katieav's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.0
I was incredibly apprehensive to read this book. I was completely uninterested in a redemption arc for a character I found so deplorable, but I was happily surprised. We’ve actually owned this book since it came out and I was inspired to read it yesterday, I was immediately captivated by the book-especially Lucy Gray, Tigris, and those who questioned the hunger games. I especially loved The first 2/3 of the book I couldn’t stop reading, but towards the end I found myself wanting more from the end of the book. overall, if you enjoy the hunger games I so recommend the book.
Spoiler
the ways in which Suzanne Collins helped us understand some of the reasons that Katniss irked President Snow so much including the songs she sang, her singing, the constant references to Mockingjays, district 12 and moreSpoiler
I am alright with the ambiguity the ending holds, but I wish that we saw the build up of him deciding to leave Lucy Gray before the last few pages of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Child death, Classism, Gore, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol
alexlily's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think most were apprehensive when going into this book afraid of a romanticization of Snow, Suzanne Collins does not let down because boy did I hate being in this man's mind in the best way! Certainly slower passed to the original trilogy and leans more on the philosophy side and metaphors to real life. We get to see a rougher side to the games and the future president as the games are first starting. The comparison to life is certainly less hidden behind spectacle both by the early beginning after the big civil war that started the games but also as the audience is now much older from the original publication of the trilogy. Fun look into how the games became what they were in the 74th-75th rendition and how this society was affected by the war. You certainly grow to hate Snow until it's almost disgusting to be inside his mind as we get a snippet of in his presidency.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Cannibalism
maiabradley's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, and Blood
raeb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Classism, Medical content, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Gore, Torture, and Dementia
marikiri's review
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Murder, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Death, Gore, and Violence
leweylibrarian's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've noticed some friends who have read this didn't rate it super high and I simply cannot understand why because I enjoyed the heck out of it.
President Snow is such a great villain, and I love peeking behind the curtain of such a figure to see what made them the way that they are. Snow is a great morally gray main character, and I love that you get to see these snippets of who he'll become, like how much he hates everything about the mockingjays or the origin of his rose aroma. His having a romance just further adds to the oddness of his character--I know he has a family obviously, but it's hard to picture him loving anyone knowing what he becomes. It's like there's a Kerbal of good in him somewhere, it just gets overwhelmed and overruled by so many other not so great factors. There's still some questions I have about him that remain unanswered, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
I could probably go on for a lot longer about everything that's interesting about him and his character, like his friendships and his cousin and grandmother, his intelligence, his pride, his secrets, but I want to say more about the other things I loved about this book. We finally got to see a bit more about what this big war that started it all was like for the people living through it, especially somewhere like the Capitol that's it's hard to imagine anyone suffering too much based on the portrayal of this place in the other books.
It's also incredibly interesting to see the evolution of the Games. Katniss' Games are 74 and 75. That's 64+ years after Snow's time as a mentor. It's wild that in that time, a lot of it because of Snow's ideas and influence, the Games becomes a glittering spectacle that is still just as brutal and violent and horrifying but with this sheen of drama that makes it feel more acceptable and fun. It's also fascinating how Snow learns the importance of caring for and humanizing the tributes so that people can then ultimately dehumanize them for the Games. It's a delicate balance and clearly one that Snow will find to quite some success for many, many years. But the irony is that he goes too far, the tributes are too well humanized in Catching Fire and Mockingjay, ultimately leading to his downfall. I also thought it was great getting to see more of the mentor's perspectives, even if these Games are very different from the ones Katniss endured.
This book lends itself to such an interesting rumination on war, peace, control, social contracts, government, memory, law, and order as well as what it really means to be human. ARE humans horrible at their core, or is everyone essentially good, it's just circumstance that turns them bad? Is everyone equally capable of both?
Lastly, how freaking great is Lucy Grey?? I love so much how her songs are ones Katniss sings l, clearly showing that she was not gone and forgotten like Snow may have hoped in the end. How absolutely delicious is it to think about Snow hearing Katniss, a resourceful and loving girl from District 12, singing those songs in the Games and in the propos, all with a freaking Mockingjay pin as her symbol?? Gah no wonder he hated Katniss so much 😂
All of this to say that I seriously do not understand anyone who rates this lower than 4 stars minimum. Were we even reading the same book??
Quotes:
President Snow is such a great villain, and I love peeking behind the curtain of such a figure to see what made them the way that they are. Snow is a great morally gray main character, and I love that you get to see these snippets of who he'll become, like how much he hates everything about the mockingjays or the origin of his rose aroma. His having a romance just further adds to the oddness of his character--I know he has a family obviously, but it's hard to picture him loving anyone knowing what he becomes. It's like there's a Kerbal of good in him somewhere, it just gets overwhelmed and overruled by so many other not so great factors. There's still some questions I have about him that remain unanswered, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
I could probably go on for a lot longer about everything that's interesting about him and his character, like his friendships and his cousin and grandmother, his intelligence, his pride, his secrets, but I want to say more about the other things I loved about this book. We finally got to see a bit more about what this big war that started it all was like for the people living through it, especially somewhere like the Capitol that's it's hard to imagine anyone suffering too much based on the portrayal of this place in the other books.
