Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

44 reviews

kmsander4's review

challenging emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

This book was not at all what I was expecting.

I read the Hunger Games series many, many years ago and really loved it. So, I was excited to dive back into this world but, if I'm honest, I found it really slow.

While Collins does a good job to get the reader to buy into Snow as a sympathetic character and then absolutely destroys everything in the final few pages. I didn't expect her to light the character on fire like she did. 

But the worst part? I didn't even really care. I found that all of the characters irritated me by the end. I don't know if that was the intention because of our narrator or not, but that's what I felt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide and Gun violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

theirgracegrace's review

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

tuc39033's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, War, Death of parent, Drug use, and Genocide

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Vomit, Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty

lorenmarie7's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Drug use, Addiction, Child death, Murder, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Genocide, Violence, Gun violence, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent

wcndereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

It was sick (negative) knowing Snow's thoughts as he indulged into his love for power.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Drug use, Suicide, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Classism, Blood, and Torture

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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: Child death, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, War, Violence, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Suicide, and Vomit

wallywoahjack's review against another edition

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

undecidedpersonality's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Police brutality, Blood, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Alcohol, Gore, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Suicide, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Kidnapping and Panic attacks/disorders

jennaviolet's review

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Cannibalism, War, Death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

ladywhiskers's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The best example of an unreliable narrator I've read recently.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Cannibalism