Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

159 reviews

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Murder, Classism, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Alcohol, War, Misogyny, and Addiction

Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, Excrement, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Confinement, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcoholism

livlovread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Child death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, and War

enchante's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death of parent, War, Child death, Cannibalism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Torture, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol

eguare's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The primary tension of this book comes from its status as a prequel, wherein the reader already knows that the main character is the primary villain of the Hunger Games trilogy 60-ish years after the events of this book. Knowing that, the book has a dark, ominous cloud over it even in the parts that would, in any other book, provide hope for the protagonist's redemption. The characterization and deep dive into the motivations of "future President Snow" were fascinating and often heart-droppingly horrifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Gore, Genocide, Animal cruelty, Death, Classism, Body horror, Animal death, Blood, and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction

Minor: Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

this was INSANE. the perfect way to begin the series. it literally sets up the latter books in the most beautiful way im in awe.

at first, i shipped lucy and snow SO HARD bc like obviously. but then i kept reading and i realized how they were so different and how power-hungry snow is that i knew it couldn’t work. and i’m glad it didnt. i dont think either of them deserve to be stuck with the other, despite how evil snow becomes. he’s good deep down, but whats engrained in him could never leave. i wish they had a better goodbye, but also i think it was the most clever way to end their story.

i cannot get over how they ended. what incredible revenge they had on each other. and i genuinely cannot get over how perfectly this sets up for the trilogy. 

it’s so eerie to know how in control the capitol is with every situation, but it makes for an even more satisfying end when it comes to the later trilogy. lucy sets up for katniss’s character perfectly. 

also, i know when i watch the movie im gonna ship them so hard bc tom blyth is so hot, but i still stand by what i said. 

✅ ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WILL BE REREADING THIS WAS INSANE

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, Animal cruelty, Murder, Classism, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Alcohol, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Classism, Blood, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Addiction, Murder, Drug use, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Medical trauma, War, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse

emerentina's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Child death, Murder, Body horror, Drug use, Torture, and Death of parent

kymboh78's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Toxic friendship, Child death, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, War, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cannibalism, Drug use, and Drug abuse

mconroy9137's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Gore, Body horror, Torture, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Child death, Medical content, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Deportation, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Dementia, Animal death, Alcohol, Misogyny, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Colonisation, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Cannibalism

Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Cursing, Excrement, Miscarriage, and Eating disorder

booklvrkat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

“Are you, are you 

Coming to the tree 

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three 

Strange things did happen here 

No stranger would it be 

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree” 

 

I loved returning to District 12, and this book explained so much. Snow is well-educated in this backstory, but his inner evil still shines through. Although his small family has fallen upon hard times since the war between the rebels and the Capitol, Snow is doing his best. When Snow is given an assignment to “upgrade” the Games, we learn about the betting by the Panem inhabitants and the feeding of the tributes. Snow is the mentor for Lucy Gray Baird, the District 12 tribute, she’s a songbird, and doesn’t have a violent bone in her body, so it seems. 

 

TBH, I saw the movie before I read this book. They did a rather good job sticking to the story, some minor changes to make the drama bigger, but I’m impressed. The pace of the story is a little slow, but there is a lot of information that we previously didn’t know. I liked learning about all the experiments Panem and its doctors did with the local flora & fauna, and the Mockinjays & Jabberjays were a really interesting development. If you are a fan of these stories this one should be a given. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

shamciar's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This story is less "how Snow becomes a bad guy" and more "how Snow was already a bad guy". He is already leaning on one side of the fence and this story explores the mindset behind landing on that side. I see it as a commentary on how the uppermost class sees itself and the rest of the world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Animal cruelty, and Child death

Moderate: War

Minor: Cannibalism