The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Ratings707
Average rating3.7
This book nullifies my headcanon that District 4 is in Atlantic Canada so I will simply ignore its existence from here on out 👍
Good book. But I couldn't stand being in Snow's POV. He's repulsive with how he rationalizes the awful stuff he's done. Definitely makes you hate him more when looking at the Hunger Games trilogy with Katniss
Also, justice for Sejanus and Lucy Gray! Idc if it's unlikely, she lives in my book
The last section lets this book down for me, the whole book was a little slow- but i didn't dislike that. The last 50 pages or so are just a turnabout speedrun with - for me, an unsatisfying ending. i know things can't be wrapped up in a bow but i do feel a certain character was let down and lacked a lot of agency. i wish we could have seen more of her own perspective, mixed/changing feelings and agenda.
I was very enthralled by parts of it and thought Snow was written very well, always teetering between charming and terrifying. I found my self simultaneously cheering for she being unnerved by the romance, i think this is exactly what Collins was going for. I would have liked Tigris to have a larger role, she was a very interesting character especially knowing where she ends up!
The Mockingjay symbolism was interesting but was a bit in your face by the end of it
90/100
Throughout the whole thing I was consistently pleasantly surprised. I really think this is up there with Mockingjay as one of, if not the best Hunger Games book. This thing is really long, five hundred pages, and it does drag in some parts— however, it always stops dragging and when it picks up it's very hard to put down, so it wasn't a huge issue to me. I loved Lucy Gray, seriously one of my favorite Hunger Games characters ever. She just radiated so much swag and energy. Since she is the love interest of the book and a singer, there are many passages of song in this novel, and I'm a fan of most of them. They get better as it goes on, I think, so while the lyrics kind of variy in writing quality, it barely matters, especially considering the glimpses of really nice lyrics that are present at times.
Now, it's no secret that the main character of this book is a young President Snow, so I think I can claim without it being a spoiler that Coriolanus is a horrible person. What's surprising, though, is that he comes from not only humble beginnings, but is actually a pretty good person. His father, now dead, was an honored general in Panem's first civil war, and he feels like he has to personally continue the glory that the Snow name holds. This, likely along with his nature, causes him to view human beings as tools for success rather than real people with inherent value. This is apparent early on if you pay attention, but this quality really starts to come out when he is presented with opportunities for power. I won't spoil the insanity that happens in the last couple chapters of this book, but it's fucked up, and I genuinely just hate this guy lol. The thing is, though, it's such a realistic feeling depiction of sociopaths and how they view themselves. His ego grows and grows to a nauseating degree, he uses everyone he knows, and he has a blatant disregard for human life. The more he justifies these things internally, the worse he becomes, and ultimately— you may consider this a spoiler— he throws away the opportunity for love, instead pursuing his own arbitrary standard for success.
Really more of a 3.5 but rounded to 4 for sheer love of the Trilogy itself.
I love a good novel or novella detailing how a villian became just that. It leads to a better understanding, most times, of why they are how they are. If I had read this as a stand-alone, and had no knowledge of the main series (which I LOVE) I would have rated lower.
While I loved the story behind Snow and how the games actually became what they are, this was a very slow, and oftentimes boring read. Even with the slow presentation, the beginning of the book is where my fascination and enjoyment really held. It waned greatly after the games were over.
I also think the history of Snow could have been made with a lot less pages. The endless amount of Lucy Gray and the Covey's songs, and how they were presented, broke my engagement more than kept it. I found myself skimming and sometimes outright skipping those parts.
I understand now all the disappointed views of this one BUT it does not, nor will it ever, take away my absolute love of The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Great background and interesting story explaining the hunger games and it's early incarnation.
Honestly... my favorite book out of all four! Maybe the first ties with it. Wonderfully written and love the characters and development.
More complicated than other books in the series and more violent because the games are low-tech. Fantastic book.
I'm so fucking awed by this book. Seeing the world through Coriolanus's eyes was... Definitely a new perspective. One I don't think I will be incrementing in my own life. But the corruption arc is so well pulled, and logical. Everything he does is justified, and has roots clearly laid from the beginning of the book. My jaw dropped at the end of my reading. Twice. In ten minutes. And I definitely will have to read it again, just to try and understand Lucy Gray a bit better too.
I didn't read this when it came out in 2020 because I didn't think I could handle reading about the rise of a fascist country which makes it funny (?) that I read it this year.
Of course, Collins handled it perfectly and I really loved how she showed that even "good" people who object to terrible things can become complicit. She's the GOAT!
