Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

184 reviews

alp_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, War, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Gore, Police brutality, Addiction, Child death, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Vomit, Murder, Blood, Classism, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Murder, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, War, Physical abuse, Gore, Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, Classism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Kidnapping

sweetjuly_src's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Gore, Child death, Murder, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Dementia, Mental illness, Animal death, Murder, Cannibalism, and Bullying

fragrant_stars's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved loved loved this goddamn book so much. I feel like it's an excellent portrayal of the ugly side of trauma and mental illness. It's tragic really how certain characters had every opportunity to make the right choice, and yet in the end made terrible choices instead. It's good, I think, to have sympathy for villains and understand how they became who they became. It's a good reminder that there is no biological or innate difference between us and the most terrible person in the world- it all comes down to choice in the end. Well done Suzanne, you have my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Child death, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Classism, War, Kidnapping, Gore, Drug use, Addiction, Animal death, and Blood

Minor: Bullying, Racism, Classism, Alcoholism, Medical content, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Police brutality, Torture, Vomit, and Alcohol

carolina2005's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, Murder, and Blood

Minor: Classism, Confinement, Grief, Vomit, Suicide attempt, War, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child death, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

pysselfia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Body horror, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Classism, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Addiction, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

euyrdice's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction and War

Minor: Death of parent and Cannibalism

words_and_dreams's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

I do love a nuanced villain story and this delivered. 
Set 60 years before the original Hunger Game series, we follow the POV of Snow, a young and ambitious student in the capital. 
Collins does a good job of making us feel empathy for him whilst still showing us the early signs of who and what he will become. He is never the hero but he had so much potential to be, therein lies the tragedy. 
Lucy is an interesting figure as we never get a full picture of her. We see her through Snow's eyes, as a tribute that can bring him victory, a love that belongs to him or an enemy. She is only ever what he needs her to be. I have seen some reviewers of book and movie complain that we don't get to know her but that's kind of the point. 
Not as great as the original series but still had me hooked. My main issue with it was the pacing was a little off at times, a lull two thirds in and then the end seems a little rushed. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: War, Addiction, Cannibalism, and Xenophobia

kendra_taylors_version's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Vomit, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Classism, Addiction, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Violence, War, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

karly_ackley's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Blood, Alcohol, and Child death

Moderate: War, Police brutality, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Death