Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

47 reviews

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Quite literally judging a book by its cover, I had originally written off this one as a cash grab by Collins due the success of The Hunger Games. I have never been so pleased to be proven wrong in my life.

The story follows a tense summer in the life of Coriolanus Snow, the tyrannical president that we meet in the main trilogy sixty-odd years later. He is eighteen years old and slated to be mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, a Covey girl living in District 12. He develops an infatuation with her early on, and much of the book is given over to how he tries to keep her safe before and after the 10th Hunger Games. 

The characterization of Coriolanus is incredibly moving, showing how the idealistic teen has his critiques of and subtle attacks on the Capitol used against him and against Lucy Gray. It crushes his spirit, and turns him into the monster who betrays everyone and trusts no one that we later see. Nostalgic nods exist to the main series are plentiful, as it appears that the young Coriolanus was instrumental in the implementation of much of the horror of the Games. 

All-in-all, a wonderful (if stressful!) book that played with my expectations just as cleanly as the Games themselves. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the main series and wants to hear a tale of how it started!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement

Two of the tributes contract rabies and it is described in detail when they suddenly show symptoms in the arena. Snakes (including snake attacks, one of which is fatal) are common in the book, as the title suggests. There are two hangings of criminals that occur in the book in the latter portion

itsrenee's review against another edition

dark slow-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

Sejanus’ death absolutely ruined me. He didn’t deserve that. Lucy Gray didn’t deserve to be hunted down by Snow either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and War

decie's review against another edition

adventurous dark

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Cannibalism and War

Minor: Vomit and Abandonment

madqueenk's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal cruelty and Abandonment

amaralh's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

samcsmith's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

giuliawanders's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

I read the first three books as a teenager so I enjoyed getting back into the series.  

It didn’t disappoint. 

It feels weird to read Coriolanus’ thoughts. I usually empathise with the main character but I knew he was going to be evil, I know he was going to become President Snow.

At times I felt like he was learning something, he was getting it.. but of course not. I guess he was born so entitled and he craves power so much that he just never sees the world differenty even if he actually has sweet people in his life that could’ve led him to a kinder, better, view of the world (Tigris, Sejanus, Lucy, his mother….).   

I hated him at the end and I guess that’s why this book is good. We know he ends up being an horrible person, I didn’t want a story that justified him.

I liked all the references to the trilogy and it was interesting to see how the games became the way we know them. 

I guess some bits are a bit slow but overall I enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Abandonment

vailtoset10's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

myaraisin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism