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

I came into this book with no expectations whatsoever and I really enjoyed it. It's got depth and the lack of redemption was refreshing - who wants to see Snow in a positive light?! He killed children!

I really liked experiencing and watching the development of a monster. Corilanus is so manipulative, self serving and opportunistic; but he also seems to be constantly convincing himself that he's making the right choices. I also love how Collins uses his internal monologue to foreshadow and allow the reader to predict his behaviour; fairly quickly into the book, you can immediately get a sense of what choices Corilanus will pick when he is presented with them because you know he will calculate what will benefit him most. Having said that, sometimes he does have a tenderness which caught me off guard a few times. I think the book really benefits from the complexity that these moments bring.

His interactions with the Plinths are one of my favourite parts of the book. The juxtaposition of how they see him and how he sees them is a fascinating part of his villain arc; and his conversation with Papa Plinth, where his expectation of some kind of monetary reward for saving Sejanus is thwarted, is one of my favourite scenes. Satisfying to see someone who sees all of his relationships as transactional be denied; but also oddly satisfying as a whole to see Corilanus succeed in the majority of his manipulations and deceits. Snow always comes out on top ;) Perhaps the satisfaction comes from knowing your assessment of him as an asshole is right?

Also hot take but I don't think Corilanus ever loved Lucy Gray. I think he loved the idea of her and the idea of what she could give him but I think that's as far as it goes. Curious if other people feel the same about that.

A final small note: I also liked that Collins stuck with the full 'Corilanus' name rather than referring to him as Corey. I enjoyed the sense of detachment that it brought - I didn't feel like I was supposed to like him or warm to him; or feel forced into familiarity.

This was a satisfying read and I really enjoyed the writing. Great to get back into some Suzanne Collins after so long.

Content Warnings

erikalv97's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

this was INSANE. the perfect way to begin the series. it literally sets up the latter books in the most beautiful way im in awe.

at first, i shipped lucy and snow SO HARD bc like obviously. but then i kept reading and i realized how they were so different and how power-hungry snow is that i knew it couldn’t work. and i’m glad it didnt. i dont think either of them deserve to be stuck with the other, despite how evil snow becomes. he’s good deep down, but whats engrained in him could never leave. i wish they had a better goodbye, but also i think it was the most clever way to end their story.

i cannot get over how they ended. what incredible revenge they had on each other. and i genuinely cannot get over how perfectly this sets up for the trilogy.

it’s so eerie to know how in control the capitol is with every situation, but it makes for an even more satisfying end when it comes to the later trilogy. lucy sets up for katniss’s character perfectly.

also, i know when i watch the movie im gonna ship them so hard bc tom blyth is so hot, but i still stand by what i said.

✅ ONE HUNDRED PERCENT WILL BE REREADING THIS WAS INSANE

Content Warnings