Normally the middle child of a trilogy only serves as a bridge. Only to extend & prolong the story so there would be enough for a tri instead of a duology. But this doesn’t feel like that at all. Of course the introduction of Johanna & Finnick is my favorite part of the book. What still baffles me is how you remove just one aspect- any one thing or person or trait- and the story wouldn’t work. But in no way does it seem forced. That’s truly incredible.