Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

209 reviews

catsbreadbikes's review

adventurous dark informative medium-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

3.0

This book has big "you were named for the bravest man i ever knew" energy for most of the way. I liked learning the history of Panem, but thjs would have been better served as a fictional "history" text, similar to The World of Ice and Fire for the game of thrones books. Being a fictional narrative with a young president snow as the protagonist detracts from the experience of this book, and the choice to have SANTINO FONTANA narrateand NOT have him perform the songs is downright baffling 🤷 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Classism

Moderate: War, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Medical content

Minor: Police brutality, Torture, Cannibalism, Child death, Bullying, and Death of parent

picaresquedreamer's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Classism, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Torture, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content

thebowandthebook's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

I enjoy this book, this was a re-read. The madness of Snow is really fascinating and I really like how Collins integrates philosophy into her works. 
Minor reference to gay stuff. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Child death

Moderate: War, Torture, and Cannibalism

Minor: Addiction

pikkumarja's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.75

Kirja tarjosi juuri sellaista eskapismia, jota kaipasin! Kirja syventää alkuperäistä Nälkäpeli-trilogiaa merkittävästi (vaikkei nousekaan valitettavasti sen tasolle) ja nyt haluaisin jo kovasti lukea trilogian uudelleen.

Tarina liikkuu nopeasti eteenpäin ja juonittelua ei todellakaan puutu.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: War and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent

olive_ia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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, Confinement, Blood, Murder, Classism, Torture, Child death, Violence, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Alcohol

lilawsahar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

First off, I would like to state that I wrote a letter to Susanne Collins in 2009/2010 about writing another book, so I’m going to be delulu and say I inspired this book 13 years later haha. 

Wow, what a crazy backstory for Snow.

I can’t believe that Snows family was directly responsible for the start of the hunger games/the development of what the hunger games became. For him to have the experience of how horrid the games were, by being placed inside of them, and he still threw kids in there time and time again shows how truely horrid he is.  Also him to fall in love with his victor and still have the ruthlessness to kill her even though she had survived that traumatic event just shows how he never cared for anyone but himself.

Do not read this book if you think it’ll be a light read. It is not. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Grief, Child abuse, and Torture

eficca33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Suzanne Collins has done it again!!! Ok, I was VERY wary going into this book. Why do I need to read a book about how one of the most awful dictators came to be??? I could not have been more wrong. THIS IS A VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY!! oh it was so good. So many morally gray characters! So much nuance around oppression and survival! Oh Lucy Gray you are everything I want in a heroine.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Alcohol, Addiction, Gun violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, Classism, Violence, Murder, and Torture

antonellamda99's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Violence, and Child death

manyofmae's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Child death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Death

Minor: Cannibalism

gris_zorra's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Drug abuse, War, Blood, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Murder, and Dementia

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Blood