Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

97 reviews

astrangewind's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

If Veronica Roth killed the genre of dystopian fiction, Suzanne Collins has revived it.

The Hunger Games take on a whole new meaning in this book - only ten years after the war, before all the pomp and flair, from the perspective of not only a mentor, but Corionalus Snow, the Big Bad Villain Man in the original Hunger Games trilogy. Here, we see the televised nature of the Games as an awkward affair, which provide the barest suggestion of what they will become by the time Katniss gets to them. The Games themselves are distanced; we only see the violence that happens from the mentors' eyes, who are largely interested in their tribute's survival only inasmuch as their fame and recognition depend on it. So much unlike the original trilogy where the reader, too, is inside the arena. 

It's 500+ pages of following around the future president of Panem; of course we know it doesn't end well. That's what makes this book so captivating - Coriolanus is not a hero. He's a bystander, only caring about others in terms of how they affect his long-term goals, willing to step on those he deems subhuman.

When I read The Hunger Games for the first time, I was barely in high school. Back then, the draw of the books for me was that a bunch of teenagers were killing each other. Now, as I read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I wonder if the trilogy was this damn obvious. The reaping on July 4th, Coriolanus's hatred of Sejanus as a district-born Capitol citizen whose family has more money than his, the way he talks about the tributes other than his, the one he can use. 

The Hunger Games were books about rebellion, revolution, fighting against oppression, no matter the cost. And there were costs. But this is a book about suppression. About how apathy and self-interest turns you into a monster that you don't care about becoming. About how the circumstances of your birth and life informs how you see others - that even though you might be eating cabbage soup inside of a penthouse with marbled floors, at least you're not district poor.

Coriolanus's obliviousness, selfishness, and downright sociopathy make him so unlikeable, but I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to see him punished - but, of course, why would he be? He gets the top spot in Panem's hierarchy.

Everything Collins does is clever: Sejanus's name, rooted from Janus, a god often portrayed with two faces; Coriolanus's abject hatred of the mockingjays as soon as he encounters them; the funeral of the Ring twins, where several tributes were dragged behind horse-drawn chariots, conjuring images of Achilles's dragging of Hector during the Trojan War. Her treatment of Coriolanus's PTSD from the bombings is superb and accurate. The characterization of Tigris as a mother figure, too.

Really just an incredible book that makes me want to reread The Hunger Games. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Classism, and Murder

Moderate: War, Slavery, Grief, and Addiction

Minor: Vomit, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Medical content, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Classism, Murder, Child death, and Violence

booksemmahasread's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Violence, Police brutality, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

Moderate: War, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Animal death, Gun violence, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent, Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt

brookey8888's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I’m so glad I enjoyed this. I didn’t really know what I was expecting going in, but it wasn’t this. I found this so interesting to see how Snow formed and came to be. It was interesting to see how the hunger games and the capital evolved to what it was in the original trilogy. In my opinion this doesn’t t make you synthesize with Snow in fact it made me hate him more because it shows he was basically always the way he was but not as extreme. I really liked Lucy and the convoy as well as some of the capital kids who had empathy. I was actually shocked at a lot that happened and this was kind of gruesome which I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting that. I would say if you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy pick this up, but know it’s obviously an unlikable character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

jonssweater's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child death, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Addiction

Moderate: War, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gore, Blood, Trafficking, Drug use, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Sexual violence

elysianbud's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

An interesting look into Snow's origin and the lore behind the Hunger Games. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Body horror, War, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Gun violence

gonnachangethislater's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and War

Minor: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders

maite_moonchild's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Body horror, Classism, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, War, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Child death, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Colonisation

mattiedancer'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

4.5

Writing: 4.75⭐️/5 

As with much of Collins' writing, the book thrives on its visually stunning and well-described settings. What any artistry in her writing might have lacked, she made up for with the impact of the world. And, even with a few stumbly sections in her writing, much of it read cleanly and beautifully–an intriguing insight into a poisonous mind.

Characters: 4.75⭐️/5

A few characters felt a touch jarring, but otherwise, like the setting, the world came alive with the characters. The way in which we understand Corionalus’ thoughts and mental state without overly empathizing with his goals is stunning. The side characters felt explored in their relationship with Coriolanus, meaning the people he liked we knew the most about and the people he thought ill of, we also felt the toxicity of his opinions. 

Plot: 4⭐️/5 

While the plot overall is intriguing and fascinating to watch unfold (believe me, I was slackjawed at several moments), I did feel (SPOILERS HERE) that the resolution of his attempted escape with Lucy Gray was rushed and unclear. Had the book been written in first person, I would’ve accepted this section gleefully as a possible blip in our narration due to an unreliable narrator, but I would have loved more of this section to focus on his mind unravelling a bit slower – as well as Lucy Gray’s realization moving a bit slower – so we could understand this section fully. And, even though I loved all the symbolism that ties us to the original trilogy, the added details connecting Lucy Gray to Katniss’ rebellion and how personally it integrated into Corionalus’ life felt too on the nose. The moment in which Lucy uses the excuse of finding katniss (the plant) to leave him felt a bit too heavy-handed for the analogy that later Katniss (the person) will cause his undoing. The song, The Hanging Tree, being written for him by Lucy also felt too coincidental, especially when tied with his heavy hatred of the mockingjays around District 12 during his time there. I wish some of these tie-backs had been removed or made less vital to slowly grit on his nerves, rather than to so obviously connect him to Katniss. 

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of The Hunger Games trilogy

Content Warnings? 

• Death, murder, child death, parent death, illness, cannibalism, blood, injury, medical trauma, gore

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

I wish it had gone on a bit longer, but I was happy with the conclusion.

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Bullying, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Dementia, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Sexism

pallasreads's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I will be thinking about this book for the rest of time. Suzanne Collins had successfully added new depth to Panem and the Hunger Games. Until the last 25 pages, I was still rooting for Snow to make the right decisions, even though fans of the trilogy know he won’t. Every detail is wrenching, and the little ways the original trilogy is tied in serve as reminders of the cruelty humans can enact on each other. Most importantly, this book reminds all of us how much power art really can have to ignite a revolution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Medical trauma

Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, and Xenophobia