johanna trying to keep Peeta grounded when she realised he was being brainwashed. She has a tough exterior, but her soft interior shined through. - Peeta seeing himself warning Katniss of the bombing of 13 and thinking of himself as a “weak boy” in that video was heartbreaking, but understandable. - This fic made me so attached to Prim. In the books, we always hear how great and extremely kind Prim is, but we never really get to see it in action outside of direct interactions with Katniss. - Prim and Peeta’s friendship is so beautiful. Despite being Katniss’ sister and him hating her at that point, Prim offers him unconditional friendship and shows she genuinely wants to help him. When he is suspicious about whether there is a catch, she says “No, it only depends on if you want to be friends with me, once you get to know me better.” She makes his treatment about him, not about Katniss’ safety, which has largely been the case. Already knowing Prim’s kindness and her relation to Katniss allows him to start separating the image of Katniss from the mutt. She also never makes him feel bad for saying mean things about Katniss, but politely corrects him and reminds him of the person she really is. It’s a beautiful dynamic between the two. - Delly’s portrayal is interesting. We can definitely see her heart is in the right place, but she also illustrates the wrong way to go about correcting Peeta’s statements about Katniss, chastising him when he does. This doesn’t serve to help him, as he genuinely believes what he is saying, so he doesn’t think what he did is wrong. - This fic also made me appreciate Haymitch that much more. Haymitch serving as a punching bag for Peeta to get some feelings out is tragic. Yes, he can handle it, but nobody should have to face verbal abuse. He knows that this might help Peeta though and he’s grown to genuinely love him, so he is willing to take it. - “You’re alive to have them” gave me chills. It hits especially hard considering it comes from Haymitch, who has been an alcoholic for nearly 25 years in order to drown the horrors out and is presently cut off cold turkey and dealing with withdrawals. He has every reason to be suicidal and resent being alive, but he can appreciate that they’re alive and that there is hope for the future. - After Katniss comes to speak with Katniss and they have their heated exchange, Haymitch is absolutely PISSED, at both Peeta and Katniss. Peeta gets defensive about why what he said was so bad, of course not knowing how much Katniss needs him. He questions why Haymitch even cares, with him saying back heatedly “Because the two of you are the only actual success I've ever had in my life, and I'm not letting you fuck that up”. That shit made me bawl :( Haymitch cares so much and has so much trauma from decades of failing to save his kids, so of course he values Katniss, Peeta and their connection so much. It’s absolutely breaking him that everything that’s happened, has happened, and he couldn’t stop it. He also feels so much guilt about leaving Peeta in the arena and prioritising Katniss during their first Games. He wants more than anything to get the real Peeta back. - Peeta going off to the Capitol was tough to read. His sense of alienation from everybody else was rough. It was easy to place yourself in his shoes, as most people have felt similarly at some point. The squad, but especially Mitchell, Jackson and Finnick being kind to Peeta and eating with him was really heartwarming. - Seeing Katniss’ fear / uneasiness about Peeta from his POV was rough. You can see he is much better and doesn’t want to hurt Katniss, so her reaction to him is painful. - Finnick’s friendship with Peeta was really nice, but I so wish we got more of it. Him seeing Peeta’s discomfort and feeling isolated from the squad, then choosing to give him his rope and teach him knots was so wholesome, especially because he does this for Katniss before Peeta’s rescued as well. He knows how to help Peeta due to being with Annie and cares for him so much, because he can understand better than most how to treat someone with mental issues. I just wish we could’ve seen him part of Peeta’s rehab process in 13, although I know why we don’t. - Peeta’s memories being slowly unlocked was also so refreshing. Most fics have one moment trigger a flood of memories for Peeta, but that’s not how it would work. It’s a long, slow process. - Double knotting his shoelaces after Katniss breaks her facade for a moment and letting her emotions spill out was sweet, especially with him feeling like something that was bothering him is finally fixed. - The squad realising just how fucked up Peeta’s torture was after he asks about the Avoxes being killed before him was very satisfying. It was a bit of a reality check for them and they start treating him better afterwards. It mirrors how in real life people often treat those with mental struggles like bad people if they don’t understand what they are dealing with. After this, their commitment to keeping Peeta with them, despite his own protests, definitely helped him process his feelings and help reclaim his view of Katniss. - This book humanised Jackson to me a great deal. In Mockingjay, she comes across as just another stubborn military official with control issues, but seeing her through Peeta’s eyes and during his interactions with her went a long way to making her more likeable. We see her as being a wholesome mother figure instead of just another obstacle in Katniss’ path. - Peeta going Mutt mode and his instant regret after seeing what he did was written so well. You feel the helplessness he does. - Peeta trading Katniss the can of lamb stew without asking her if that memory was real, as well as the look she gives him made my heart happy. - Peeta + Pollux is a duo I never knew I needed. Him learning some signs was so sweet🥹 - Katniss running her hand through his hair, his reaction going from fear to comfort, and Katniss telling him he takes care of each other was so good. - Peeta’s dream of riding in the chariot hearing ‘Katniss’ being chanted transitioning into him hissing Katniss was so creative. Also loved him immediately wanting to protect Katniss. Our boy’s coming back! - Peeta’s inner struggle during the “Always” scene was beautiful. - The comfort he feels while Katniss does his makeup is nice, because I think it also reminds him of Portia. The face painting and sunflowers is a nice callback to the morphlings during the training days. - I loved how she showed the diference between Gale and Peeta, pragmatic vs understanding and sympathetic. Gale could never understand Katniss’ trauma and how it affects her the way Peeta can, and he realises it. - Getting to know Katniss without rose-colored glasses is great. Goes to show that their love would never just stem from long time idealisation. Peeta genuinely likes her for who she is. - Gale feeding Peeta water was such a funny mental image. - Peeta’s handcuffs was a great plot device. Katniss wanting to trust him and remove the cuffs, before he even trusts himself, shows that she is trying. Her concern for his damaged weists is also sweet. - Katniss’ hug held so much emotional weight. - The whole City Circle section was amazing. Him following behind, his helplessness to the terror around him, saving the little boy. Just wow. I loved the writer’s decision to have Peeta save Katniss. Peeta’s faith in Haymitch >>> - Him finally grieving for Portia was very powerful. Finding her sketch book was a great callback to her being proud of him for finding a way to make art in the Games. The old Katniss sketch telling him his old self truly loved her was great. - Haymitch being upset that Peeta doesn’t automatically go see Katniss and wants to wait until she wants to see him was a great point. Of course Haymitch would want that, but it’s better for both his and her mental health. It was a nice reminder that they aren’t the same and it will take time to heal. - Experiencing Peeta’s fury at the Symbolic Games and everyone who voted for them. Also him realising the rebellion killed Victors as well. - Peeta being selfish for once and stopping Katniss from killing herself and how automatically it happened - I loved how you could tell when a hallucination / flashback was happening by the descriptions around the shininess and silvery colours. I loved your take on the book! I’m also not quite sure how to feel about the lake scene, but it didn’t feel too out of character. It also works in the sense of opening up / being vulnerable. I love sharing reading thoughts and stuff as well! It’s especially tough to find the chance for non-traditional reading material like fanfics, so I’m all for you discussing just about anything about what you’ve read!
This comment is amazing!!!! I love discussing & feeling understood by my fellow readers! So glad you feel the same. I loved your thoughts & takeaways. I’m lucky to have you in this comment section 😜 thank you for watching!!
