A review by mollyb13
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

adventurous dark 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

3.0

This book definitely pales in comparison to the original trilogy. I did like learning more about President Snow's background but feel like something was missing - overall I don't really feel like I completely understand his origin story. I know that the reader is supposed to sympathize with Coriolanus at different points in the book but he just always seemed sketchy/terrible to me? At times I also felt like the author was trying too hard to connect this book with the series -
having the main characters frequent the lake/cabin that Katniss visited often, linking Snow so closely with District 12, Lucy singing with the mockinjays like Katniss, etc...
. 

Overall was a good listen on audiobook and was likely the reason I got through it as fast as I did. Suzanne Collins of course adds in plenty of timely political commentary which I love. The entire reason the Hunger Games is so horrifying is that the way she writes about politics applies to our current day society. Very much Animal Farm/Lord of the Flies spooky.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings