The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Ratings748
Average rating3.7
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.
Reading this was a journey. Not because the book is bad but because it was just difficult to enjoy reading something with such an unlikable main character.
I will admit there were parts where I felt bad for Coriolanus and then I remembered what he did to Finnick and my tear ducts became dry. And I think that's what I don't like about this book. How unnecessary it is. I already knew Coriolanus Snow was a terrible person. And I feel like characters such as Sejanus were just added to add to that point. They built up their friendship for his to die due to Coriolanus' selfishness.
The whole book just felt empty to me.
The whole time I'm reading I just knew Sejanus and Lucy Grey wouldn't make it. And that made me so fucking sad.
The fact that Lucy Grey's story and Hunger Game was hidden and never heard of again makes me so fucking sad. Lucy Grey was someone who was kind and strong, who beat the odds and deserved a happy ending. We will never know if she got a happy ending. Also, I never once believed that Snow actually loved Lucy Grey. It felt like he loved the attention and fame he got by being associated with her.
Overall, this book made me extremely depressed and I regret reading it.
Prequels are tricky things. I think in recent years we've all watched beloved stories receive lackluster prequels in either movie or book form and it doesn't always add a lot or in some cases detracts from it. It would be fair to say that I, along with many others, am now more skeptical about them. In my opinion, though, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, while maybe not necessary to the overall story, was still really good and did a satisfying job of taking me back to the world of Panem in all its rather dismal dystopian future. After a very long string of YA books that just didn't seem all that good, this book brought me back to a time when I still enjoyed them and they were less formulaic.
Unusual for me, I had watched the movie before reading the book, so my perspective may be slightly skewed because of that, and I may look more favorably on the book than others who read it first.
I do recommend reading the original trilogy first, this one will be more impactful I think with that background.
I rather enjoyed going back decades before the events of the original trilogy, which starts putting that story into a different perspective and it was interesting to see how the games evolved, and in direct relation to characters' experiences in this novel. I'm definitely feeling the urge to go back and re-read the Hunger Games trilogy.
The technology of the original trilogy doesn't exist yet and much of Panem is being rebuilt after the war which ended only about 10 years previous to this. The Hunger Games themselves are in their infancy and look nothing like the technological nightmare of the future, but still at its center is the brutish concept of children killing children to atone for a rebel war.
Into this we follow Coriolanus Snow, future antagonist and President in Katniss time, during his teen years. With a family that has fallen on hard times due to the war, but holding on with a prestigious name, he hopes to work his way back up to a life of power, riches, and prestige. Opportunity knocks when The Capitol decides to involve the students of his Academy as mentors to the District tributes in The Hunger Games and have a chance to make a name for themselves while also boosting the viewership of the Games.
At its core, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a character study more than the heart-pounding action story of the original trilogy. This isn't a redemptive arc story, nor a sympathizing one with the villain, which seems to be the trend today in other YA. My first impression was how much more unlikable Coriolanus is in the book than in the movie. Since the book is exclusively from his POV, you're much more inside his head and can see how self-serving, conceited, egotistical, and pretentious he is as a person. Everything he does is to serve or better himself.
While at times I could understand his motivations due to his circumstances and found myself hoping each time he'd make better choices, it always fell back on his inherent nature to look out for himself, even at the detriment of those closest to him. While he always thinks his motivations are just or that he has no choice but to do the conniving things he does, as the reader you realize how truly broken and evil he is at the core. Especially when he's given multiple chances to redeem himself or to choose other paths but continues to choose to put himself and his betterment ahead of others. I think the brilliance of Suzanne Collins writing was being able to make you still want to follow his story knowing this.
It would be tempting to make it about how the world and circumstances shaped him into that type of person, but Collins doesn't do that. This story's strength is in showing not how Coriolanus got to be the villain, but rather that he is inherently reprehensible and diabolical from the beginning.
On the flip side of Coriolanus is Lucy Grey Baird, the Tribute assigned to him, and a member of a gypsy-like group called the Covey. Her charisma, mystery, brashness, and determination make you want to root for her and see her through this nightmare, even though you never get to see the story from her perspective. She lends Coriolanus a sympathy he doesn't deserve but keeps you hoping he will for her sake.
The use of music and ballads of the Covey culture was also a fantastic addition. If you're paying attention there is much foreshadowing and tidbits of information tucked away in the songs.
I do think the book dragged on in a few places and was drawn out longer than necessary. I found the tediousness of some of the Hunger Games, which aren't followed with the same televised precision as they are in the original trilogy, tend to stall the story. Since we're watching from Coriolanus's perspective and not Lucy Grey's the sense of impending danger and death seemed diminished. Coriolanus eats and sleeps and goes back home in the evenings while basically nothing happens in the Games and I found my interest waning and not feeling the intensity I expected. I guess the point is all the macabre machinations behind the scenes, but it halts the progression in some places. The third part picks up again as an unexpected turn of events heads the story in a completely different direction which was an unanticipated and welcome surprise.
