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

I think this is a really fabulous look into how right-wing radicalization happens. From the get-go, we see how someone is nurtured into believing others are lesser, that certain people "deserve" to live in squalid conditions while others "deserve" excellence, how someone can present a facade of care to get what they want. Snow sucks, he sucks from the get-go, but it's so interesting to see the ways these traits, that if he had people around him trying to nurture him to be empathetic, might not have become so dominant. But he's primed for fascism and he dives into it. I think what's so excellent about this book is that Collins humanizes him, and I think that makes his character later on much more poignant. I also like that it shows that people who do awful things are human, and that not many people are as far removed from Snow as they'd like to think. It also shows the Capitol as a place that had to be created--like they weren't beloved from the get go. It's a lot more morally complex than I think a lot of YA usually is, and I really liked it. It's just a really good philosophical work in a YA package.

I did think at times some of the writing felt a little heavy-handed, but after seeing some of the Goodreads reviews where people seemed to miss the point of this book I think they needed to be. Truly baffled that people look at a book about how a person and society enter into a descent into tyranny and horror and not get that you're supposed to be horrified and sad by the end of it.

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satanichris's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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gris_zorra's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

A fascinating look into Snow’s journey to being the tyrant we know from the original trilogy, the red flags were there from the beginning. I am choosing to believe

that Lucy Gray survived and escaped into the woods and doesn’t just live on through her songs.

The pacing was a little off sometimes but overall exciting and gripping. Suzanne Collins is a genius.

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loveisabird'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

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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onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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aysha_blake's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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emma_lynn_writes's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a "villain origin story" done right. It fosters understanding of our common humanity, but not excuses. What you believe about the world will determine how you act, and I appreciated how the author engaged in centuries-long philosophical debates in a way that I think will be accessible to a younger audience.

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