mockingjay – Zakiya N. Jamal

Woman Crush Wednesday: Effie Trinket

Posted on August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Effie always kills the fashion game, except in Mockingjay but that’s not her fault. She’s got the style of the Capitol but a heart of gold. Of course, not at first.

Living in the Capitol Effie only made her way out to District 12 for the reaping but otherwise lived a sheltered life. What’s wonderful is once she starts to actually care about the people she’s working with (Peeta, Katniss, and even Haymitch) she stops seeing them as just people she has to work with and make civil but actual people.

I would love a book where we learned more about Effie and her background and honestly what happens to her in and after Mockingjay. The movies have been good about including her and I hope this remains true in the next (and final!) film but I wanted to know what happened to Effie in the books. Did she survive? What did she do after President Snow’s reign ended? I’m sure the Capitol wasn’t the same after all the destruction that happened there. Did she have to get a new job? What was it? The list goes on.

The point is at first I was indifferent towards Effie and just saw her as a byproduct of the Capitol’s making but then, especially in Catching Fire, you can see that she’s beginning to realize everything isn’t really perfect and something is wrong with the Capitol. That’s when I started to love Effie.

If you haven’t heard of Effie before, honestly you must’ve been living under a rock for years. Please read these books if you haven’t already. The movies are great but the books are always better. Well, except maybe with Mockingjay. The movie (at least part one) I definitely enjoyed more than the book. Regardless, read the books.

Although lacking in many departments, Effie Trinket has a certain determination I have to admire. – The Hunger Games

Woman Crush Wednesday: Katniss Everdeen

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you don’t know who Katniss Everdeen is you must’ve been living under a rock for years now and to that I say welcome back to civilization.

Katniss is fierce, loyal, protective, and incredibly brave. What she does for her little sister, Prim, is crazy and I think I would be able to do the same for someone I truly cared about but honestly I’m not 100% sure. I mean she volunteered to go into a battle to the death just to make sure her sister didn’t. And she only hesitated for a second before she made this huge decision that inevitably changed her life forever. Who does that? Katniss, that’s who.

Although Katniss definitely has her issues what I love about her is her strength. Once she decides what she wants she goes after it and doesn’t give up until she gets it. She’s stubborn that way. I also like that she’s kind of awkward and sometimes struggles to express herself. She loves so many people but sometimes it’s hard for her to make that evident and that’s something I can totally sympathize with.

Katniss’ love, though, is shown best through her actions, which speak louder than her words.

My spirit. This is a new thought. I’m not sure exactly what it means, but it suggests I’m a fighter. In a sort of brave way. It’s not as if I’m never friendly. Okay, maybe I don’t go around loving everybody I meet, maybe my smiles are hard to come by, but I do care for some people. – The Hunger Games

Man Crush Monday: Gale Hawthorne

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

I know they’ll probably be a bunch of Hunger Games fans that are upset with me for this (i.e. fans of Peeta) but let me explain. I love both these guys equally and for different reasons and just because I’m doing Gale first doesn’t mean I won’t do Peeta at some point. It’s just, have you seen Gale? Look at him. He’s gorgeous. One could argue it’s just because he’s played by Liam Hemsworth but I thought Gale was hot before the movies were even a thing.

Moving on, I like that Gale is strong and independent. I loved that he wanted a family with Katniss and he really cared about her. He understood her better than almost everyone. I’m happy that (SPOILER ALERT!) she ends up with Peeta but I wish she and Gale could’ve stayed friends. I understand why that wasn’t possible but still. It hurt me that the story ended with them being so far apart.

Overall, I found Gale to be cute, strong, and a great friend. He really loved Katniss and I think he would’ve been great with her if he was given the change. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for him to be one of my man crush Mondays, honestly.

[Gale] tilts his forehead down to rest against mine and pulls me closer. His skin, his whole being radiates heat from being so near the fire, and I close my eyes, soaking in his warmth. I breathe in the smell of snow-dampened leather and smoke and apples, the smell of all those wintry days we shared before the Games. I don’t try to move away. Why should I anyway? His voice drops to a whisper. “I love you. That’s why.” – Catching Fire