Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

69 reviews

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

Quite literally judging a book by its cover, I had originally written off this one as a cash grab by Collins due the success of The Hunger Games. I have never been so pleased to be proven wrong in my life.

The story follows a tense summer in the life of Coriolanus Snow, the tyrannical president that we meet in the main trilogy sixty-odd years later. He is eighteen years old and slated to be mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, a Covey girl living in District 12. He develops an infatuation with her early on, and much of the book is given over to how he tries to keep her safe before and after the 10th Hunger Games. 

The characterization of Coriolanus is incredibly moving, showing how the idealistic teen has his critiques of and subtle attacks on the Capitol used against him and against Lucy Gray. It crushes his spirit, and turns him into the monster who betrays everyone and trusts no one that we later see. Nostalgic nods exist to the main series are plentiful, as it appears that the young Coriolanus was instrumental in the implementation of much of the horror of the Games. 

All-in-all, a wonderful (if stressful!) book that played with my expectations just as cleanly as the Games themselves. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the main series and wants to hear a tale of how it started!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement

Two of the tributes contract rabies and it is described in detail when they suddenly show symptoms in the arena. Snakes (including snake attacks, one of which is fatal) are common in the book, as the title suggests. There are two hangings of criminals that occur in the book in the latter portion

bxnny's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness and Excrement

bass_clarinet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Cannibalism, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Misogyny and Vomit

decie's review against another edition

adventurous dark

• 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: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Cannibalism and War

Minor: Vomit and Abandonment

jessmbark's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

Coriolanus Snow walked so Oliver Quick could run. But in all seriousness, Suzanne Collins' ability to write in a binge-worthy way is impressive. Some moments were a bit on the nose, but this fits the theme of the original trilogy so well: bread and circuses. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Xenophobia and Classism

loveisabird's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

i saw the movie first and while there’s much more in the book that fills the story out much better, there’s definitely some touches/changes from the movie i missed desperately here. coriolanus ripping out his own stitches. tigris’ last line about his father. YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!!!!!

but between the book and the movie together i think i’m even more taken in by this era of THG storyline than the original trilogy. don’t get me wrong i love the story of the final rebellion. but i also just adore worldbuilding and seeing the world of panem getting built, setting up the eventual rebellion, at this earlier point is entrancing to me. the way it recontextualizes things from the original trilogy that are already so provocative… the mockingjay, the hanging tree, the unnamed first district 12 victor, the traditions and spectacle of the hunger games… delicious. 

also like. as much as i hate the bitch coriolanus was a more compelling narrator. then again maybe if katniss’ books weren’t in fucking first person i’d be more into her narration and inner world also. 

finally lucy gray baird is the best character suzanne collins ever created and if you ask me she lived a long life in the woods. maybe not a happy one. but she survived that motherfucker i know it in my heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

kirjakimalainen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cannibalism and Medical trauma

lola218_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Xenophobia, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

c8ln18's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I’ve been a long time fan of the Hunger Games series. It was an interesting turn getting into the mind of Snow. Suzanne Collins does a fantastic job balancing the duality of man and decisions in this novel. I watched the movie first and I’m glad I did, because I got to see how the songs sounded, and also visualize the book better. I enjoyed seeing how it differed. This book did get a bit slow for me occasionally, which is why it’s not quite a 5 star. Occasionally because I knew the ending, considered putting it down. However, I’m glad I kept on though! Sejanus deserves the world. I loved the callbacks to the original series and seeing how everything got started. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: War

Minor: Cannibalism

rsoule7's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying