Chapters 4-6

Chapter 4 - Katniss breaks into the cell and demands her prep team be released; Gale and Katniss go hunting; we get to see Finnick in his extra nervous state; President Coin 'counter-offers' Kat's demands
Chapter 5 - Kat digests Coin's counter-offer (she really has no choice); the prep team go back to work on Kat; Posy is kind to Octavia at lunch; Gale and Katniss finally see Beetee; Katniss gets her new bow (AMAZING); she gets made up, put into her costume, and they try her out on the soudn stage...where she is brought straight back to reality by Haymitch (HAYMITCH?)
Chapter 6 - Haymitch takes the lead on Katniss-the-Mockingjay; he brings everyone in the loop that she just isn't the kind of leader they want-she's got to be in the action; Haymitch and Katniss kind of patch things over in sharing the blame for Peeta; Katniss has another run-in with Finnick; and Sarah gets a little crush on Boggs ;)

So it turns out that Plutarch and Fulvia didn't know that Octavia, Falvius, and Venia were being treatly so harshly. And being punished so severely because they took bread? That seems so extreme to me. Even if they had done it several times. Was someone actually walking them through their transition to D13, or were they just thrown in and expected to conform. Let's face it: they were kidnapped and moved to D13 against their will. They weren't prepared for the sacrifices they were making. And they are kind of simple... Kat is right- abusing them is like abusing children (or animals). As much as I understand that D13 has to be very strict with their food, this is overboard. Total militaristic rule. I wish Katniss would have stood up for them more when Gale questioned her. Why defend them? Because no human deserves to be treated like that. That's why.

Coin's counter offer--all I can say is smart move on her part. No one who runs a militaristic gov't like D13 will let someone else have all the power.

This I couldn't let go without highlighting it and brining it up here. Posy is exactly the way everyone should be. During the encounter between Posy and Octavia at lunch, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. It made me wish I was more like Posy:
"It's meant to be pretty," whispers Octavia, and I can see the tears threatening to spill over her lashes.
Post considers this and says matter-of-factly, "I think you'd be pretty in any color." p 61

I feel Beetee was treated rather unfairly as well. Rushed straight down to inventing before he was even fully recovered. On the other hand, knowing Beetee, he would have been too bored to sit and do nothing. Just recover in a hospital wing. Given that he went ahead and invented this incredible bow for Katniss when D13 had just wanted something that looked nice. I'm glad he has got that kind of mind. People tell him something or give him a requirment, and he just goes ahead and does exactly the best that he can do: above and beyond what has been asked of him. Is it a trial to himself to see what he can do? I don't know-it seems 'effortless' for him. I put effortless in quotes because I'm sure it took him tens of hours to develop the ideas and execute them. But it seems so obvious to him: "well, why wouldn't a create the best top-of-the-line weapon for Katniss to use??" And the bow and arrows are AMAZING!

To be honest... I am kind of glad Haymitch is back. At least he understands Kat's abilities and limitations. I am glad her "pregnancy" is finally being left. The electrocution is the perfect excuse. But it still makes me cringe every time they have to remind themselves "We're still in the Game." Although I guess that living in Panem, you are always playing the game.

What Beetee says about Finnick in Special Defense makes me wonder and want to know what else he has been through... "If you knew what Finnick's been through the last few years, you'd know how remarkable it is he's still with us at all. Tell him I've been working on a new trident for him though, will you?" p 65 What else could he have gone through?? I am sure that it will be important later on. Collins always seems to do that: throw a tidbit in that might seem insignificant...but it is really important. Want to guess at what else he has been through? (Hunger Games, being a mentor, crazy girlfriend...and??? is it true that no one leaves the Games??? except maybe the careers. :-P)

I feel a little heartbroken for Finnick. And I really identify with him. If I had to predict any outcome for myself in a situation like he went through, I am pretty sure I would be crazy too. The scene near the end of Chp 6 when he comes running out to Katniss was equally heartbreaking and humorous (well, the end bit was funny). I mean, I can just see him in my mind's eye: running towards Kat in his hospital gown, with a rope in his hands (short enough so he can't do himself harm), I can see the pain and confussion in his eyes. The distress at not being able to go. My heart is aching just thinking about it. When he got back to his old self ("What? Do you find this-distracting?") I was so glad. I was glad to see at least a glimmer of the Finnick I love.

And I also love what Boggs says at the end of the chapter "Well don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear" p 79. LOL!!!

One last thing (sorry this is so long!!) I kind of skipped over District 13's entire existence. The huge part that they played in and after the Dark Days. Their history. Waiting underground until the time is right. Suffering, in their own way, almost as much as the other 12 districts.