Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

256 reviews

shelbibroeking's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the perspective of Coryo in this book. It was so frustratingly fun to see things from his point of view. The concept for this is prequel is absolutely wild to think about and bridges the gap between our world and Panem. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol

lyramadeline's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Torture, Gore, Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Addiction, and Drug abuse

Minor: Cursing

hnagarne's review against another edition

4.5

The Snows were an elite family before the war, building their capital on weapons manufacturing in District 13. But with the rebellion and the subsequent fall of the thirteenth district — including the death of Coriolanus Snow’s parents — the Snow family fell from prominence. Now subsisting on cabbage and beans to survive, Snow, his cousin Tigris, and the Grandma’am are hoping Coriolanus Snow’s academic success can pull them from poverty and land them back on top. 

Snow finds himself mentor to District 12’s girl, Lucy Gray Baird, a task he immediately detests. He’s a Snow, why does he deserve to mentor a tribute from a district so poor, and the girl, at that? His opinion changes when he sees her Reaping ceremony and it continues to evolve as he weasels his way into the tribute holding area and beyond. Eventually he comes to believe she might love him, and he might love her back. How, then, does he expect to see her through the Tenth Hunger Games?

There are times you might think Snow isn’t so bad. He

tries to save the life of Arachne Crane when her tribute slits her throat, and he sneaks food and gifts to Lucy Gray before the Games begin

. He also takes pity on Sejanus Plinth, a District 2 kid whose family moved to the Capitol after quickly rising to power when the Capitol’s weapons manufacturing shifted to District 2 post-rebellion. Snow lets everyone call them friends, and he tries to save Sejanus's public image on numerous occasions.

But Suzanne Collins gives us so much of Snow’s inner dialogue, and we see that he is a boy driven by greed, power, and the need to control. He

tried to save Arachne not because it was right but because there were cameras, and he needed to appear like a good classmate. He hates Sejanus for deriding the privilege he now has as a student in the Capitol. For throwing away the opportunities he’s been given and for being ungrateful for the power his father has

. Most of all, even though he appears to love Lucy Gray, we see him internally driven by a need to possess her. He hates when she mentions

her lost love Billy Taupe

, and he feels jealous and possessive whenever anyone fails to recognize that Lucy Gray is his. This girl sings and drops snakes down mean girl’s skirts and claims to be from a wayward group of musicians belonging to no one - not the districts, not the Capital - and he wants to claim her as his own.

Overall, this book was way less sympathetic to Snow that I feared. I thought this would be one of those villain origin stories that overly rationalizes the villain, making them more sympathetic than need be. Fortunately, I don't think this was that. Even though he may seem to care about people, he's also willing to throw them away at a moment's notice if he feels like it might be more beneficial to him. 

A thematic observation I enjoyed:

He has no moral compass, but is guided by his father's old compass. He doesn't exactly have a moral compass either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol and Animal cruelty

lilli_15's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Cannibalism

_azure76's review

emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Vomit, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug use, Classism, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, War, Body horror, Death, and Violence

magsbord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Deportation, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Classism, War, Violence, Medical content, Child death, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

stsgplaylist's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

snow you are going to HELL. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gun violence, Classism, and Drug use

Minor: War, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

giuliawanders's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.0

I read the first three books as a teenager so I enjoyed getting back into the series.  

It didn’t disappoint. 

It feels weird to read Coriolanus’ thoughts. I usually empathise with the main character but I knew he was going to be evil, I know he was going to become President Snow.

At times I felt like he was learning something, he was getting it.. but of course not. I guess he was born so entitled and he craves power so much that he just never sees the world differenty even if he actually has sweet people in his life that could’ve led him to a kinder, better, view of the world (Tigris, Sejanus, Lucy, his mother….).   

I hated him at the end and I guess that’s why this book is good. We know he ends up being an horrible person, I didn’t want a story that justified him.

I liked all the references to the trilogy and it was interesting to see how the games became the way we know them. 

I guess some bits are a bit slow but overall I enjoyed it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Classism, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, War, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Abandonment

arinheck's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

My least favourite hunger games book. I miss katniss ngl

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Addiction, and Alcoholism

wallywoahjack's review

adventurous dark 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

You have no idea how many notes there are in my copy that literally say either “Jesus Christ”, “DUDE” or “my god”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Torture, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Kidnapping, Confinement, War, Sexism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Violence, Child death, Body horror, Misogyny, and Gore

Moderate: Addiction, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts