charlotte_reads_reviews's review against another edition
5.0
At first I thought this sounded a bit like making up for all of the bad stuff “Coryo” did but it turned out to not be although it explained some of his motives. It was interesting, surprising and really enjoyable.
sprusselbrouts's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the hunger games but without any of the good parts
goosereader's review against another edition
1.5
I wanted to like this prequel so bad, but I failed to connect with any of the characters. Where Collins writes a heartfelt teenage dystopian romance in the original HG trilogy with thoughtful and complex characters, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an empty echo of her previous success.
Snows character arch throughout the story is bland and predictable. ‘Privileged boy thinks he’s liberal until he learns about state income tax’ in a nutshell. Lucy Gray played his cute little manic pixie dream girl and had little to no depth as well.
The actual hunger games scenes were somewhat exciting but it was hard to stay interested with such shallow characters.
Tigress and Sejanus were my reluctant favorites (I thought they were both too unrealistically nice and free of any character flaws). In short, the villains were too villainous and the heroes were too naive and selfless. Snow who is neither a villain or a hero is just plain predictable.
This was ultimately a disappointment but I’m hopelessly enthralled by the hunger games series and will definitely be buying a ticket come November.
Snows character arch throughout the story is bland and predictable. ‘Privileged boy thinks he’s liberal until he learns about state income tax’ in a nutshell. Lucy Gray played his cute little manic pixie dream girl and had little to no depth as well.
The actual hunger games scenes were somewhat exciting but it was hard to stay interested with such shallow characters.
Tigress and Sejanus were my reluctant favorites (I thought they were both too unrealistically nice and free of any character flaws). In short, the villains were too villainous and the heroes were too naive and selfless. Snow who is neither a villain or a hero is just plain predictable.
This was ultimately a disappointment but I’m hopelessly enthralled by the hunger games series and will definitely be buying a ticket come November.
absram's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alli_k20's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is different. It is a hardcore antihero arc with a character we know to be villainous and yet…he isn’t. Not in a cruel sense.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes you into the mind of Snow, a fascinating and lethal character with a twisted sense of right and wrong. We see how he thinks, how he justifies his actions, how he lusts for control and an image of prestige. This was an incredibly fun read because of it. Being able to compare Katniss’s POV to Snows, and see how they were both formed by their backgrounds, was wonderful.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes you into the mind of Snow, a fascinating and lethal character with a twisted sense of right and wrong. We see how he thinks, how he justifies his actions, how he lusts for control and an image of prestige. This was an incredibly fun read because of it. Being able to compare Katniss’s POV to Snows, and see how they were both formed by their backgrounds, was wonderful.
crossingwinter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
wholemeal's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kristennr9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
bayfleming's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
kathicks29's review against another edition
4.0
I thought it was great! But it would’ve worked better as a duology with joint POV with Snow and Lucy.
I liked how this never felt like a redemption novel for Snow. He seemed like a bad selfish person from the beginning.
I liked how this never felt like a redemption novel for Snow. He seemed like a bad selfish person from the beginning.