Literally been waiting for months and it is so worth it! Caprice is so dedicated and amazing! Keep doing what your doing because it’s working! Love you so much❤️❤️❤️❤️
Omg I’m so excited, been waiting for your review of the mutt since December, I’ve read the 1&2&4 books by igsygrace but couldn’t bring myself to read this one cause as you said - all the emotional damage..also just wanted to say that your videos singlehandedly inspired me to start my hunger games fanfiction journey 3 month ago and now I’m one of the die hard members of AO3😂 You should totally read “back to twelve”, cause the lake scene actually makes total sense as they were living in 12 with Peeta for at least a few months at that point and learning their new versions of each other, slowly growing back together, they would cook, and paint and etc, and yet there was no romance going on so Katniss just got bit upset, she realised that her and Peeta won’t probably ever be together in that way, cause she remembered so much, while he was still pretty reserved. ( honestly I can’t blame her, its unberable - loving someone and still hold onto so many beautiful memories that you have created together, yet - he doesn’t remember Sh”t and seem like he doesn’t care for most part) So her stripping at the lake was like “okay I don’t care anymore, cause you don’t see me as a woman anyway”
It was really nice hearing your thoughts about this trilogy. I finished The Mutt the other day, I'm currently reading Back To Twelve. Peeta is my favorite character, I loved reading his POV on everything.
Hello! How are you? Sorry, Can I ask if Back To Twelve is only about them in a happy ending + having kids? Because it is only that I don't think I'm gonna read it, it's like every "happy" epilogue and I little tired of that. Thanks soo much if you can respond!!
@@Space.Panda1805 this is the 15 years before they have kids. There's a lot of political talks during this time. Like what some of the districts like 1, 2 or 13 do after the war. Peeta and Katniss leave several times D12 and explore a bit around.
but also I don't recommend Back to Twelve. The characters just did not feel right. For me, the first three were more like canon and the fourth was just straight political fanfiction idk. But the first three were MASTERPEICES!! so happy to hear your thoughts on them!
I actually think her stripping made some sense. In their first games, peeta strips naked to bathe and says that he doesn't care if she sees him naked, and katniss says that she cares
First of all, I love your videos. Second of all. How did you read The Hunger Games in read the peeta games together? Did you reach chapter 1 of hunger games? Then chapter one of the Peeta games?
I would honestly just read Peeta’s game at work & at home. & then listen to the audiobook of Mockingjay whenever I was driving or cleaning. It happened to kinda even out!🤪
I read all of them and let’s js say that if you didn’t like the fact that Katniss stripped down in front of Peeta….then your definitely not going to like Back To Twelve😭
Hello! How are you? Sorry, Can I ask if Back To Twelve is only about them in a happy ending + having kids? Because it is only that I don't think I'm gonna read it, it's like every "happy" epilogue and I little tired of that. Thanks soo much if you can respond!!
![[SFM] Risky Recital](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RzNkY1_Nk3o/mqdefault.jpg)
My mom was saying that part where she stripped naked in front of Peeta was a indicator of her being comfortable with her body especially around Peeta (her future husband)
When was that? I’m the books?
But the timing seems too soon for them. they were just getting back to themselves. Maybe if they had another time jump to indicate a rebuild between them, would have made it more realistic.
Read the 4th one next it takes place immediately after the events of Mockingjay
I like this letter from Peeta
Katniss would never agree with me, but she is an amazing mother. She thinks I'm the better parent out of the two of us, but somehow, I just know that's not entirely true.
Whenever she is with our daughter, I see a whole different side of her. It's somewhat familiar because she cared for Prim in a similar way. But in her attitude, I can also sense something completely new. Something softer. Something...beautiful. I caught her one afternoon, in a daze as she watched Willow pick dandelions in the Meadow. Nothing could distract her, not even my heavy footsteps coming from behind. She startled at first as I placed my hand on her shoulder, but soon relaxed and gave me a quick smile.
"I love her so much Peeta." She said with a tone that was nearly desperate. "I know you do Katniss." I told her as I gave her shoulder what I hoped was a reassuring rub. She took a long pause before saying anything else. I could tell she was pondering something.
"Do you think she'll ever love me as much as I love her?" Almost as if on cue, I see our little girl run up to meet us. Katniss bent down to catch her in her arms, and as she did I noticed the flower in Willow's hand. It wasn't a dandelion like the ones I watched her pick, but a-
“It's a Primrose mommy! For you!" Willow stated proudly. I could see the tears welling in Katniss's eyes as she smiled. "Thank you sweetheart! What's this for?" She asked happily as she took the Primrose from Willow's hand. "Because I love you." And with that, she wrapped arms around her mother's neck, embracing her with all her might. As she did, I took the opportunity to whisper in Katniss's ear,
"I think she already does.”
We love Peeta!
I have been waiting with baited breath for this video
Omg! I can’t believe I didn’t see this until now? I almost forgot about it and this didn’t pop up, I just found it by accident but I’m so glad I saw it! I read it all those months ago so seeing your notes on it was also a nice refresher, I remember this one being my favourite with the Peeta pov series as well.
I remember being really confused at the beginning and it started to make more sense as it went on, which I actually really liked because it kind of makes us as the reader understand Peeta’s mental state and how disoriented he is.
It broke my heart but I find his hijacking fascinating and being in his head during it was so interesting, especially when he was in district 13. It was sad how he saw his old self as weak and stupid, and he’s disgusted by how naive he was and he’s so cynical. Haymitch is the perfect person for him to kind of take out that anger on, I know that sounds horrible but Haymitch understands, and I think this kind of anger at Haymitch has been building up even before the hijacking… their relationship does make me sad. I like how even know peeta is angry at Haymitch and doesn’t want him there, peeta gets annoyed when he is called sensitive by the doctors because of what Haymitch said, and he likes the fact that his sarcastic mark made Haymitch laugh.
Something I found interesting if I remember it correctly, is that Haymitch said that he believes Peeta always had this part of him inside himself after he told Haymitch to fuck off, and Delly and Prim disagree but Peeta is more intrigued and agrees with what Haymitch says.
It’s also depressing but sometimes I could see why this peeta thought the way he did, I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be for people to constantly talk about his old self and what he would want and his love for Katniss, when he’s like ‘who cares?’ He was tortured for close to 2 months and at that point that’s not his biggest concern, and he’s not his old self so why would that matter to him. It was nice seeing him slowly get better even though he wasn’t fully himself.
I think I said this in the last one but in general with the series one thing I wish was touched upon a bit more was his relationship with his family, not even in this one but I feel like the first chapter was an interesting set up with his relationship with his brothers, especially Ryan if thats the right name but then it feels like it wasn’t really touched upon again. It is understandable since he isn’t exactly close to his family and he never really gets that closure but I thought there’s be a bit more.
I agree, I wasn’t sure how to feel about the lake scene either. I know Katniss likes to swim in the lake naked and maybe it’s to show her growing as a person, or maybe the fact that after all that’s happened she doesn’t care about those things anymore but I just imagine it differently myself with more of a build up.
The back to twelve fic is interesting, I do recommend it but it’s not really my style of ‘growing back together’ fic. It’s in Katniss pov and it was written before they wrote the peeta pov series and I think they edited some things to connect some things that was written for Peeta’s pov so they match but you can tell it feels different.
I thinks it’s personal preference because I’m boring and when it comes to growing back together fics I like more of the earlier stages of them actually growing together and trusting each other again and building that relationship back up and learning to heal and help each other. Obviously that’s in this fic, but from what I remember it does moreso have a lot of huge time jumps and it does turn pretty political and gets even more that way as it goes on, which makes sense for the series it is but after all the trauma… I just like reading about the domestic healing personally lol. Even though that’s not as interesting.
I do think there’s a lot of interesting things that is done with that fic though, some of the decisions they made with characters are really depressing but realistic with what happened to them (I won’t say incase you don’t want any spoilers) and I actually think what was done with Gale in back to twelve is something I’ve not seen before but I actually really liked.
I do think it’s a worth a try but it’s understandable if you choose to read it or decide to just stick to the peeta pov trilogy. Thank you for this video though! It’s actually made me want to read it again, since I only read it once all those months ago but it also feels like a big commitment again so I’ll see how it goes!
I agree with you on “back to 12”. I loved it up until the lake scene and I think when they got married, after that, well, It does turn pretty political, and I would usually just skip some parts regarding it, the nukes, and some underground lost tunnels, also Haymitch and Daily, like whaaat, also - Gale’s fate is quite grim
I just finished reading this trilogy last night. Incredibly crafted! And such a wonderful insight into Peeta’s character. Could totally be cannon in my eyes. I think “Throwing Sparks” was my favorite Peeta POV, but this book was incredibly well written. Every time they would just have one line separated from everything else that said “Green.” Or “Orange.” I just broke. I read the lines with tense baited breath. Thank you for your videos! This is my first time on tour channel was looking for someone to squeal with about these. Just gonna browse through the rest of your videos now.
I can’t explain how much I’ve looked forward to this video. The previous two were great and I was very excited to see your take on this one :)
Here are a few things liked or thought was well done in the book (apologies for the amount I’m about to write in advance lmao):
- Peeta’s utter confusion at the start and the scene constantly switching between his first days in the Capitol and his first days in 13 was pretty jarring on first read, but I think that’s exactly what the writer was going for. Peeta is pretty delirious at this point and doesn’t really know what’s going on and the writing style makes you feel like you’re right there with him.
- I loved Johanna trying to keep Peeta grounded when she realised he was being brainwashed. She has a tough exterior, but her soft interior shined through.
- Peeta seeing himself warning Katniss of the bombing of 13 and thinking of himself as a “weak boy” in that video was heartbreaking, but understandable.
- This fic made me so attached to Prim. In the books, we always hear how great and extremely kind Prim is, but we never really get to see it in action outside of direct interactions with Katniss.
- Prim and Peeta’s friendship is so beautiful. Despite being Katniss’ sister and him hating her at that point, Prim offers him unconditional friendship and shows she genuinely wants to help him. When he is suspicious about whether there is a catch, she says “No, it only depends on if you want to be friends with me, once you get to know me better.” She makes his treatment about him, not about Katniss’ safety, which has largely been the case. Already knowing Prim’s kindness and her relation to Katniss allows him to start separating the image of Katniss from the mutt. She also never makes him feel bad for saying mean things about Katniss, but politely corrects him and reminds him of the person she really is. It’s a beautiful dynamic between the two.
- Delly’s portrayal is interesting. We can definitely see her heart is in the right place, but she also illustrates the wrong way to go about correcting Peeta’s statements about Katniss, chastising him when he does. This doesn’t serve to help him, as he genuinely believes what he is saying, so he doesn’t think what he did is wrong.
- This fic also made me appreciate Haymitch that much more. Haymitch serving as a punching bag for Peeta to get some feelings out is tragic. Yes, he can handle it, but nobody should have to face verbal abuse. He knows that this might help Peeta though and he’s grown to genuinely love him, so he is willing to take it.
- “You’re alive to have them” gave me chills. It hits especially hard considering it comes from Haymitch, who has been an alcoholic for nearly 25 years in order to drown the horrors out and is presently cut off cold turkey and dealing with withdrawals. He has every reason to be suicidal and resent being alive, but he can appreciate that they’re alive and that there is hope for the future.
- After Katniss comes to speak with Katniss and they have their heated exchange, Haymitch is absolutely PISSED, at both Peeta and Katniss. Peeta gets defensive about why what he said was so bad, of course not knowing how much Katniss needs him. He questions why Haymitch even cares, with him saying back heatedly “Because the two of you are the only actual success I've ever had in my life, and I'm not letting you fuck that up”. That shit made me bawl :( Haymitch cares so much and has so much trauma from decades of failing to save his kids, so of course he values Katniss, Peeta and their connection so much. It’s absolutely breaking him that everything that’s happened, has happened, and he couldn’t stop it. He also feels so much guilt about leaving Peeta in the arena and prioritising Katniss during their first Games. He wants more than anything to get the real Peeta back.
- Peeta going off to the Capitol was tough to read. His sense of alienation from everybody else was rough. It was easy to place yourself in his shoes, as most people have felt similarly at some point. The squad, but especially Mitchell, Jackson and Finnick being kind to Peeta and eating with him was really heartwarming.
- Seeing Katniss’ fear / uneasiness about Peeta from his POV was rough. You can see he is much better and doesn’t want to hurt Katniss, so her reaction to him is painful.
