Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

193 reviews

loveisabird's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i saw the movie first and while there’s much more in the book that fills the story out much better, there’s definitely some touches/changes from the movie i missed desperately here. coriolanus ripping out his own stitches. tigris’ last line about his father. YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!!!!!

but between the book and the movie together i think i’m even more taken in by this era of THG storyline than the original trilogy. don’t get me wrong i love the story of the final rebellion. but i also just adore worldbuilding and seeing the world of panem getting built, setting up the eventual rebellion, at this earlier point is entrancing to me. the way it recontextualizes things from the original trilogy that are already so provocative… the mockingjay, the hanging tree, the unnamed first district 12 victor, the traditions and spectacle of the hunger games… delicious. 

also like. as much as i hate the bitch coriolanus was a more compelling narrator. then again maybe if katniss’ books weren’t in fucking first person i’d be more into her narration and inner world also. 

finally lucy gray baird is the best character suzanne collins ever created and if you ask me she lived a long life in the woods. maybe not a happy one. but she survived that motherfucker i know it in my heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child death, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Child abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Torture

Minor: Medical content, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

kattila's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, War, Alcohol, Animal death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Confinement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Terminal illness, and Torture

Minor: Cannibalism and Medical trauma

paigeinabook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I never thought Suzanne Collins could get any Suzanne Collins, but she did! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Ableism, Child death, Gaslighting, Stalking, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Torture, and War

emilywemily6's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was a reread for me because of the movie that just came out. I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed reading the entire thing. It is so fascinating to see Panem before the Hunger Games trilogy and see glimpses at both the world before and the trajectory set in motion because of Snow’s involvement in the games. The last 50 or so pages took quite the turn, and while I like the ambiguous ending, I feel like Snow and Lucy Gray’s feelings took a really quick nosedive that wasn’t quite as developed. I wish Lucy Gray had a little bit more depth, and I think that depth would have helped me understand her choices at the very end a little better since it seemed like Corio’s perception of her was distorted in the woods. Overall, this books makes me want so much more in this world!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Gore, Gaslighting, Animal death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

Moderate: Medical content, War, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Eating disorder and Cursing

lola218_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, War, Child death, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Grief, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Cannibalism, Drug use, and Drug abuse

ciecyreads's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Child abuse

jspelman14's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse

barbarianmissy's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Took me a long time to pick up this book cause I adored the Hunger Games trilogy and HATED Snow but I’m super happy I did! I enjoyed the story thoroughly and it had a very poetic ending. Suzanne Collins killed it as per usual! 

I still hate Snow, though, he sucks major butt. I’ll never forgive him for what he did to Finnick. 🖕

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cannibalism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, War, Grief, Gun violence, Classism, Violence, and Death

goodomen's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Death

magsbord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Deportation, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Classism, War, Violence, Medical content, Child death, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death of parent, and Drug abuse