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picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
amaralh's review against another edition
- 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
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
rsoule7's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying
mconroy9137's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Deportation
Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy
infjkiki's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Cannibalism and Pregnancy
smasson13's review against another edition
- 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
At first I was confused as why it didn't end after act 2, and the start of act 3 felt like it was dragging on but not leading anywhere...but the end threw me. I think Suzanne Collins does a lovely jobs of trying to convince you of some sort of compassion in Coriolanus while he is struggling in the Capitol. Yet, by act 3, my hatred was renewed.
I would love to read more about the development of the early Hunger Games, I thought this was a really interesting perspective to take for a prequel novel.
As well, I know critics seemed not to enjoy the folk songs throughout the book, but I think they lend nicely to the story telling as well as the history of the area of the USA that District 12 apparently occupies.
Overall, it was a huge novel to get through, but never felt like a struggle. The tension and anticipation was high throughout, though at times frustrating. Definitely recommend it for those who have read the original series, it did not take away from what has already been created.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
zombiezami's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Cannibalism and Pregnancy
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
I'll say this for Suzanne Collins - the woman knows how to craft a page-turner.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (TBOSAS) was just immaculate. I decided to bump up my rating from my previous reading of this - 4.5 rather than 5 purely because our narrator, Coriolanus Snow was so despicable (beautifully written, though!).
I read this first in 2020 - the year it came out - and then again in 2024, after I saw the film adaptation. I'm glad I saw the movie first - for while the film is very well-made and incredibly gripping to watch, as an adaptation, it cannot hold a candle to the depth and detail of the original work.
This is understandable (and in my opinion, inevitable) when you are translating a work of literature to the screen, as each medium works differently to communicate its message to the audience - a film works by showing you what you need to know, whereas a novel tells you.
The strength of TBOSAS as a novel lies in its narrative voice - that of the aforementioned Coriolanus Snow. Coriolanus begins the novel as an impoverished student with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and vanity, and ends it as
The characterisation was superb (I particularly loved Lysistrata), the crafting of suspense, tension, and plot masterful, the examination of the nature vs. nurture debate thought-provoking, and the callbacks to the original Hunger Games trilogy were cleverly inserted and not overdone.
Having read the book previously (and seen the film), I knew what was coming, and so at these points I would have to put the book down to mentally prepare myself before returning to it. The sense of dread was palpable, and the cliffhanger at the end of each chapter made it really hard not to keep reading - I can see why I raced through it in a day the first time.
TBOSAS was a chilling, suspenseful, and highly engrossing read.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexism, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Veiled references to characters having to trade sexual favours for survival, hence I have marked "sexual violence" and "sexual assault" as minor content warnings only.