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

challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is not as powerful and gripping as the original trilogy (from what I remember) but is a really interesting insight into the development of the Hunger Games and Snow's roots.

It's definitely an experience watching Coriolanus as a young kid knowing what he ends up standing for and doing as an adult, and it made me never really feel for him when things happened to him. I did feel for Lucy Gray and Sejanus though, and seeing how their stories were woven in with Coriolanus's was sad and frustrating. I also liked getting the background to the games and how they developed, and the involvement of Snow and his friends and family in making the games what we saw in the original trilogy.

I think the pacing was off at times, which was the major thing that impaced my experience in this book. I think it could've been 100 pages shorter and still pack the same punch. 

Overall, I had a good time with this, though I don't know if anything could live up to the original trilogy (which I might now reread). I would recommend if you like villan origin stories and stories with unlikeable characters.
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