It's also incredibly interesting to see the evolution of the Games. Katniss' Games are 74 and 75. That's 64+ years after Snow's time as a mentor. It's wild that in that time, a lot of it because of Snow's ideas and influence, the Games becomes a glittering spectacle that is still just as brutal and violent and horrifying but with this sheen of drama that makes it feel more acceptable and fun. It's also fascinating how Snow learns the importance of caring for and humanizing the tributes so that people can then ultimately dehumanize them for the Games. It's a delicate balance and clearly one that Snow will find to quite some success for many, many years. But the irony is that he goes too far, the tributes are too well humanized in Catching Fire and Mockingjay, ultimately leading to his downfall. I also thought it was great getting to see more of the mentor's perspectives, even if these Games are very different from the ones Katniss endured.
This book lends itself to such an interesting rumination on war, peace, control, social contracts, government, memory, law, and order as well as what it really means to be human. ARE humans horrible at their core, or is everyone essentially good, it's just circumstance that turns them bad? Is everyone equally capable of both?
Lastly, how freaking great is Lucy Grey?? I love so much how her songs are ones Katniss sings l, clearly showing that she was not gone and forgotten like Snow may have hoped in the end. How absolutely delicious is it to think about Snow hearing Katniss, a resourceful and loving girl from District 12, singing those songs in the Games and in the propos, all with a freaking Mockingjay pin as her symbol?? Gah no wonder he hated Katniss so much 😂
All of this to say that I seriously do not understand anyone who rates this lower than 4 stars minimum. Were we even reading the same book??
Quotes:
- "What happened in that arena? That's humanity undressed. The tributes. And you, too. How quickly civilization disappears. All your fine manners, education, family background, everything you pride yourself on, stripped away in the blink of an eye, revealing everything you actually are. A boy with a club who beats another boy to death. That's mankind in its natural state."
The idea, laid out as such, shocked him, but he attempted to laugh. "Are we really as bad as all that?"
"I would say yes, absolutely. But it's a matter of personal opinion...What do you think?"
"I think I wouldn't have beaten anyone to death if you hadn't stuck me in that arena!" he retorted.
"You can blame it on the circumstances, the environment, but you made the choices you made, no one else. It's a lot to take in all at once, but it's essential that you make an effort to answer that question. Who are human beings? Because who we are determines the type of governing we need." (243) - The strain of being a full-fledged adult every day had grown tiresome. (433)
- She could fly around District 12 all she liked, but she and her mockingjays could never harm him again. (516)
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Child death, and Classism
annawantstowrite's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
„The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes“ is a prequel to the Hunger Games Trilogy and features the later president of Panem Coriolanus Snow as a teenaged protagonist and mentor in the 10th Hunger Games. Fans of the original trilogy will find many fascinating links to it and sort-of-explanations for Snows character. The book provides and interesting new brick in the world building of the dystopia Panem. I found some of the storylines a bit too rushed and almost not fully thought out and the theoretical philosophical background (mainly Hobbes and Locke) was woven in quite heavy handedly but overall it was an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Violence, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, War, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
elenaluisa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/injury detail, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Colonisation, Deportation, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
phantomgecko's review
challenging
sad
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
5.0
As a standalone novel, it was good. As worldbuilding/background information for the Hunger Games trilogy, it was really good.
I'm a fanfic reader (not of this series ever, actually), and exploring motivations and playing in a fictional setting are things I just really enjoy for some reason. This isn't fanfiction, but it fills the niche I'm talking about.
Honestly, the character development here... It's fun to watch pieces slide into place, answers to questions I didn't necessarily have. It all fits, it all makes sense, and it was emotional too. Heartwrenching stuff.
Who's the songbird, who's the snake? Obvious in some ways, but a question that bears considering.
I'm a fanfic reader (not of this series ever, actually), and exploring motivations and playing in a fictional setting are things I just really enjoy for some reason. This isn't fanfiction, but it fills the niche I'm talking about.
Honestly, the character development here... It's fun to watch pieces slide into place, answers to questions I didn't necessarily have. It all fits, it all makes sense, and it was emotional too. Heartwrenching stuff.
Who's the songbird, who's the snake? Obvious in some ways, but a question that bears considering.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Classism, Gore, Blood, Death, Murder, Child death, and Drug use
rennybenny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Classism, Torture, and Murder