Reviews with content warning for Sexism - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

27 reviews

lqne's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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david_slack110507's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was not expecting for this book to end the way that it did and for me to be so engrossed throughout but this was honestly a really fun read that had very few issues for me. I haven't read the original trilogy of books as I mainly read this book in anticipation for the movie adaptation to come out and I have watched the movie adaptations of the original trilogy but this book has made me want to start reading the original 3 books as I really enjoyed the way that the story was told in this and I would not be surprised if the movie adaptations of the original trilogy left things out of those books.

It was such an interesting choice to centre the book around the very antagonist of the original series in President Snow, who is simply just Coriolanus here and nothing much else other than having the last name Snow and the reputation that comes with that name. This was a good way of characterising Snow more so then what was done in the original entries into the franchise, and it was done so in being able to add layers to Snow's character while also being able to show how morally corrupt he was and how he didn't suddenly become evil, rather it was a slow process that becomes cemented in the final few chapters of the book and the epilogue in particular - essentially it does not just write off his actions as byproducts of what happened to him in this book and make him a misunderstood villain but rather that the intention behind his later actions was always there but just amplified by this book's events. Lucy Gray was also such a fascinating character too as she truly is someone in the wrong place at the wrong time that brings out the best in someone as bad as Snow and gets nothing good for her efforts and contributions, I like how different she is to Katniss and how being a performer, she immediately adapts to the publicity of the Games and survives because of it. I really liked the two of them as characters but there were also many others that I really liked and/or found fascinating and wanted to see more of such as Tigris, Sejanus, Dean Highbottom, Dr Gaul and more.

Speaking of the Games, they were really interesting to read about as we get it from the perspective of an onlooker (Coriolanus) while Lucy Gray, the one of the two that is actually in the Hunger Games, is trying to survive and fight for her life and so we don't read about any of the action that takes place other than what is seen on the monitors and yet it doesn't get boring and instead adds to the level of mystery and intrigue of the book which is something that it continues on with it's ending and resolution or there lack of for Lucy Gray's fate. It was also really interesting to have the Games as a sort of midway point in the book and to end the first half or so of the book rather than have it be the climatic battle/act that you would expect it to be instead allowing for Snow and Lucy Gray's relationship to grow following the aftermath of Games and their respective participation in it as mentor and competitor/participant, when they both return to District 12. This really solidified the strength of the book for me as it continued to thrive past its main selling point of the Hunger Games and instead allowed for more of a character study of the two to take place.

I feel like my only issue with this really is the fact that at times the pacing felt a little off as it stayed a little too focused on something that didn't seem to have too much significance but that's only really a minor issue I had with the book and only knocks it down a little from being an actual 5 star book to one that's rounded up from 4.5. I'm really interested in seeing how the movie adaptation manages to cover all this information as there is a lot here and I'm sure that there are references scattered about, besides from the obvious ones, to the original trilogy so I really hope that it delivers as this is such a wonderfully written and engaging story that has you become deeply invested in a previously unseen and unheard of character (That actually makes sense given the context) and the central villain who appeared to be just pure evil but is much more layered than that.

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plumdustsuns's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

I hate President Snow. That’s it. That’s the tweet. And the fact that Plinths are funding Snow when he got his son killed UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
This little sociopathic bitch???

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theuncannydani's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

maybeans's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

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

2.0

Following the trailer for the movie, I had decent hopes for this book, and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to them for me. The first two parts of the book move way too fast, I could barely keep up with what was happening at times. Very important plot moments would occur not only in the middle of chapters, but in the middle of paragraphs. It felt like I was constantly being rushed to the next plot point. Then, for a decent chunk the third and final part, the story crawls—or rather, moves at a normal pace that feels slow compared to the breakneck speed from the first two parts. Then, it speeds up again at the end. I would have liked to linger more on Coriolanus’s thoughts and emotions.

The biggest issue I had with plot besides the pacing was The Hunger Games. Just getting a recount of what was happening in there was pretty dull; I’d much rather be seeing the action. I’m not sure what the best thing would have been to remedy this; maybe the story should have seitched between Coriolanus’s POV and Lucy Gray’s?

In terms of character, the only very memorable character to me was Lucy Gray (Sejanus was fun too), and even her character feels like it could have used more work

(Her deciding to run off with Coriolanus, for example, felt unrealistic to me because I didn’t buy that she’d leave the Covey behind)

The plot was too rushed for me to care about any of the classmates, and I was intrigued by the Covey but never got quite enough time with them.

As for Coriolanus himself…I’m confused as to whether or not Collins wanted the reader to sympathize with him. It seems like it at times, as we see him being vulnerable, caring about his family, those sort of things—but his rich boy ideals and, you know, knowing who he ends up being makes it very hard to sympathize with him. But that’s okay. I’m fine not sympathizing with him. I’m just curious as to whether or not Collins wanted the reader to.

Another issue I had was how telling the book was; I felt like there was basically no trust for the reader to pick up on things themselves. Any time a character has done something secretive or is plotting something (which is pretty often), the reader is told exactly what’s planned—and worse, it often goes exactly as expected, so there’s no surprise for the reader. There was almost a very good moment in which I thought the reader was being entrusted to figure out the truth,

(when Coriolanus gives Lucy Gray the compact for storing the rat poison)

but then two pages later, the reader is told exactly what Coriolanus had been thinking. Not only is it unfair to assume the reader won’t figure it out on their own, it feels out of character for cunning and secretive Coriolanus.

Finally, the ending.

I’ll have to ruminate on this longer, but it felt rushed and anti-climactic to me. I realize they were foreshadowing Lucy Gray’s unknown fate with the story about the ghost girl, but 1. they should have introduced that way earlier, and 2. it still felt…meh, to me. I was relieved she didn’t get brutally murdered, but it just sort of felt like a letdown after the wild ride. Especially since the book’s greatest strength for me was the tension—I needed to know how it ended. Also I do not buy that Coriolanus was truly in love with Lucy Gray and then turned on her that quickly. Also also, I was really hoping for an epilogue in which Coriolanus observes something from the original trilogy and is reminded of Lucy Gray—Katniss’s dress reveal in Catching Fire and Katniss singing “The Hanging Tree” in Mockingjay come to mind.

The one redeeming quality for this book, as I mentioned in that last spoiler part, is the tension—specifically the tension created by the concept. That’s what’s always kept me going with Hunger Games books—I don’t love them, but I need to know how it ends, and I need to experience it for myself.

Content Warnings

jonssweater's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-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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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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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

4.5

Writing: 4.75⭐️/5

As with much of Collins' writing, the book thrives on its visually stunning and well-described settings. What any artistry in her writing might have lacked, she made up for with the impact of the world. And, even with a few stumbly sections in her writing, much of it read cleanly and beautifully–an intriguing insight into a poisonous mind.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

A few characters felt a touch jarring, but otherwise, like the setting, the world came alive with the characters. The way in which we understand Corionalus’ thoughts and mental state without overly empathizing with his goals is stunning. The side characters felt explored in their relationship with Coriolanus, meaning the people he liked we knew the most about and the people he thought ill of, we also felt the toxicity of his opinions.

Plot: 4⭐️/5

While the plot overall is intriguing and fascinating to watch unfold (believe me, I was slackjawed at several moments), I did feel (SPOILERS HERE) that the resolution of his attempted escape with Lucy Gray was rushed and unclear. Had the book been written in first person, I would’ve accepted this section gleefully as a possible blip in our narration due to an unreliable narrator, but I would have loved more of this section to focus on his mind unravelling a bit slower – as well as Lucy Gray’s realization moving a bit slower – so we could understand this section fully. And, even though I loved all the symbolism that ties us to the original trilogy, the added details connecting Lucy Gray to Katniss’ rebellion and how personally it integrated into Corionalus’ life felt too on the nose. The moment in which Lucy uses the excuse of finding katniss (the plant) to leave him felt a bit too heavy-handed for the analogy that later Katniss (the person) will cause his undoing. The song, The Hanging Tree, being written for him by Lucy also felt too coincidental, especially when tied with his heavy hatred of the mockingjays around District 12 during his time there. I wish some of these tie-backs had been removed or made less vital to slowly grit on his nerves, rather than to so obviously connect him to Katniss.

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