The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I always squirm when a writer puts out a new tale in a finished series. I think, what, do you need the money Suzanne Collins? For crying out loud, write something new (I'm looking at you [a:Ransom Riggs 3046613 Ransom Riggs https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]). I usually go out of my way to avoid these new titles. For example, I'm not reading any new Harry Potter books. Nope. To me, it's about being in a reading bubble. I have found a series and want to live in that world forever and ever and ever....are words I will never say. But I went into this thinking maybe I could pull a library program idea or two out of it and I have to say, for the first 75% of this book, I was hooked. I had forgotten how well Collins can spin a story. It didn't feel like the Hunger Games, the world is so very different than the Katniss Everdeen arc. So very different! The Ballad gets 4 stars from me, but only because I loved MOST of this book. It tanked (and hard) at the back bit and I'm sorry to say I started counting the pages until ended. I figure it's going to be part of another trilogy. It's not that I hated the ending (Snow's character is well developed and I saw what happened completely being within character for him). It's the non-ending. I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this but the songs got on my nerves. I also dislike the title, and have the worst time remembering it. I just refer to this as the “new” Hunger Games book.