adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

How are all my Maryland girlies who closely studied The Raven in school doing bc I am NOT doing well

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Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book is absolutely brutal. Not that the Hunger Games trilogy wasn't, but this one tore me up. 

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Loveable characters: Yes
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Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Absolutely harrowing.
Especially those last two chapters, what a portrayal of descent into despair.

The epilogue was beautiful - sad but beautiful - very glad it was included. Otherwise it might all have been a bit much.

In several ways felt more like a sequel to Ballad than a prequel to the originals. Not a bad thing though. Loved seeing more of
The Covey
.

The character of Lenore Dove was great.

Felt very topical, timely, with the themes of propaganda and media+government driving the narrative through editorialising.

A lovely little authorial dig against generative AI! Quite on-the-nose but no complaints there tbh

I liked the incorporation of The Raven. Made it apparent early on how things would end with
Lenore
, though of course that was already predictable.
Perhaps it wouldn't have hurt to quote a bit less of the poem in the book and leave it as a thing to explore afterwards. Though it did nicely underline
Haymitch's final deterioration.

Definitely a good addition to the overall saga. Although the broad strokes were already known, plenty of surprises along the way, and a very poignant portrait of Haymitch.

If I had to criticise something, it did feel a bit out of character to have
President Snow
chatting to Haymitch about
those troublesome Covey girls as if he were a jaded old uncle sharing romantic advice lol

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Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What makes the Hunger Games series so strong (and where many imitators fall flat) is that this is not a series about violence, or government, or trauma, or an inexplicably overpowered protagonist who is chosen for greatness. All those things are present in the series, but at its core the series has always been about media, and propaganda, and marketing, and the way those are the tools of both the oppressor and the resistance. This book carries that legacy, and keeps with what is now a traditional Hunger Games pacing — the first half is slow, political, and suspenseful, with lots of talking and jockeying and rivalries and image-cultivation. The second half is when shit hits the fan and heads begin to roll. There’s more nuance and commentary in the first half, but the second half was what made me stay up reading till 4am, and different people will enjoy each to differing degrees.

It’s hard for me to judge this book neutrally because of my love of the original series, but I also think it would be a mistake to judge this book out of context. This is a book designed to add to and comment on the original series (and even elements of Songbirds & Snakes, so read that or watch the movie beforehand). Collins does bring in some familiar characters, but all in ways that actually serve the story and the world and don’t feel like cheap cameos or fan-service. 

I would also argue that this book is very timely. This is not a spoiler, but spoiler warning anyway: Haymitch does not completely topple the totalitarian regime (otherwise, we wouldn’t need Katniss or her trilogy). But this book specifically explores small rebellions and their impacts, even when it feels futile. In a time when people feel powerless in the face of fascism, sometimes small rebellions are all we have. For a generation raised on stories of Chosen Ones and Exceptionally Gifted Teenager Heroes, it’s helpful to see that progress is frustratingly incremental, and the fruits of our labor often take time to blossom.

Not a perfect book, and definitely not a particularly happy one, but one that feels refreshingly relevant and gives young readers the respect and depth they deserve.

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Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was a great book. I loved the arena. It was fascinating (and heartbreaking) reading Haymitch’s backstory. I would recommend it to any fan of the Hunger Games series. 

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adventurous dark sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

God, fine, okay, Suzanne Collins did it again. I do think unfortunately the setting and concept is so good for a YA novel that she could write every single Hunger Games from #1 to Katniss' and they would all be fun. It pulls you through exactly the same way the first Hunger Games novel did. Unfortunately the ending is pre-determined and so fucking sad, so you get to the end feeling like you expect a semi-triumphant ending somewhat like the Hunger Games and it's actually just sad. So that's probably the biggest downer. However it is kind of unavoidable in the premise of the book so. You win some, you lose some, at least Suzanne Collins isn't funding a transphobic empire with her ill-gotten gains.

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Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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