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minareads 's review for:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
maybe I’m biased bc I’m currently reliving my hunger games era and I’m enjoying all content related to it but I really enjoyed this???? maybe I shouldn’t have waited 3 years ago to read this
(no I definitely should have considering I definitely would not have enjoyed this as much if I hadn’t reread the trilogy and been excited for the movie to come out)
anyway I truly thought this book was a FASCINATING character study of president snow and gave us such a cool insight on his backstory and how he became the cruel and vicious dictator he is in the trilogy. well not really how he became the dictator, but more so a glimpse into his backstory and where he came from + his early dreams/goals/visions. I have to say there were many moments where I found myself rooting for Snow against characters like Casca Highbottom (and then I had to quickly remind myself of all the horrible things Snow did later on his life to squash any sympathies I had towards him!!) For real though, seeing Snow and Tigris’s “sibling”-esque bond as well as his interactions with Lucy Gray made me soften a bit...that is until the last third of the book occurred and I saw the choices Snow made in regards to Sejanus and Lucy Gray…. :/
honestly, even before those choices I was appalled at some of the things Snow was thinking in regards to the Capitol and Districts, why they need the Hunger Games, control, etc. those things made me remember he was still the bad guy. overall, I thought Snow was an incredibly interesting and complex character and it was so cool to see this glimpse into his youth (and that’s coming from someone who initially didn’t want to read this book because I didn’t care about Snow that much!) I guess I really do enjoy prequel stories that provide insight into the main villain (Marissa Meyer’s Fairest also comes to mind)
In terms of the actual plot, I found bits of the book to be a bit slow moving (though I did get through many parts of it without being able to put the book down + was able to finish it in 2 days). I thought the actual games were a bit underwhelming — though I understand why that might have been the case, since this was such an early version of the games and they were working on building that actual entertainment factor. I enjoyed the buildup to the games in part 1 (how Snow was desperate to win that prize) and I also found the last few chapters of the book to be especially interesting because that’s when shit got REAL.
I liked the characters in the book too. Snow was incredibly interesting (as mentioned) but I also loved Lucy Gray as a protagonist as she was incredibly resourceful and confident and I found myself rooting for her the entire time. I’m still reeling over that ending, though I found it fitting as it relates to the story of her name + it relates to songs in the actual trilogy (personally I’m a huge fan of the theory that Lucy Gray is somehow related to Katniss through her dad’s side). I also really liked Tigris!!! I want to know more about her fate and how she later turned against Snow by the time Mockingjay occurs! and I really liked Sejanus too, RIP.
All in all, I thought this book was really solid and I firmly believe the reason I liked it so much was because I read it directly after rereading the trilogy and could pick up on so many references and easter eggs! The way the Hanging Tree song and the song Katniss sung Rue we’re both written by Lucy Gray is so freaking cool! Snow’s disdain for the mockingjays but fondness for the jabberjays is such a great insight into his character + loyalties to the Capitol. Seeing the way the Games developed the “entertainment” factor was super interesting too because the whole performance aspect is SUCH a main source of conflict in the actual trilogy. and lastly the revelation that the Hunger Games came from a theoretical idea for a school assignment and then was actually implemented because of SNOW’S DAD??? insane.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m super excited for the movie because the trailer looks so cool! I’m so happy I read this and gained a greater understanding of this universe!
(no I definitely should have considering I definitely would not have enjoyed this as much if I hadn’t reread the trilogy and been excited for the movie to come out)
anyway I truly thought this book was a FASCINATING character study of president snow and gave us such a cool insight on his backstory and how he became the cruel and vicious dictator he is in the trilogy. well not really how he became the dictator, but more so a glimpse into his backstory and where he came from + his early dreams/goals/visions. I have to say there were many moments where I found myself rooting for Snow against characters like Casca Highbottom (and then I had to quickly remind myself of all the horrible things Snow did later on his life to squash any sympathies I had towards him!!) For real though, seeing Snow and Tigris’s “sibling”-esque bond as well as his interactions with Lucy Gray made me soften a bit...that is until the last third of the book occurred and I saw the choices Snow made in regards to Sejanus and Lucy Gray…. :/
honestly, even before those choices I was appalled at some of the things Snow was thinking in regards to the Capitol and Districts, why they need the Hunger Games, control, etc. those things made me remember he was still the bad guy. overall, I thought Snow was an incredibly interesting and complex character and it was so cool to see this glimpse into his youth (and that’s coming from someone who initially didn’t want to read this book because I didn’t care about Snow that much!) I guess I really do enjoy prequel stories that provide insight into the main villain (Marissa Meyer’s Fairest also comes to mind)
In terms of the actual plot, I found bits of the book to be a bit slow moving (though I did get through many parts of it without being able to put the book down + was able to finish it in 2 days). I thought the actual games were a bit underwhelming — though I understand why that might have been the case, since this was such an early version of the games and they were working on building that actual entertainment factor. I enjoyed the buildup to the games in part 1 (how Snow was desperate to win that prize) and I also found the last few chapters of the book to be especially interesting because that’s when shit got REAL.
I liked the characters in the book too. Snow was incredibly interesting (as mentioned) but I also loved Lucy Gray as a protagonist as she was incredibly resourceful and confident and I found myself rooting for her the entire time. I’m still reeling over that ending, though I found it fitting as it relates to the story of her name + it relates to songs in the actual trilogy (personally I’m a huge fan of the theory that Lucy Gray is somehow related to Katniss through her dad’s side). I also really liked Tigris!!! I want to know more about her fate and how she later turned against Snow by the time Mockingjay occurs! and I really liked Sejanus too, RIP.
All in all, I thought this book was really solid and I firmly believe the reason I liked it so much was because I read it directly after rereading the trilogy and could pick up on so many references and easter eggs! The way the Hanging Tree song and the song Katniss sung Rue we’re both written by Lucy Gray is so freaking cool! Snow’s disdain for the mockingjays but fondness for the jabberjays is such a great insight into his character + loyalties to the Capitol. Seeing the way the Games developed the “entertainment” factor was super interesting too because the whole performance aspect is SUCH a main source of conflict in the actual trilogy. and lastly the revelation that the Hunger Games came from a theoretical idea for a school assignment and then was actually implemented because of SNOW’S DAD??? insane.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m super excited for the movie because the trailer looks so cool! I’m so happy I read this and gained a greater understanding of this universe!