A fascinating insight into a young Coriolanus Snow’s mind.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book because well, Snow is horrible and why would I want to get inside his head? But the book captured me since the first chapter.
This is a villain origin story done right. Even though I disagree with Coriolanus’s decisions and way of thinking, you can see why and how he got there. He is the result of the struggles he faced in childhood plus the influence the society around had in him. It feels eerily realistic, it reflects the real world and real people in an almost scary way. The events with Lucy Gray and his role as her mentor in the Hunger Games were only the last straw for him to snap and become who we see in the HG trilogy.
Lucy Gray was also an interesting character and seeing her through Coriolanus’s unreliable POV made her even more compelling.
I went into this book ready to hate on Snow some more, but in came Dr. Gaul and Dean Highbottom. If I disliked this version of Coriolanus (right before he became a monster), I HATED Highbottom and Gaul. Highbottom is a petty adult who had a vendetta against a teenager for something he had no idea about. And don’t get me started on Gaul. That woman is the equivalent of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and worse. You can see where Snow learned all his tricks from. Gaul is despicable.
I had originally rated the book 4.5 stars because the third part dragged for too long, in my opinion. However, I decided to give it the 5 starts because overall the book is amazing and the attention to detail is remarkable. Suzanne Collins is a genius. Now to patiently wait for Haymitch’s prequel.
You know the sentiment when you are sitting in an unnecessarily long meeting and think “this could have been an email”? Well, this could have been a novella. Instead it's drags you along and loses it's momentum all the time through repetition. Coriolanus is unlikable, which isn't a bad thing - I love me a good villain - but being stuck in his head for 500 pages is too much, too frustrating and not exciting enough. He's too much of a wimp. He's giving major Draco Malfoy in his third year vibes. But without moving on from it. While I enjoying being back in this world and appreciated all the little easter eggs, I wish this book was half as long.
Suzanne Collins does not let you down with this prequel to The Hunger Games. I enjoyed getting to learn about Snow’s upbringing and background. I’m anxious for the 2nd one to come out in March - Sunrise on the Reaping - ai already preordered it!
I love these books so much. The ties between the two characters Katniss and Lucy Gray through music passed down through generations is ingenious to me. In this book you also get to see the full depths of Snows personality and ideologies through his inner monologue which is not portrayed in the movie. I read somewhere that Lucy Gray was the performer who had to fight and Katniss was the fighter who had to perform. Can’t wait for the next book to come out!
Summary: In this prequel to The Hunger Games series, readers gain insight into the youth and mind of Coriolanus Snow, who would later become the tyrannical president of Panem. At seventeen, Coriolanus has lost both of his parents and most of his family's wealth, and he is fighting to maintain an air of respectability in an attempt to gain power and influence in his society. When he becomes one of the first group of mentors in the Capitol's Hunger Games, he sees his opportunity to prove himself. He is disappointed at first to be assigned to mentor the girl from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird, but he soon realizes that he may just be able to leverage her charisma to help her win the games and, in turn, win himself fame and glory.
Idk how to rate this. I was in a weird space, I liked seeing more with the capitol and early days of the games and everything at that time.
I didn't hate this. I really loved the way Collins ended the trilogy; it was so interesting and real, in a universe that wasn't very. So I was curious to see how she'd do Snow. I think the biggest issue I have is the pacing. The heel turn feels sudden and late, even if there are some smart breadcrumbs left along the whole journey. I also expected the heel turn to be in response to something but I think it was sly that it was basically always in him. He was never going to be anything else because of his basic flawed belief system. A lot of “banality of evil” stuff here. So I liked it overall but yeah I think it could've been better paced and while I thing Collin's is smarter than some of her “dystopian YA” peers about the things she writes about, I don't know that this one will stick with me too long, like the epilogue of the trilogy did.
Understanding that I am not to ever like Coriolanus Snow, I went into this book open-minded otherwise. Getting a glimpse into his twisted brain and the events that contributed to his rise to power and drive to do what he did in the main portion of the series. As much as I hate and loathe Snow, it was fascinating to learn of his background and get insight into the background and development of the Games. Worth a read!
DNF at 27%.
Maybe my mistake was reading this straight after reading the original trilogy for the first time (which I loved) or maybe it's just a bad book? I don't know. This felt like a bad fanfic. I was so incredibly bored the entire time I was reading this.
I never thought I'd be so interested in Coriolanus Snow's origin story. Are villians born or made? We see Coriolanus' formative years during a much simpler Panem and learn about the people and events that influenced him.
One thing I really loved about Hunger Games triology was that everything felt intentional and concise. But this prequel felt more long winded than needed and I found myself rushing through parts.