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

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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