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emmakrondorfer 's review for:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this book, both as I was reading it and after I finished it. Maybe it just comes with age and time, but reading this felt so much more brutal vs. what I remember feeling reading the Hunger Games. (I think part of it definitely is age - as I’ve been reading over the last year or two, I’ve definitely begun to take more of the parent/adult POV vs. the child.) That being said, there are also constant reminders that we’re talking about kids and violence, with stark contrasts of things I associate with children sprinkled throughout the book (cookies, apple juice, age). Long story longer, reading about unnecessary violence and harm coming to children was disturbing and haunting, especially the death scene with Sejanus. The point is obviously to feel unsettled, but woof not my typical read.
Also, Coriolanus Snow… also, woof. Given he’s a child, there were moments I was like “maybe he’ll pull through” but rarely did he. Early in the book, I often found myself thinking “gosh but he’s a kid” and thinking about arguments or nature vs. nurture, but by the end, it’s clear he’s a psychopath (hell that’s clear from the other books before reading). It was wild to hear from his perspective and how he was constantly twisting the truth to comfort and validate himself. But at no point was I rooting for him - maybe I understand him a bit better, but especially with the context of the Hunger Games, you just can’t.
Suzanne Collins is a talented writer and it was a thought-provoking read. However, similar to Yellowface, I just don’t think it’s my type of book. Hard to read dystopian novels when society feels a bit dystopian these days, especially with added violence. Also, the book’s pacing was a bit challenging for me, as it felt slow at the beginning and lightning fast at the end. It could’ve been a bit shorter and conveyed a similar meaning. Still glad I read it, just not my fave.
Also, Coriolanus Snow… also, woof. Given he’s a child, there were moments I was like “maybe he’ll pull through” but rarely did he. Early in the book, I often found myself thinking “gosh but he’s a kid” and thinking about arguments or nature vs. nurture, but by the end, it’s clear he’s a psychopath (hell that’s clear from the other books before reading). It was wild to hear from his perspective and how he was constantly twisting the truth to comfort and validate himself. But at no point was I rooting for him - maybe I understand him a bit better, but especially with the context of the Hunger Games, you just can’t.
Suzanne Collins is a talented writer and it was a thought-provoking read. However, similar to Yellowface, I just don’t think it’s my type of book. Hard to read dystopian novels when society feels a bit dystopian these days, especially with added violence. Also, the book’s pacing was a bit challenging for me, as it felt slow at the beginning and lightning fast at the end. It could’ve been a bit shorter and conveyed a similar meaning. Still glad I read it, just not my fave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Classism