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A review by theveronicareview
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It's always a little difficult to give a book like The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a fair try. I think any work trying to join the ranks of a pre-existing narrative - especially one as lauded as The Hunger Games - will have an uphill battle. I tried my best to have an open mind when reading TBoSaS, but it was difficult - especially when there were tiny nods to the original books throughout. Those nods just made me wish I was reading THG instead.
When I first sat down with this book, I was curious to see how Collins would settle into writing for Panem TEN years after Mockingjay's publication. Maybe I need to read it again, but the mood and tone of the story felt inconsistent with Panem and, at times, it felt contrary to the narrative - like the writing didn't match the severity or formality of what was going on. Still, it was a little intriguing to "see" an unpolished version of Panem and the Hunger Games, and contemplate how that society progressed from Snow's time to Katniss' story.
The storyline itself had potential, I just think it dragged on a bit and the book kept going well after it should have ended - though I understand Collins wanted to complete a character arc and was maybe unsure if it would be successful enough to make it a duology. Ironically, I think if Snow's arc had been split into two novels, it may have offered more time to use and flesh out the literary devices that gave spirit to THG trilogy. Especially when the attempted study on Nature vs Nuture and humanity felt forced and clumsy.
Ultimately, TBoSaS felt dull compared to THG. Like the Fantastic Beasts "franchise" following Harry Potter (in my opinion), it just feels like an uninspired cash grab (for lack of a better phrase) instead of something that truly set out to enhance a previous work. On the bright side, it made me revisit THG via audiobook, and Tatiana Maslany's narration is superb.
When I first sat down with this book, I was curious to see how Collins would settle into writing for Panem TEN years after Mockingjay's publication. Maybe I need to read it again, but the mood and tone of the story felt inconsistent with Panem and, at times, it felt contrary to the narrative - like the writing didn't match the severity or formality of what was going on. Still, it was a little intriguing to "see" an unpolished version of Panem and the Hunger Games, and contemplate how that society progressed from Snow's time to Katniss' story.
The storyline itself had potential, I just think it dragged on a bit and the book kept going well after it should have ended - though I understand Collins wanted to complete a character arc and was maybe unsure if it would be successful enough to make it a duology. Ironically, I think if Snow's arc had been split into two novels, it may have offered more time to use and flesh out the literary devices that gave spirit to THG trilogy. Especially when the attempted study on Nature vs Nuture and humanity felt forced and clumsy.
Ultimately, TBoSaS felt dull compared to THG. Like the Fantastic Beasts "franchise" following Harry Potter (in my opinion), it just feels like an uninspired cash grab (for lack of a better phrase) instead of something that truly set out to enhance a previous work. On the bright side, it made me revisit THG via audiobook, and Tatiana Maslany's narration is superb.