Reviews tagging 'Torture'

A Balada dos Pássaros e das Serpentes by Suzanne Collins

225 reviews

onefineelephant's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

9/10. I really enjoyed this book. Coriolanus is a very complicated character and an unreliable narrator which makes him so intriguing. However, I was worried that he was going to come across as the hero of this story (considering how awful he is from the original trilogy) but thankfully his paranoia and selfishness permeate every page. Essentially, he is the main character but he is still a villain or at the very least problematic. It is fascinating seeing things from his point of view and even understanding his actions while also recognizing that he could have acted more humane. Coriolanus is more humanized because of this book since we get to see his hardships and emotions, but his putrid personality still affects everything he touches. Additionally, I love the Covey and addition of songs with their meaningful lyrics embedded in the story. It helped that I could listen to the movie's soundtrack, though, to actually grasp the songs' tunes.  I knew how this book would go because I saw the movie first but I enjoyed the book so much more because I could actually understand his motivations and thought processes. Suzanne Collins does a great job of portraying him while also writing him in a way that clearly does not excuse his behavior. As always, I am in love with her writing and will always praise her work. 

SPOILERS:

As I said, I watched the movie before reading the book so I knew the events of the book. While watching the movie, I wondered if Coriolanus actually loved Lucy Gray like he said or if he felt attracted to her but was manipulating her for his own benefit. I guess both could be true, but the book makes it clear that he does actually love her even though his own paranoia, selfishness, and manipulation spoil even the most pure thing in his life.  The concepts of trust and love come up in this book quite a lot, especially at the end, and I think it is fascinating to examine what those concepts look and feel like. Coriolanus claims to love and trust Lucy Gray (even to himself) but ultimately proves that while he may love her, he is incapable of truly trusting anyone. I think the only person Coriolanus ever truly trusted was Tigris and we know that he ended up having a falling-out with her later in life. Considering his actions throughout the book (causing Sejanus's death, murdering people, becoming a Peacekeeper/cop, horrendously improving the Hunger Games, turning on Lucy Gray), I take deep satisfaction that he grows up to be miserable and alone. Snow may land on top, but tyrants always fall eventually.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and War

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

reenashenoy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and War

avazee's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

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

rainydaysinautumn's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.5

It pains me to rate this book so low but after two re-reads and watching the film adaptation my rating remains the same.

It needed a dual POV and it needed a likeable love interest. 

It felt lackluster after the awesomeness that is The Hunger Games.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

laurajordensharris's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? No

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, 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

devinjai6655's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad medium-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

Taking place during the 10th Hunger Games, teenager Coriolanus Snow becomes a mentor and is assigned to the District 12 girl tribute. Lucy Gray Baird is a musician and singer from 12 who enamours the Capitol, and Snow, with her charm. This is about how Snow's ideologies are created and just how much of a game people are to him long before becoming President of Panem.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Torture, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail