The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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 :/

DNF at 33%
I absolutely loved the first three books. This one is soooo sloooow I just can't get into it. I'll just watch the movie tbh..

Bought this when it first released and has been on my TBR pile for a while.
Loved The Hunger Games trilogy so was looking forward to this to gain more insight into President Snow and the story provides that.
It took a few odd twists I didn't expect.

Just like my experience with the Hunger Games trilogy, I was only fascinated with the parts involving the Game in this book. The final 30% of the book dragged a bit but overall, it was another page-turner. I even found myself rooting for President Snow at times despite his manipulative nature. Everyone thinks they are the “good man” in their own story.

i FLEW through this and really enjoyed it. it was a bit long but it was worth it and the IRONY in this book was crazy and the end was WILD. This is definitely a really good book and I am so excited for the movie to come out.

Finalmente tomei coragem e peguei esse livro pra ler.

Nele vamos conhecer a história do futuro presidente de Panem, Coriolanus Snow. Um narrador NADA confiável que consegue manipular a todos em sua volta, (incluindo ele próprio em diversas ocasiões).

A escrita da Suzanne é impecável e, relendo a trilogia original, vemos que ela não deu um ponto sem nó. Tudo tem explicação.

Nessa obra, Coriolanus é o mentor da menina do distrito 12 na 10ª edição dos Jogos Vorazes, uma edição completamente diferente das anteriores (as dádivas, por exemplo, foram introduzidas nessa edição e foi uma sugestão do próprio Snow).

É impressionante, mesmo conhecendo o monstro que ele vai virar, a forma com que nos apegamos a ele e chegamos a ter compaixão.

Muito bom! Se você gosta de Jogos Vorazes e ainda não leu essa prequel, não tenha medo! Vale a pena!!!

I had low expectations for a prequel after so many years, but I think the author did a great job of recapturing so many of the elements that made the original trilogy such a fan favorite: an interesting and unpredictable main character with serious inner turmoil, a different perspective on an innovative dystopian nation, and a nuanced balance-of-power dynamic (especially for a YA book). Honestly, probably deserves a 3-star, but I'm nostalgic.

Age range: 13+
Maybe too violent for younger readers, plus some really challenging character decisions.

I quite liked how many times we're allowed inside Coriolanus's head in the third person perspective; Collins has a gift in how she writes for these young frantic minds. Still, I am quite whelmed, as this entry in the Hunger Games universe relies heavily on callbacks to the original trilogy and adds little of note to the world of Panem. There's nothing overly challenging or surprising in offer here. 

2.5⭐
I thought this book would never end.
I really hated all the song lyrics.

I loved this book so so so much. I was a huge hunger games fan as a kid and I just loved learning the backstory of the world and why things are happening and seeing the character development of Snow. Literally so good I kept thinking about this one

Reading it from Snow's perspective was really off-putting at first, but then I started reading his internal monologue as if it was Joe Goldberg from YOU and it became more palatable. I hated the character but also really liked learning about the evolution of the Hunger Games. It was a confusing emotional journey.

Suzanne collins you genius. might reread thg to remind myself that good people exist

It was a fun read! Not amazing, and a little bit quick towards the last act. But otherwise, a great addition to the hunger games story/trilogy.

Can't wait to see the movie and be obnoxious about the differences to my wife while we watch lmao

I'll update this review once I collect my thoughts. I know this is not everyone's cup of tea but villains' origin storylines were always my favorite and this hit every check in my list. I know I'm going controversial here, but this was by far my favorite out of the huger games books.

Dit moet wel 5 sterren krijgen! Het was zo goed! Er zijn zoveel dingen van de Hungergames die in dit boek duidelijk worden. Hoe de spelen is ontstaan, het lied van district 12, de zangvogels en nog veel meer. Alles is zo goed doordacht en uitgewerkt, echt niet normaal.
Het onderdeel dat hij in dienst ging vond ik eerst maar niks, maar uiteindelijk leer je de reden waarom hij daar (echt) heengaat en het is zo goed. Ik het begin kon ik me ook niet voorstellen hoe Snow kon worden zoals hij in de hungergames triologie is, want hij was zo anders hier. Maar aan het eind van het boek kan ik me voorstellen hoe hij tot de Snow is gevormd zoals we hem allemaal kennen

It was fine. I like the way Cornelius's character remained true to himself without following the typical “good to evil” arc, he has always been what he is.

I also like how they gave Lucy Gray unique traits and were very different from Katniss.
However, I felt a bit disappointed with the portrayal of the games. It would have been more captivating to experience the games from the perspective of the other characters, as it would immerse readers in the intensity of the challenges they faced. That and the song definitely will work better in the movie adaptation. Everything was from the perspective of Cornelius so the initial games were a bunch of waiting for everyone to die, we didn't know who was alive, who was dead. and that is why he decided to change and improve the games to make it more entertaining, so seeing that was also very interesting, but it could have been better.
The other problem was that some parts felt a lot rushed. For example, we were waiting for something to happen for chapters, and when it finally happens, it's just over. There is a lot of anticipation but not a great payoff.