A lot of the moral questions asked in the original trilogy hold up here as well, and new ones present themselves to give you a lot to chew over. To say I enjoyed this book seems on some level to be wrong considering its premise and perspective. Like a car wreck on the side of the road though, you feel drawn to see and watch it. I think what I ‘enjoy' is the thoughts it engages to understand more about why the Hunger Games exist, what type of world would allow them to exist, and what type of people see them as just and needed. This book explores that a bit more and I found myself compelled by that exploration through Coriolanus Snow's story and it made for a really good tale in the end.
While not perfect, I do think this is one of the best YA books I've read in a really long time. It's brutal, don't get me wrong, and it's not light, pleasurable reading in the sense of making you feel good inside. It is a thoughtful exploration of morality, war, of governance and truly makes you think what you'd do in similar circumstances or even what lengths you'd go for yourself, others and to create the future world you'd like to see. While it still manages to be entertaining to read, I think it rises above a lot of other YA by inviting a thoughtful reading experience.
If I ever won The Hunger Games, I would ask for my prize to have this book erased from my memory.
This book was slow for me. I think it was hard for me to get into because I was prepared the whole time for Snow to be terrible and for it not to work out with Lucy Gray. I loved Tigris and Dr. Gaul. I realized that I had actually gotten into the book and Coryo's mind when I was almost relieved that Sejanus was caught. He was stressing me out. I liked that we got to see Snow's step into poisoning and I loved that it made so much sense why he hated Katniss so much. Everything that she was reminded him of Lucy Gray. He knew Lucy had left him when she went out to pick katniss bulbs, Katniss sings the song Lucy Gray wrote about Billy Taupe, Katniss is the plucky longshot girl tribute from district 12 who gets everyone's attention and love, and her symbol is the mockingjay bird that he hates. I watched the movie right after finishing the book and I loved the casting. Lucy Gray was perfect. Some of the changes they made for the movie pissed me off though. Book Snow thought he was doing the right thing the entire time and that spoke to how he became the evil character in the trilogy. Movie Snow was making evil decisions from the get and it changed how his character came across completely. I was mostly pissed about the erasure of Ma and Clemmie. Other things like ending the games with the snake scene and having cameras in the tunnels was fine. Having Lucky played by Jason Schwartzman was the best decision they made by far. I hated book Lucky. Overall, I don't feel like this book was necessary, but I'm not mad about reading it.
DNF. Has same issue as I've had with all Suzanne Collins THG books: really good ideas and plot, but the writing is not captivating enough for me to get into it.
2.5
Honestly this book was just OK. I didn't feel connected to the characters in any way and I was bored throughout the book. It felt rushed and didn't bring any new world building for me personally. I am glad I read it since I have a little background/context for some things Snow did but I could have gone without it.
DNF at 18%.
This is just not it and my reason will not be what you think it is.
You could assume I have an issue with the concept of humanising President Snow. And here I am, about to say the wild stuff; I had no issue with young Snow. He is actually the only tolerable character, plus his Nice Boy classmate. I can't stand the female characters Susan Collins writes. Lucy is a freaking Manic Pixie Dream Girl, with annoying quirky antics. Katniss was the “she doesn't know she is literally amazing” and now we get this??
I'm probably way too old for this. No matter how bloody it gets, how brutal, this is still a teenage romance and I am so done with perfect quicky girls singing songs on television.
I loved it!! I was binging it before I watched the movie so I went between reading it and listening to it, so I know some people said they felt like it dragged but I didn't get that at all. This book was enticing to me and hard to put down. It also really messed with my emotions. It's definitely one of my favorite reads of 2023!
I read this book immediately after seeing the movie, so my review is also influenced by that.
Other reviews were saying that the relationship was so much stronger in the book, but I didn't really feel that. Perhaps it felt stronger because you could hear Snow's inner monologue, but in reality there wasn't something much stronger in the book.
And, I think that is the point. It's not a story about soulmates or star-crossed lovers you wish could get together in the end. It's romanticizing your first love and being disappointed when they don't live up to your vision. It's trauma bonding. It's the manic pixie dream girl that teaches a guy to enjoy life again but spun on it's head as Snow only ends up further entrenched in his views.
I liked this book.
I recall reviewing this so how was this lost? I had to see this book on GR's list of top 60 books or whatever to notice that my review was lost.
I recall liking the book a lot better before the last third or so. It was a little hard to root for Coriolanus, but I do remember liking his cousin and kooky gran. I liked the “genteel poverty” angle and motivation of keeping up appearances.
I liked the book because it gave us more insight on Snow, his way of thinking, and the history of why the Hunger Games are the way they are as we know it in the first book. I liked the book for the world and character building, but not for the main character
Hmm, I was surprisingly on board with this book for the first half, or maybe even the first 2/3, but the last part just...dragged...on....
