Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

472 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. 

---

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

lasunflower's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

I watched the movie first and watched a few analyses before reading the book too.

Bc of this, I didn't go into it blindly. To me especially, it is  less of a prequel but an analysis of themes of nature and control, nature and nurture, and the nature of humanity. All this is done through the setting of Panem, the Hunger Games and Snow. A lot to think about on those themes for sure.

That being said, it was interesting how Collins built upon the lore of the Hunger Games, answering questions such as why it was made, who made it and who developed it. She is a great and thoughtful writer and did this very well. And she weaved it into the preexisting trilogy if the book so well. So well in fact you are like oh so that's why Snow reacted this way or that way with the 74th Hunger Games: it's like the prequel already existed! Now I want to re-read them all.

Perhaps a detailed analysis coming soon?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Classism, War, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Gun violence

yilliun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

4.5

Without reading the quotes at the beginning of the book, it’s tough to understand the core message and concepts behind Collins writing this. I watched quite a few videos about the book before actually reading it and I think that really helped my comprehension of the story. 

I think Snow got himself so stuck in survival mode that he forgot how to turn that part of himself off. When Dr. Gaul proposes to him how she sees world order, he is more primed to believe her as opposed to Sejanus or Lucy Gray.

Understanding the origins of the Hunger Games gives the world of Panem so much more depth and Katniss’ story becomes more powerful.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, War, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content and Cannibalism

Minor: Death of parent

aysha_blake's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Drug use, Gore, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Stalking, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

emma_lynn_writes's review against another edition

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: War and Torture

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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 was very whatever. I liked the last section of the book because that's what really matters, but I didn't care about the beginning one bit. I'm glad I completely finished the Hunger Games though!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, War, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction

thesesusspace's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny sad tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Body horror and Cannibalism

"My old self" LMFAO.

In all seriousness though, I would recommend this book for people who like stories told from the villain's POV (especially if they're already a Hunger Games fan, because some of the lines of Snow's inner monologue are funny in an ironic way if you know things about the series).

hcgambrell's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Murder, War, Violence, Gun violence, Child death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cannibalism

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! 

---

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

woods_corinne's review against another edition

fast-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Grief, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Violence, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Death, War, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Medical content, Child death, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Confinement