Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

149 reviews

znvisser's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.25

As a teenager I once rushed through all the Hunger Games books in one summer on the beach, but since this one came out years later I hadn't gotten to it yet (not sure I even knew it existed). The upcoming movie made me realise that whether or not I intended to watch it, this may be my last chance to read this story without being spoilered on social media in advance (I should’ve at least started a week earlier perhaps, but I sort of made it). 

For me it’s been long enough so that I don’t remember the precise details of the later President Snow’s evil. At some point though, Snow was just a (cocky) kid a bit too gullible buying into the propaganda poured over him after growing up in a war. Simultaneously however, the basis for his later evil is already apparent as well: his character is classist, distrusting, and extremely calculating; as a teenager, Snow is therefore cold and unable to form any genuine relationships. From the start Snow is constantly - and quick at - rebuilding his outward image to control how he comes across in public, whether it is to hide his insecurities, arrogance or cruelty. It’s also shown early on how he is actually able to drop this guard to some extent around Lucy Gray, which makes his actions harder to predict sometimes, and as a result for a more interesting plot. It’s quite a feat how the author entangles you into this story about someone not even that likeable; somehow you still root for Snow to magically take his life in a different direction, even though this is a prequel and we already know not even love (or whatever the feelings were that he called love) could save the guy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, War, Classism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Deportation, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Medical content, and Vomit

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

noemie_13's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Murder, Police brutality, Genocide, War, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Violence

kylasmv15's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I’ve got many thoughts and *many* opinions about this book, but I'm going to sit on them for a bit. All I will say at this time is that after managing to finish this book, there had better be a Finnick book in the works as my compensation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Classism, and Addiction

Minor: Grief, Alcohol, Dementia, Bullying, Cannibalism, War, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

kat1105's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Addiction, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Classism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and War

garlicbelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Overall a good book, a great read that took me back to my time as a teenager reading the original hunger games. My one qualm is that the pacing is weird and it ends very abruptly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Police brutality, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, Genocide, Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Body horror

themelleh's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.0

We all know what happens to Coriolanus Snow, so it’s nice to see how he gets to be that way. Like most men, he put poor Lucy (in this case) on an unobtainable pedestal and she was the one who paid for it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Racism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Classism, Death, Vomit, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Blood, Child death, Murder, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

emercedesrich's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book's prequel status is aided by reading the original trilogy first, for anyone who is just getting into this story for the first time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Classism, Death, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Body horror

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, and Vomit

kingspite618's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

rip coriolanus snow you would've loved therapy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, War, Body horror, Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Gun violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual violence

olliepopop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

I found this novel to be an amazing addition to Hunger Games lore. First, I enjoyed learning about the behind-the-scenes of the games so much since it helped me imagine Haymitch and the other mentors and what power or influence they could've tried to wield to help their tributes in the games, and the limitations of their influence too.

I also really appreciated getting to see Snow's perspective and the mindset of the Capitol elite (and eventually people) that would've contributed to the longevity of the Hunger Games.

I heard some people felt that reading Snow's perspective and the romance made him too sympathetic, but honestly, I felt it truly showed his character and how he could be capable of rising to such complete and vicous power. I started marking every time he talked about "his girl" who of course loved him, was devoted to him, and would only ever think about him while trying to fight for her life in the arena. Sure. 

I was shocked when it was revealed Lucy Gray did actually love him at all and wasn't just playing him, but that just further showed the sinister nature of his lying, that she could think he did things for her when it was really just to save his own reputation, future, or life every time. The last chapter felt the perfect culmination and reveal of Snow's true nature even while he was still making himself sick lying to himself.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and think it showed what it wanted to incredibly well!

Part 1: 4 ⭐️
Part 2: 4.25 ⭐️
Part 3: 5 ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Gore, Blood, Child death, War, Body horror, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Sexual violence

caitlin_123a's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Classism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Cannibalism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, War, Addiction, and Religious bigotry