Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - De ballade van slangen en zangvogels

I was hesitant to read this when it wasn’t Katniss/Peeta centric, but I’m glad I read it!! What a phenomenal read. Holy shit. I am amazed at Collins’ writing style and her ability to write social commentary in a subtler way. Snow’s development throughout the book is so compelling that you forget you already know who he turns out to be.

Content Warnings

theaceofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.0

Let me preface this by saying that I listened to the audiobook. I suspect that this has a negative effect in my reading experience and I have attempted to adjust my rating bases on this. I switched between being okay with the narrator and being very frustrated. There are a lot of songs and while I don't expect them to come up with a whole score for an audiobook, some kind of tone, enthusiasm, energy (you get the idea) would have been a massive improvement. The Gem of Panem sounds almost AI generated and his female "singing" voice is just frustrating. Other than that the narrator was okay, but nothing special either.

Set not too long after the war against the rebels, this book explores the Capitol and the early Hunger Games through the eyes of Snow (yes, that Snow). He is assigned as a mentor and plans to exploit this to ensure a good future for himself. Unfortunately for him, he is assigned the underdog of the underdogs - Lucy Gray Baird the district 12 female tribute. But she is not your usual district 13 citizen and Snow works with her to try ensure her survival and his future.

It's been a while since I've read the original trilogy (maybe I should reread them actually...) but I remember what reading it was like. I enjoyed the prequel but it reads a lot like fanfiction. And I don't necessarily mean this in a bad way. There are a lot of what feel like *see, see* moments (e.g. several references to the katniss plant, songs, I'm sure there are several others I'm missing). There were parts I absolutely loved and others that... Yeah. I think parts could have been better/explained more/etc. The book maybe tries to fit a bit too much story in. I'd say it maybe contains content equal to about two of the original trilogy. There were also parts of the end that I just didn't like, but others were interesting

It's quite a lot more violent than the original books. It gets quite disturbing at times. You get to see into parts of just how messed up the Capitol is. I absolutely loved the world building and the insight into the Capitol it provided. I think this was my favourite part of the book. Honestly, I'd be interested in reading more about it, particularly the

genetics lab

(not really a spoiler but a thing that exists). It was inter sting to see into the aftermath of the war and at least at this point that not everyone lives the same glamorous lifestyle. Being able to see how things started growing into the world we saw in the last book was great. The games (still relatively new) are quite different to what we see then.

I wasn't a big fan of the main characters. I know other liked her but Lucy annoyed me, although I don't know how much of that is because of Snow's views. Snow... Well, I didn't like him. Not because of who he becomes but because who he is in this book. I know he's young but he's kind of all over the place. I think it might be an attempt to make him complex, but it just didn't work for me. It is an interesting look into how mind works though and his thought processes and reasoning.

Was it worth reading? Yes. Just be prepared for something far darker than the original trilogy that somehow managed to be the same and nothing like it at the same time. I think it delves into a lot of interesting ideas and expands on the world

Some notes on some of the content warnings (all are individually spoilered)

Child death:

Obviously these would occur, bit I thought it's Worth mentioning that these are more on page than I remember the original trilogy being

Child abuse:

Let's just say that the cushy conditiobs the tributes live in weren't a thing in the past

Murder:

Includes execution

War:

In the past. Lot's of mentions of the aftermath

Gaslighting:

Propaganda

Content Warnings

al3xa's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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idk_indigo's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

First off, I'm still quite confused as to what exactly caused the ultimate drift between Tigris & Coriolanus? Was it just that he was a murderous dick, or...?

Second, I am typically not the biggest fan of "add-ons," ie., when an author writes another book after the series is complete. That being said, this was really well done & also offered a lot of interesting insight to the actual trilogy. Kind of getting inside Snow's head, while horrifying, was a great way to see how the Hunger Games later developed in this fictional world.

Collins has such a marvelous capacity to so richly capture not just human morality, but also the ways in which humans struggle to understand & adhere to it. Snow's internal monologue was insane & while he is fundamentally a terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad guy, he also has a lot of very human flaws. The way he's portrayed throughout the book is very human, & while we as an audience are kinda like, "Omg Snow please take a nap & a Xanax," we're also made to feel if not empathetic towards, then at least understanding of his actions. After all, I think a lot of us would argue that one of humanity's driving forces is definitely a sense of belonging.

There's this shift in the narrative at some point, & we suddenly realize: it's not belonging he's craving, it's power. I think throughout the beginning of the book & thus our introduction to Snow, we can almost convince ourselves that these thoughts he's having are rooted in wanting to fit in, even if they are a bit unhinged. But then there's that shift, & we're left recapping everything we know about Snow & it's this kind of realization that, well yeah, people think cruel & unusual things & no, that doesn't always reflect their actions, but Snow is a full-fledged sociopath.

Snow's relationship with Lucy Gray is based on an opinion he forms when he realizes that she can bring him fame, popularity, & ultimately, power. He claims Sejanus as a friend only when it is beneficial to him, only when being his friend gives him more standing than being his enemy does; & he makes this very clear when he changes the way he talks about their relationship depending on whom he's speaking to. He controls the narrative, always, & when he feels that he no longer can, eg., the scene at the lake, or anytime he is forced to be with the mockingjays, or when he is unsure how somebody else feels about him, he gets violent & abusive. He is a manipulator through & through.

Snow even decides that if he ever marries, it will be to somebody he hates because he ~~is incapable of love~~ has observed, over & over again, how unpredictable love seems to make us. He will never allow closeness, vulnerability, intimacy, because it will only make him weak.

SnOw LaNdS oN tOp yeah well Snow needs to go to therapy for his antisocial behavior & intense trust issues... Sure you're the president & whatnot, now tell me: how does it feel to have lived a lonely & unsatisfying life? How does it feel to have been killed by a teenager who represents everything you despise; not only that, but everything you might've been able to hold if you realized that power is never going to change your legacy?

F*ck Coriolanus Snow, all my homies hate Coriolanus Snow #wasitworthit

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