Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

118 reviews

britwalsh16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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

3.0

I loved the hunger games trilogy, but this book about Snow, just wasn’t it for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well written and everything; but it’s just Snows character, we all know he’s a villain, but he spends the first 75% of the book pretending to be the good guy, & it just doesn’t fit him, it was driving me crazy! The book started out trying to paint him as a good guy. He’s not! Like Snow in this book doesn’t understand why they keep doing the hunger games, yet he’s the biggest supporter in the trilogy!! & he’s not a fan of the manipulations that come from those in power; but in the trilogy he’s the KING of manipulations. We’re supposed to believe it’s the same character, but it doesn’t feel like it, his personality is so diff. I love a good villain origin story, but this one seemed so far fetched. Atleast until the last quarter of the book where he finally started showing his true colors & became the heartless villain. 
Maybe it’s just me cause Snow was never a villain I loved to hate. He was always on par with characters like Umbridge from Harry Potter. They don’t deserve redemption, & that’s what this book seemed to try to convey for most of the book atleast. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cannibalism, Torture, War, Blood, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Violence, Colonisation, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Gaslighting, Medical content, Classism, Death, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Murder, Child death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Drug abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

lemoneverdeen's review against another edition

emotional fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

rahzel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Classism, War, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Cannibalism, Child death, and Vomit

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Death, Alcohol, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Deportation, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Body horror, Child death, Cannibalism, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Confinement, Dysphoria, Gore, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Slavery, Stalking, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, and War

mandoriin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.75

coriolanus snow is such an incel 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent

rhiannonhoward's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Dementia, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

dark 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Quite literally judging a book by its cover, I had originally written off this one as a cash grab by Collins due the success of The Hunger Games. I have never been so pleased to be proven wrong in my life.

The story follows a tense summer in the life of Coriolanus Snow, the tyrannical president that we meet in the main trilogy sixty-odd years later. He is eighteen years old and slated to be mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, a Covey girl living in District 12. He develops an infatuation with her early on, and much of the book is given over to how he tries to keep her safe before and after the 10th Hunger Games. 

The characterization of Coriolanus is incredibly moving, showing how the idealistic teen has his critiques of and subtle attacks on the Capitol used against him and against Lucy Gray. It crushes his spirit, and turns him into the monster who betrays everyone and trusts no one that we later see. Nostalgic nods exist to the main series are plentiful, as it appears that the young Coriolanus was instrumental in the implementation of much of the horror of the Games. 

All-in-all, a wonderful (if stressful!) book that played with my expectations just as cleanly as the Games themselves. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the main series and wants to hear a tale of how it started!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Alcohol, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexism, Blood, Vomit, War, Xenophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Bullying

Minor: Excrement and Infidelity

Two of the tributes contract rabies and it is described in detail when they suddenly show symptoms in the arena. Snakes (including snake attacks, one of which is fatal) are common in the book, as the title suggests. There are two hangings of criminals that occur in the book in the latter portion

peroxide_princes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

Another artfully crafted and carefully planned book from Suzanne Collins, and in my opinion makes a great addition to the Hunger Games universe as a prequel. There are definitely some moments where character decisions/plot points feel a little jarring or rushed, especially in very tense moments of the book,

like Sejanus’ death and the whole ending Lucy Gray scene in which she disappears. Obviously these plot points were carefully made by Collins, and I think it fits the story, but I think from an objective reading standpoint they come off clunky.

. Overall, I think she does an excellent job with Snow’s characterization and development

and not to sound crazy, but I think she does a great job of showing just how twisted he is. He is clearly a master manipulator from the start, but throughout the book shows he can have heart or moments of weakness. Collins really leads you to believe for a while that he truly might change, only to rip it away in the epilogue, where ‘Coriolanus’ has truly died, and ‘Snow’ now presides with pride and power. May not be to everyone’s taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

.  Also, I have to give Collins a lot of credit, because no detail dropped throughout the book (and trust me, there were SO many details) went without resolution, and I appreciate that greatly. Because of my personal taste with clunky writing and strange word choice at times, I couldn’t give this book 5 stars, but I really think Collins has another solid rendition here in the universe of The Hunger Games.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Child death, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

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