This is a hard book to rate, I really loved the hunger games as teen, and remember them fondly, this one wasn't as good. I really like the idea of learning the history of Panem and how the hunger games came to be and what not but I think following the guy who would become president Snow is a confusing choice, we all know who he is so it not really a surprise the things he does. Plus some of the stuff that I was excited to learn about ended up just feeling like fan service instead of thoughtful plot. Gets a 3.75 from me.

I read this book in one day. Today. It's a little violent, but the story of young President Snow is great. There were touching moments, for example: the awareness of how the tributes had no food and were treated badly. What I liked most was the love between the two main characters, even if short. I recommend the book :)

4:

Coriolanus my beloathed

Suzanne Collins is a really good storyteller who makes me keep reading these books even though they are so depressing. What I really want is the alternate reality where the main character in this book really does let the goodness in him overcome the other stuff...

solo me he leído el libro pq tiktok está haciendome una publicidad muy agresiva y solo me lo he acabado pq me leí los otros de pequeña
como libro suelto hace aguas por todos lados y necesita mucho los otros libros para darle sentido pero aún así no tiene sentido y lo peor es la historia d amor??

Le iba a poner un 3, pero la tercera parte me hace dudar como alguna vez me pudo gustar tanto los juegos del hambre...

A+ Plot. Missed this about the Hunger Games.

Also I wondered why the Hunger Games is considered YA when it is so dark!! with all the deaths, head-hacking, children-hanging that are so present in the series

Spoiler review:
I was initially not too thrilled about reading a book from Snow's perspective, considering him being the cruel villain in the series. But when I started reading it I was surprised to read a sympathetic account of a kid growing up in a war zone. I kept wondering in the back of my mind how this kid could grow up to become Snow, but then it all makes sense. The constant brainwashing, dehumanization, us vs them, and the wars themselves. A book written from the Capitol point of view was a good addition to the series. I don't know if I could have finished the novel not knowing he got served his justice in the end, and the stupid fucking establishment that he represents.

I believe the same thing as Lucy Gray did, we're born to be good natured, sympathetic to our own kind. But I'm no fool to be blinded by the acts of cruelty that we might commit, heck Lucy Gray was the Hunger Games victor, in the game where the last one surviving is the one winning. But she chose to walk on the right side of that line. She might not be able to choose her circumstances, but she choose how she can act. And I hope I'll always remember that. Firm, but kind.

Estoy en shock. Este libro sin duda nos deja ver más allá del diabólico Snow que todos conocemos. Que en este libro no deja de serlo. Como su mente funciona es impresionante.

Los Juegos del Hambre han sido mi trilogía favorita desde que los leí cuando era adolescente. Y leer este libro me ha traído muchos recuerdos. Hay alguna que otra pullita a los trilogía, que por muy tontos que fueran, a mí me hacían bastante ilusión.

Sin duda lo que más me ha dolido es la muerte de Sejanus. Era mi personaje favorito, de las pocas personas que tenían dos dedos de frente. Amigable, y eso fue su perdición. Nunca tuvo que confiar en Snow, nunca. Todavía sigo dolida por su muerte.

Quizás mi única queja (por lo que lo he dejado en 4 estrellas y no 5) es que a mí el final se me ha hecho muy apresurado. Muchas cosas han pasado en los últimos 3 capítulos. Eliminando un poco de cosas que quizás no hacía falta explicar, y comenzando, por así decirlo, la última parte, un poco antes, seguro que el final no se hubiese notado tan rápido.

Mmh que dire ? J'ai lu jusqu'au bout car je voulais découvrir la mise en place de Hunger Games, en savoir plus sur l'histoire de Panem. Mais alors pour le reste, très décevant. Le perso principal, futur président de Panem est juste imbuvable. Il ne pense qu'à sa gueule, à son prestige, à ne pas traîner dans la boue le bon nom de Snow. Même envers sa propre famille, il est infect. Le personnage de sa cousine a 0 épaisseur. Lors de ses rares apparitions, elle fait tout pour que la vie de ce cher Coriolanus se déroule sans le moindre accroc. Tout me rend ouf en vrai ! Je n'arrive pas à avoir de l'empathie pour lui, alors que c'était sûrement l'objectif de ce livre pour comprendre pourquoi 50 ans plus les Hunger Games existent toujours. On dirait un livre de ouin-ouin d'un mec cis hétéro CSP+ qui se plaint dans la vie de ne pas avoir tous les privilèges habituels. Son dialogue intérieur est atroce. Le perso de Lucy Gray était un peu plus fin, les dernières scènes de chasse dans la forêt étaient pas loin de me convaincre, mais non.