jess_c008's review against another edition
adventurous
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: War
bookthief's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a very interesting book. It was completely different to how I imagined it to be before I read it. I thought it was mainly going to be based around Coriolanus being a mentor but that was only a small portion of the book.
The first half of the book was a slow pace with each chapter ending in a cliff hanger and the second half got considerably intense and the story changed.
Suzanne Collins originally made us feel sorry for Snow as he was poor and had no parents, but by the end of the book you could see his development from being poor and empathetic to controlling and manipulative.
Theories :
Could Lucy Gray be Katniss’ grandmother?
Could it be that Katniss’ dad was Lucy Gray’s son and she taught him the Hanging tree song and who taught that to Katniss?
Is Lucy Gray dead or did she run away or escaped to those who she claimed to be hiding in the woods?
The first half of the book was a slow pace with each chapter ending in a cliff hanger and the second half got considerably intense and the story changed.
Suzanne Collins originally made us feel sorry for Snow as he was poor and had no parents, but by the end of the book you could see his development from being poor and empathetic to controlling and manipulative.
Theories :
Could Lucy Gray be Katniss’ grandmother?
Could it be that Katniss’ dad was Lucy Gray’s son and she taught him the Hanging tree song and who taught that to Katniss?
Is Lucy Gray dead or did she run away or escaped to those who she claimed to be hiding in the woods?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Alcohol, Animal death, War, Death, Grief, and Alcoholism
brittaka's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an excellent prequel to the Hunger Games series! Using Snow’s first-person perspective and his internal musings on the state of nature debate, Collins does a masterful job of displaying the eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow’s descent into the bloodthirsty, villainous President Snow readers of the original series will recognize. On a philosophical level, I love that Collins uses this narrative to argue that Thomas Hobbes (who wrote that humanity needs to be controlled in order to be “civilized”) is wrong. Throughout the book, readers see firsthand that those who champion the need for oppressive and violent control and order only do so in the name in maintaining their own sense of supremacy. Snow doesn’t do any of what he does in this story for the Capitol, for the people of Panem, for Lucy Gray, or even for Tigris and the Grandma’am—it’s all for himself, to satiate his own unquenchable desire for power, authority, and complete control. Snow merely uses Hobbes’s philosophies to justify his violent and selfish actions, which (along with Lucy Gray’s contradicting belief that human beings are good at heart) promotes the idea that Hobbes and Snow have it wrong—an idea that Collins fully endorses in the Hunger Games series itself. In other words, this book says “be anti-facist!” and “ACAB” in all the best ways, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read the original series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Classism, Murder, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent
returningb00kworm's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Violence, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Injury/injury detail, Drug use, War, and Toxic friendship
abigpigeon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, War, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Drug use
thedistortionist's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Murder, and Violence
zuuizai's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Throughout this book, my thoughts on it were constantly changing. I'm still not too sure what to think. While reading, I tended to get bored. If I put the book down however, I was desperate to get back into it. This book's main downfall is that it didn't feel like it was written by Collins. It had a completely different tone from the original triology, and not in a good way. It was written more like a fan fiction, which the ridiculous names and covey didn't help with. I couldn't take the covey seriously, and they seemed out of place and goofy. Lucy Gray was extremely unlikeable at the beginning, and irritated me in every scene she had. Only towards the end did I begin to warm up to her.
On a more positive note, this book perfectly showed Coriolanus selfishness. It showed how he was incapable of love and in spite of everything, put himself first. I thought his obsession with owning Lucy Gray described his character well. I enjoyed seeing how Coriolanus slowly became a worse person, losing any morals he had (which wasn't many to begin with). The world building in this book was incredible, especially with the edition of more lore on how the hunger games begun. It was nice getting a fresh perspective, with the book taking place in the Capitol post-war. The original treatment of the tributes was, while gruesome, a great edition. It showed just how much superior the capitol citizens thought they were to the districts, and how sadistic they could be.
One thing I wish the books touched on is how Tigris came to hate Coriolanus so much. It also gives me hope of their being a sequel as I'd love to have more lore on Panem.
On a more positive note, this book perfectly showed Coriolanus selfishness. It showed how he was incapable of love and in spite of everything, put himself first. I thought his obsession with owning Lucy Gray described his character well. I enjoyed seeing how Coriolanus slowly became a worse person, losing any morals he had (which wasn't many to begin with). The world building in this book was incredible, especially with the edition of more lore on how the hunger games begun. It was nice getting a fresh perspective, with the book taking place in the Capitol post-war. The original treatment of the tributes was, while gruesome, a great edition. It showed just how much superior the capitol citizens thought they were to the districts, and how sadistic they could be.
One thing I wish the books touched on is how Tigris came to hate Coriolanus so much. It also gives me hope of their being a sequel as I'd love to have more lore on Panem.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/injury detail, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, War, and Cannibalism
midnightgremlin's review
adventurous
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Torture, Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cannibalism, Animal death, and Addiction
anjaja's review
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Its super slow, like one chapter is one day or less and the next chapter starts with waking up, and the book covers not just a few weeks but months. I usually enjoy faster pace, but this book was super intriguing and read almost like a prophecy for the main trilogy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism, Vomit, War, Murder, Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
jonesroni638's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, War, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence