A review by andiiswagg
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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

4.25

I didn’t think I wanted a Hunger Games book from President Snow’s perspective, but I truly did enjoy this book. I had only seen the movie of this one, unlike the 4 other books that I had read first, and I will say the movie did a fairly excellent job turning this book onto the big screen. 

However, the book is better. Being inside Snow’s head shows what a selfish, narcissistic, self-righteous elitist he is. I do not understand the people who sympathised with his character. Did he have some really rough parts of his life? Absolutely. Did it justify his cruelty or the way we saw certain groups of people as lesser than him? Absolutely not. He is a megalomaniac, and this book did an excellent job of capturing that. He was not a good person, he didn’t truly “love” Lucy Gray. She was just another thing for him to own. Every time he speaks of her or thinks of her, it is as a possession, not a person. He is jealous and possessive and obsessive. His inner monologue of fantasies is delusional. It was horrifying and fascinating to read.

Truly an excellent addition to the Hunger Games series!