- Finnick’s friendship with Peeta was really nice, but I so wish we got more of it. Him seeing Peeta’s discomfort and feeling isolated from the squad, then choosing to give him his rope and teach him knots was so wholesome, especially because he does this for Katniss before Peeta’s rescued as well. He knows how to help Peeta due to being with Annie and cares for him so much, because he can understand better than most how to treat someone with mental issues. I just wish we could’ve seen him part of Peeta’s rehab process in 13, although I know why we don’t.
- Peeta’s memories being slowly unlocked was also so refreshing. Most fics have one moment trigger a flood of memories for Peeta, but that’s not how it would work. It’s a long, slow process.
- Double knotting his shoelaces after Katniss breaks her facade for a moment and letting her emotions spill out was sweet, especially with him feeling like something that was bothering him is finally fixed.
- The squad realising just how fucked up Peeta’s torture was after he asks about the Avoxes being killed before him was very satisfying. It was a bit of a reality check for them and they start treating him better afterwards. It mirrors how in real life people often treat those with mental struggles like bad people if they don’t understand what they are dealing with. After this, their commitment to keeping Peeta with them, despite his own protests, definitely helped him process his feelings and help reclaim his view of Katniss.
- This book humanised Jackson to me a great deal. In Mockingjay, she comes across as just another stubborn military official with control issues, but seeing her through Peeta’s eyes and during his interactions with her went a long way to making her more likeable. We see her as being a wholesome mother figure instead of just another obstacle in Katniss’ path.
- Peeta going Mutt mode and his instant regret after seeing what he did was written so well. You feel the helplessness he does.
- Peeta trading Katniss the can of lamb stew without asking her if that memory was real, as well as the look she gives him made my heart happy.
- Peeta + Pollux is a duo I never knew I needed. Him learning some signs was so sweet🥹
- Katniss running her hand through his hair, his reaction going from fear to comfort, and Katniss telling him he takes care of each other was so good.
- Peeta’s dream of riding in the chariot hearing ‘Katniss’ being chanted transitioning into him hissing Katniss was so creative. Also loved him immediately wanting to protect Katniss. Our boy’s coming back!
- Peeta’s inner struggle during the “Always” scene was beautiful.
- The comfort he feels while Katniss does his makeup is nice, because I think it also reminds him of Portia. The face painting and sunflowers is a nice callback to the morphlings during the training days.
- I loved how she showed the diference between Gale and Peeta, pragmatic vs understanding and sympathetic. Gale could never understand Katniss’ trauma and how it affects her the way Peeta can, and he realises it.
- Getting to know Katniss without rose-colored glasses is great. Goes to show that their love would never just stem from long time idealisation. Peeta genuinely likes her for who she is.
- Gale feeding Peeta water was such a funny mental image.
- Peeta’s handcuffs was a great plot device. Katniss wanting to trust him and remove the cuffs, before he even trusts himself, shows that she is trying. Her concern for his damaged weists is also sweet.
- Katniss’ hug held so much emotional weight.
- The whole City Circle section was amazing. Him following behind, his helplessness to the terror around him, saving the little boy. Just wow. I loved the writer’s decision to have Peeta save Katniss. Peeta’s faith in Haymitch >>>
- Him finally grieving for Portia was very powerful. Finding her sketch book was a great callback to her being proud of him for finding a way to make art in the Games. The old Katniss sketch telling him his old self truly loved her was great.
- Haymitch being upset that Peeta doesn’t automatically go see Katniss and wants to wait until she wants to see him was a great point. Of course Haymitch would want that, but it’s better for both his and her mental health. It was a nice reminder that they aren’t the same and it will take time to heal.
- Experiencing Peeta’s fury at the Symbolic Games and everyone who voted for them. Also him realising the rebellion killed Victors as well.
- Peeta being selfish for once and stopping Katniss from killing herself and how automatically it happened
- I loved how you could tell when a hallucination / flashback was happening by the descriptions around the shininess and silvery colours.
I loved your take on the book! I’m also not quite sure how to feel about the lake scene, but it didn’t feel too out of character. It also works in the sense of opening up / being vulnerable.
I love sharing reading thoughts and stuff as well! It’s especially tough to find the chance for non-traditional reading material like fanfics, so I’m all for you discussing just about anything about what you’ve read!
This comment is amazing!!!! I love discussing & feeling understood by my fellow readers! So glad you feel the same. I loved your thoughts & takeaways. I’m lucky to have you in this comment section 😜 thank you for watching!!
Loving your channel so much rn! Your content is so sweet and enjoyable. The perfect booktuber energy. Xx
Thank you so much 😭😭💗
So excited to hear your thoughts on this fanfic! It actually was my favorite of the three.
omg i've been waiting for this one and it was so worth it!
Literally been waiting for months and it is so worth it! Caprice is so dedicated and amazing! Keep doing what your doing because it’s working! Love you so much❤️❤️❤️❤️
OMG I waited for this for so long! Yay!❤❤❤
I enjoyed your recap, will definitely be reading this one myself!! Look forward to more videos.
Thank you!!! 😊😌
Omg I’m so excited, been waiting for your review of the mutt since December, I’ve read the 1&2&4 books by igsygrace but couldn’t bring myself to read this one cause as you said - all the emotional damage..also just wanted to say that your videos singlehandedly inspired me to start my hunger games fanfiction journey 3 month ago and now I’m one of the die hard members of AO3😂
You should totally read “back to twelve”, cause the lake scene actually makes total sense as they were living in 12 with Peeta for at least a few months at that point and learning their new versions of each other, slowly growing back together, they would cook, and paint and etc, and yet there was no romance going on so Katniss just got bit upset, she realised that her and Peeta won’t probably ever be together in that way, cause she remembered so much, while he was still pretty reserved. ( honestly I can’t blame her, its unberable - loving someone and still hold onto so many beautiful memories that you have created together, yet - he doesn’t remember Sh”t and seem like he doesn’t care for most part) So her stripping at the lake was like “okay I don’t care anymore, cause you don’t see me as a woman anyway”
It was really nice hearing your thoughts about this trilogy. I finished The Mutt the other day, I'm currently reading Back To Twelve. Peeta is my favorite character, I loved reading his POV on everything.
Hello! How are you? Sorry, Can I ask if Back To Twelve is only about them in a happy ending + having kids? Because it is only that I don't think I'm gonna read it, it's like every "happy" epilogue and I little tired of that. Thanks soo much if you can respond!!
@@Space.Panda1805 this is the 15 years before they have kids. There's a lot of political talks during this time. Like what some of the districts like 1, 2 or 13 do after the war. Peeta and Katniss leave several times D12 and explore a bit around.
@@ptitepeluche05 Thanks sooo much for your answer
but also I don't recommend Back to Twelve. The characters just did not feel right. For me, the first three were more like canon and the fourth was just straight political fanfiction idk. But the first three were MASTERPEICES!! so happy to hear your thoughts on them!
That is so good to know! I was hesitant about evening the last few chapters of this book so I could see myself feeling the same way. 🫣
I actually think her stripping made some sense. In their first games, peeta strips naked to bathe and says that he doesn't care if she sees him naked, and katniss says that she cares
Yeah the stripping naked seemed a bit too soon. But everything else sounds pretty good 😂
First of all, I love your videos. Second of all. How did you read The Hunger Games in read the peeta games together? Did you reach chapter 1 of hunger games? Then chapter one of the Peeta games?
I would honestly just read Peeta’s game at work & at home. & then listen to the audiobook of Mockingjay whenever I was driving or cleaning. It happened to kinda even out!🤪
I read all of them and let’s js say that if you didn’t like the fact that Katniss stripped down in front of Peeta….then your definitely not going to like Back To Twelve😭
Hello! How are you? Sorry, Can I ask if Back To Twelve is only about them in a happy ending + having kids? Because it is only that I don't think I'm gonna read it, it's like every "happy" epilogue and I little tired of that. Thanks soo much if you can respond!!
@@Space.Panda1805 i honestly dont really remember much about thats book but I think its mostly like that stereotypical ending