Really, my main complaint is that it's just too dang long and then suddenly the last like, chapter or so goes by so fast? There was also way too much singing, to the point where I expected Tom Bombadil to show up and start laying down some sick beats about Goldberry.
Complaints aside, I went into this with somewhat middling expectations, so I ended up liking it more than expected. Seeing the early stages of the Games, and how they ended up the way there were in the original trilogy, and just more of the Capitol in general was all interesting to me. AND I liked that Snow wasn't given some tragic background that would act as an excuse for why he became a villain. Dude was basically just evil, turns out! Several options for redemption in his life, and he picked the road that led to the Dark Side every time. Overall, 3.5 delicious baked goods from Ma out of 5, rounded up.
JfC I haven't read about this level of delusion yet. The ending??? Like I knew he would be the villain, duh, but he was even more cold-blooded than I expected at the end.
Lucy was amazing. I believe in her survival but I HATE open endings lmao.
Pure as Snow? Ha! In his delusions!
What I'm more interested in is how did Snow's cousin end up helping Katniss in the rebellion? Nothing suggested that she wpuld betray him all those years later. Maybe she was jusy horrified how much he changed?
Honestly, this book was only written because Suzanne wanted to get more money.
The book was boring and throughout this whole book I wished I was finished with it already. Not excited for the movie though there are some things that put the hunger games trilogy in different light. Especially the Hanging Tree. Amazing.
I don't know if it is the state of the world, or the unlikeable protagonist, but I did not enjoy this book like I did the original trilogy. It was pretty well written, albeit wayyyy longer than needed and oddly paced, but terribly depressing. Insight into Snow? I guess, but not compelling enough to merit an entire (long) novel. Overall it feels like an attempt to milk the popularity of the series for one last time, which I suppose it achieved.
Contains spoilers
The ballad of songbirds and snATEs. Suzanne you really wrote one hell of a book. I had heard how this book sucked and was not good for years which put me off from reading it. With a movie coming up I was eager to read it and only started two days before my showtime and I'm so glad I did. I love this story and I love how entertaining it was. I could not put it down and that’s not just because I only had a few days to finish.
The first part was so cool read and to explore how not only the capital functioned but how the games were being set up. Lucy Gray was such a compelling character and her introduction made me love her right away. Then the games themselves felt so different than last time. Having the perspective be outside of the games brought a whole new layer that made it feel fresh. Lucy Gray coming in with her snakes was iconic I cannot lie. The third part is such a sharp turn that is bold because it shows the beginning of the snow we know. It shows he could have had a happy life it he wanted but he's a loser so he couldn't. I loved all the callbacks to the original and how they recontextualize aspects of the trilogy. This includes Lucy Gray being from district 12 just like Katniss and her literally creating the hanging tree the anthem of the rebellion. It makes Snows eventually downfall even funnier because not only is he getting taken down but it's literally by a girl from district 12 who sings his ex's song. The snows investing in district 13 only for that to make them poor but then district 13 is the reason the rebels even exist. Snow hating mockingjays which Katniss goes on to represent. There's more but I just love these aspects.
Seeing how the games developed was arguably the strongest aspect of this whole book. I loved how it built the world of Panem more and started traditions that continued into the future games. I also think it was a great choice to have snow be the protagonist because it shows us he's always been horrible from the start. Also Sejanus was annoying as hell and literally moronic throughout this entire book to the point he pissed me off. I get what he was going for and I agree with his opinions but he felt like a child with his decisions This truly was a great book and I'm not sure why people didn't enjoy it.
Contains spoilers
I want to start of with, parts of this book really drew me in, other parts were really difficult to get through. The last third felt rushed, and if I had to spend one more page in Heavensbee Hall, I was going to need some morphling. However, what I did find striking about this novel was that Suzanne Collins managed to capture something not many authors can. This story gives us a close-up look the mentality of narcissistic, abusive men. Coriolanus’ need to justify his every action, constantly basking in his own righteous, or if he felt was wrong, then he was the victim of the situation. The book illustrates how abusive men in power will use power imbalances to get and control women. The whole book, I saw the trauma bond forming between Coriolanus and Lucy Grey. By the end of the story, my creeping suspicion had been confirmed: Coriolanus didn’t love Lucy Grey, he was using her, and then accused her of manipulation to rid himself of blame. Collins must have read extensively about narcissistic abuse, because this is a shocking acurate portrayal of trauma bonding and abuse cycles. Overall, while the book had some problems with pacing, the cliffhangers were JAWDROPPING, the narrative was interesting, and I was satisfied with how the story ended. Good on you, Suzanne Collins. Keep doing what you’re doing.
while i do not think this was as good as the other books in THG trilogy, it definitely added to the world! it's so interesting to see snow just as a normal person. it wasn't exactly the villain origin story i was expecting, but i do think it's a realistic one. this book didn't validate his action in THG trilogy at all thankfully, but it definitely shows how power and notoriety were his biggest goals. sorry to break it to u snow, but when the dust settled at the end of mockingjay snow did NOT end up on top :/