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

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Another artfully crafted and carefully planned book from Suzanne Collins, and in my opinion makes a great addition to the Hunger Games universe as a prequel. There are definitely some moments where character decisions/plot points feel a little jarring or rushed, especially in very tense moments of the book,
like Sejanus’ death and the whole ending Lucy Gray scene in which she disappears. Obviously these plot points were carefully made by Collins, and I think it fits the story, but I think from an objective reading standpoint they come off clunky.
. Overall, I think she does an excellent job with Snow’s characterization and development
and not to sound crazy, but I think she does a great job of showing just how twisted he is. He is clearly a master manipulator from the start, but throughout the book shows he can have heart or moments of weakness. Collins really leads you to believe for a while that he truly might change, only to rip it away in the epilogue, where ‘Coriolanus’ has truly died, and ‘Snow’ now presides with pride and power. May not be to everyone’s taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
.  Also, I have to give Collins a lot of credit, because no detail dropped throughout the book (and trust me, there were SO many details) went without resolution, and I appreciate that greatly. Because of my personal taste with clunky writing and strange word choice at times, I couldn’t give this book 5 stars, but I really think Collins has another solid rendition here in the universe of The Hunger Games.
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