Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

230 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

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).

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

samcsmith's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Murder, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, Alcohol, and War

annikare's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: War, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

aea_hobbit's review

adventurous dark reflective 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? It's complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Torture, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Vomit

wcndereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It was sick (negative) knowing Snow's thoughts as he indulged into his love for power.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Drug use, Suicide, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Classism, Blood, and Torture

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!!

---

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