Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

129 reviews

readwithsophsx's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

georgiaabigail's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original trilogy, I adore the hunger games universe and learning more about the earlier games and how Snow became who we know him to be. I struggle reading books when I dislike the main character but I was too invested in the plot to stop!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death and War

uselesspirateraven's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

chavonnwshen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

What a haunting book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cannibalism and Abandonment

jessiesnoww's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I LOVED the first 2/3 of the book, but then the pace slowed way down and the stakes were much lower. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent

maddielags's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

My 14 year old self is absolutely screaming that this series is still something I’m enjoying 12 years later. I honestly thought that the trilogy would be all that we’d see but this book just adds so many more layers to the story that I’m so glad it exists. 

Going into it after the first three and how much of a bad guy Snow is, I really wasn’t sure if I would like it but I loved the character of Lucy Gray. Snow is… hard to like, but that’s kinda the point. 

This book had little nods to the trilogy and explained the back story of some pivotal stories from the trilogy, such as seeing the story of the hanging tree and how the song came to be. 

All that’s left for me to say is… read the book, if you liked the trilogy, you will like this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism

ballousclues's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

"But deep down, things could never be the same between them. He would always be in her debt. She had the right to demand things."

I haven't read any of Suzanne Collins' other books, so I can't compare The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to her other works. That said, I've given it a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.

I came into this book with a pretty clear image of President Snow as a complex, yet undeniably cruel villain, thanks to the Hunger Games movies. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was a fascinating dive into his origin story. It was intriguing to see this young man from the Capitol, someone who experienced the harsh realities of the districts firsthand, grapple with the morality of the Hunger Games.

For the majority of the book, there's a flicker of humanity in Snow. His connection with Lucy Gray was unexpected and added depth to his character. It felt like a genuine bond, at least on his end, and I was curious to see where their relationship would go. However, the narrative made it clear that their connection, while strong, was built on shared trauma rather than romantic love.

Snow’s internal struggle is fascinating. His decisions, particularly regarding Sejanus, show a man caught between his conscience and the ruthless world he’s being forced into. It’s clear that the latter half of the book is where Snow truly solidifies into the villain we know and loathe. His transformation is chilling, but also incredibly compelling. He really does remind readers that Snow lands on top, regardless of what it takes to get there.

Ultimately, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a well-crafted prequel that offers a fresh perspective on a familiar character.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was phenomenal and very difficult to put down. The characters were lovable, the plot was great, and the writing was strong. Definitely have a book hangover. I know this will be a story I think about for a long time. Highly recommend to everyone! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was very good but I was able to put it down for the night. The characters were good, the plot was fine, and the writing was good. I’ll recommend this book to others. There were definitely moments from the book I really liked, maybe even loved, and there were some parts that may have some room for improvement. I definitely recommend giving this book a try! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ = This book was fine. The characters, plot, and writing were all okay, but nothing extraordinary. I may have had an issue with some pieces in the plot or the writing. I may recommend this book to some people but not everyone I run into. It was a good book - it just wasn’t a favorite of mine. 

⭐️⭐️ = This book was okay but far from a favorite. There may have been some moments that I liked, but overall, I may have had a bigger issue with the characters, plot, or the writing. I don’t plan on recommending this book to most people, or anyone at all. Just wasn’t for me. 

⭐️ = This book I actually disliked. Definitely wasn’t my cup of tea and there wasn’t anything I enjoyed about it. I actually had a tough time getting through this book and may have not even finished it. I may have had major issues with the character, plot, or the writing. I do not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Drug use, Torture, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol

The book is a lot more gory than the movies are. While the series implies there is a food shortage, it is more of a focal point of the book than it is in the movies, in my opinion.

readingoccasionally89's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

saumyagupta's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

While reading the book, time and time again, there are some moments where I want to root for Snow but few thoughts later, it dawns upon me that whatever is happening is not right. It should not have been happening in the first place. The mistreatment of tributes makes us think "Oh, they have it so much better in the original triology!" but even in the original triology, children are being sent to kill each other. This book releasing 10 years later might have felt like a cashgrab to many people, but its so well thought out and dives into topics which fleshes out the original story so much. I do not believe it as a sad back story which made a villian, no, because time and time again, Snow had the choice to do the right thing and time and time again, he chose not to. The only places he did something "right" were the places where he could benefit from. Suzanne Collins is such a great author and she never fails to write a story which hauntingly matches what goes on or what will happen in the real world. I was so conflicted while reading this because every chapter filled me with immense rage. Its wonderful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction

porsche_elise's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail