The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Welcome back to the world of the Hunger Games! In this prequel to the original trilogy, Collins has taken the reader back 64 years to the 10th Annual Hunger Games. Many areas of the Capitol are still in shambles from the rebellion, and a young Corialanus Snow (Coryo for short), has been selected to sponsor one of the 24 district tributes. The once prominent Snow family is struggling to maintain their facade of aristocracy, and the Capitol has promised free tuition for University to the winner’s sponsor. This is his only chance to turn his family legacy around.

Enter Lucy Gray Bird of District 12, she’s feisty, unpredictable, and, for Coryo, a bit enchanting. What follows is a constant battle for Coryo to weigh decisions based on survival or morals. His biggest challenge is how to take this young performing gypsy, and turn her into a real contender. Collins’ perspective on Snow’s story makes you root for him, even though you know where he ends up, which is masterful storytelling.

Snow makes many missteps in his journey to bring Lucy to the winner’s circle, and he has no shortage of enemies along the way. The Dean has it out for him, the game master is psycho, and a classmate who feels he abandoned her. An unlikely friendship, results in his mistakes not causing him more turmoil, but Snow can’t seem to keep the Devil off his shoulder.

This was an epically imaginative visit to Coryo’s start as the villain, and made so much about him in the trilogy make sense. I felt like it tied up all my questions, but gave me so much I didn’t know I was missing in the overall Hunger Games world. As always, Collins’ builds a world you can fall into and literally play in your head like a movie while reading. If you are a fan of the original story of Katniss, you will not be disappointed with this one. I can’t wait to read Sunrise on the Reaping!