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

3.0

It was honestly really exciting to be back in the world of the Hunger Games! I enjoyed the first half of this book and, even though we all know how Snow’s story ends, I was really curious about Lucy Baird and how her “relationship” with Coriolanus would unfold. I also appreciated the additional details the book provided on what led to the creation of the games and how they became the spectacles we know in the original trilogy. 

 

Unfortunately, the book lacks a lot of the action that the other books had, which is understandable, but it quickly loses what little momentum it has around the halfway point, making it very hard to get through. Things pick up again as we see Snow’s entitlement grow in the third act but it the pay off was all rather underwhelming. Ultimately, the book could have benefited from being 100-150 pages shorter.