supernatura1's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
While I knew how it ended, I was still a bit surprised by the ending. Although that was probably my own fault lol. Another great book by Suzanne Collins.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Alcohol, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Classism, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
josefineisreading's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is my first book from Suzanne Collins and since I haven’t seen the movies this is my first time diving into the world of Panem. I liked the twists that came up although I would’ve liked more from the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, War, Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent and Cannibalism
mmwiseheart's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really thought I’d hate this book because I knew it was about Snow. I generally don’t enjoy books about the villains of a story. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I really had a hard time putting it down to go to sleep at night.
Right off the bat, there was a revelation that made connections from The Hunger Games trilogy that I didn’t see coming. And the book continued to surprise me throughout. I also appreciated the background on how the Hunger Games got started and evolved to what they eventually became.
I do feel like this almost could have been two books. The third part seemed a bit disjointed from the first two parts. However, I still enjoyed the third part. It was a lot of insight into why Snow is the way he is and how he got to his position. It also painted a better picture of the transition from North America to Panem. I’d be interested to read a book about that, as well.
Right off the bat, there was a revelation that made connections from The Hunger Games trilogy that I didn’t see coming. And the book continued to surprise me throughout. I also appreciated the background on how the Hunger Games got started and evolved to what they eventually became.
I do feel like this almost could have been two books. The third part seemed a bit disjointed from the first two parts. However, I still enjoyed the third part. It was a lot of insight into why Snow is the way he is and how he got to his position. It also painted a better picture of the transition from North America to Panem. I’d be interested to read a book about that, as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence
Minor: Cannibalism and Dementia
elyssam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a really great addition to an indrecible series. It is a character study on Corilanus Snow, and not necessarily his ride to power but the summer before he actually started to ascend. The story is packed with great side characters that add depth to the world of post-war Panem like Lucy Gray, Sejanus, Reaper, and even little Maude Ivory. What drives and motivates a person? Are people inherently good or evil? And Suzanne Collins never forgets the heavily layered historical and allegorical facets of any book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, War, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Cannibalism
mattiedancer's review
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
4.5
Writing: 4.75⭐️/5
As with much of Collins' writing, the book thrives on its visually stunning and well-described settings. What any artistry in her writing might have lacked, she made up for with the impact of the world. And, even with a few stumbly sections in her writing, much of it read cleanly and beautifully–an intriguing insight into a poisonous mind.
Characters: 4.75⭐️/5
A few characters felt a touch jarring, but otherwise, like the setting, the world came alive with the characters. The way in which we understand Corionalus’ thoughts and mental state without overly empathizing with his goals is stunning. The side characters felt explored in their relationship with Coriolanus, meaning the people he liked we knew the most about and the people he thought ill of, we also felt the toxicity of his opinions.
Plot: 4⭐️/5
While the plot overall is intriguing and fascinating to watch unfold (believe me, I was slackjawed at several moments), I did feel (SPOILERS HERE) that the resolution of his attempted escape with Lucy Gray was rushed and unclear. Had the book been written in first person, I would’ve accepted this section gleefully as a possible blip in our narration due to an unreliable narrator, but I would have loved more of this section to focus on his mind unravelling a bit slower – as well as Lucy Gray’s realization moving a bit slower – so we could understand this section fully. And, even though I loved all the symbolism that ties us to the original trilogy, the added details connecting Lucy Gray to Katniss’ rebellion and how personally it integrated into Corionalus’ life felt too on the nose. The moment in which Lucy uses the excuse of finding katniss (the plant) to leave him felt a bit too heavy-handed for the analogy that later Katniss (the person) will cause his undoing. The song, The Hanging Tree, being written for him by Lucy also felt too coincidental, especially when tied with his heavy hatred of the mockingjays around District 12 during his time there. I wish some of these tie-backs had been removed or made less vital to slowly grit on his nerves, rather than to so obviously connect him to Katniss.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of The Hunger Games trilogy
Content Warnings?
- Death, murder, child death, parent death, illness, cannibalism, blood, injury, medical trauma, gore
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
I wish it had gone on a bit longer, but I was happy with the conclusion.
Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Bullying, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Dementia, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Sexism
brittanylee0302's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.0
Overall, this book wasn't what I was expecting. I thought the book would be more centered on why Snow is the way he is & I guess that did get answered but it was a little disappointing. I thought this book would be very predictable & it turns out that it was not predictable at all which I absolutely loved. I did thing that the third 'section' was a little boring at times & maybe the book could have been a little shorter but overall I think a good story was still told!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Child death, and Addiction
Moderate: Torture, War, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Animal cruelty
kadtide's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Making the villain of the series the protagonist of the prequel is an interesting challenge. The circumstances of Snow's life through the start of the book are such that we feel for him and want him to succeed. Throughout the book we get to see exactly how he handles the complex issues of morality that lie at the heart of the Hunger Games, and as he is paralleled by his radical foil Sejanus, we see exactly how someone can shift their moral compass to align with their internal goals, all while justifying it as necessary.
It is an excellent character study of Snow as someone who was not born evil, but allows himself to become so due to a central core belief in his own superiority. Furthermore, Lucy Gray is a wonderfully vibrant character who's behavior in the face of death is unique and charming despite the danger. She and the rest of the Covey provide a necessary balance to the horrors of the Capitol and their passion stands out in a way that feels very real.
It is an excellent character study of Snow as someone who was not born evil, but allows himself to become so due to a central core belief in his own superiority. Furthermore, Lucy Gray is a wonderfully vibrant character who's behavior in the face of death is unique and charming despite the danger. She and the rest of the Covey provide a necessary balance to the horrors of the Capitol and their passion stands out in a way that feels very real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Alcohol
reverieevening's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Blood, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Gaslighting, War, Gore, Emotional abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Addiction and Abandonment
befrazzledenby's review
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
Okay, so, I've not read any Hunger Games book since, like, the 8th grade, but wow was this an amazing prequel. Am and I prepped by watching the series on Netflix, then buddy read together all 500 pages. It took me over a month but I am so glad I persevered, lol.
I was really worried in the first half of the book because I was starting to...like Snow? He was relatable, he felt human and just very real. I was mad about that, but then I realized that's part of the brilliance of this book. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say Snow's downfall in the last ~200 pages is just amazing character development (devolvement? lol), especially given my feelings at the beginning.
So much happened in this book, so much so that the first half almost feels like a different book entirely. Collins moves through the plot pretty well, though, I think, knowing when to give us more character drama vs. plot drama and not overloading so much, which helped me with the length here. Very excited to talk more about this with Am especially given its really heavy social and political themes. Whew. What a ride this one was.
I was really worried in the first half of the book because I was starting to...like Snow? He was relatable, he felt human and just very real. I was mad about that, but then I realized that's part of the brilliance of this book. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say Snow's downfall in the last ~200 pages is just amazing character development (devolvement? lol), especially given my feelings at the beginning.
So much happened in this book, so much so that the first half almost feels like a different book entirely. Collins moves through the plot pretty well, though, I think, knowing when to give us more character drama vs. plot drama and not overloading so much, which helped me with the length here. Very excited to talk more about this with Am especially given its really heavy social and political themes. Whew. What a ride this one was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Cannibalism, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, and War
cepbreed's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Because of the hubbub surrounding the movie trailer release I decided to pick this up after years of neglecting its existence. My little brother even read it and recommended it to me and I still didn’t give in. Now that I’m done I’m so angry I hadn’t read it earlier. This book made me hate Snow exponentially more. He and Lucy do not have some wonderful love story. He manipulated her, that is fact. Lucy was a girl thrust into an unimaginable position and all she could do was cling to her only support, her mentor. Snow fancied her as some manic pixie dream girl and I loathe not hearing from her perspective in the books. He thinks he owns her It isn’t only Lucy, he also manipulated Clemensia. Snow took an opportunity to pander for her forgiveness and charm her into accepting his completely falsified apology and she did. He mistreated Tigress though she did everything possible to protect their small family. She was forced to bargain with her own body at an incredibly young age and his only respond was disgust. Poor sweet Sejanus put all of his trust in his “brother” but was betrayed at every turn. Not once did Snow have a sincere, not self-motivated, positive thought about anyone. Certified sociopath. FUCK SNOW I HATE THAT GREASEBALL.
I could talk about the symbolism behind the compact and compass forever.
Songs:
I could talk about the symbolism behind the compact and compass forever.
Songs:
- Fun - Troye Sivan
- National Anthem - Lana Del Rey
- Fist - Deftones
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use