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A review by anastasiaf
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
So I tried to read it as a printed book but I didn’t get very far. Eventually I was looking for a new audiobook to read and this came up and that was a good decision. I think I enjoyed it more than most because I signed up for the 16 hours and didn’t expect much.
I loved hearing about the backstory of the games. I hated Coriolanus, which is to be expected, but I think there were some things there could have been done better - a different audiobook reader? More craziness? Idk.
Excited to re-read the original trilogy now with this new backstory.
——
3 Dec: a YouTube video about this book came up and it made me really appreciate the philosophical discussion of Locke vs Hobbs theories of people and society, plus Lucy Gray being a nod to a poem by Wordsworth, and gave it an extra 1/3 star (rounded down to 4.25)
I’d give it more, but the whole period where he is in the district felt longer than it needed to be, especially since we know he must come back at some point as he becomes president. Maybe it was just an issue with pacing.
There was an interesting point made by one youtuber that some of those pacing problems (I’m glad the games were boring action wise, not to change that) could have been solved by giving us Lucy Gray’s point of view - it actually would have really worked with the title, and through her we might have learned more about the old world.
I loved hearing about the backstory of the games. I hated Coriolanus, which is to be expected, but I think there were some things there could have been done better - a different audiobook reader? More craziness? Idk.
Excited to re-read the original trilogy now with this new backstory.
——
3 Dec: a YouTube video about this book came up and it made me really appreciate the philosophical discussion of Locke vs Hobbs theories of people and society, plus Lucy Gray being a nod to a poem by Wordsworth, and gave it an extra 1/3 star (rounded down to 4.25)
I’d give it more, but the whole period where he is in the district felt longer than it needed to be, especially since we know he must come back at some point as he becomes president. Maybe it was just an issue with pacing.
There was an interesting point made by one youtuber that some of those pacing problems (I’m glad the games were boring action wise, not to change that) could have been solved by giving us Lucy Gray’s point of view - it actually would have really worked with the title, and through her we might have learned more about the old world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking