kirstenb2023 's review for:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

3.75

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I love The Hunger Games, and I am glad I read this book, but it left me underwhelmed. I expected to learn how Snow ended up so evil, and was left feeling the events in the story shaped Coriolanus less than he shaped them. It seems his nature (callous, manipulative, cruel, power hungry) was set into motion way before, and with several forks in the road, he chose the one cementing that nature again and again. When it looked like he didn’t, he fooled himself and us. I appreciated learning about Tigris, I was bored by the games (feels like a terrible thing to say), and I abhorred Dr. Gaul. I did not see the final turning point with Lucy Gray coming, and that shift did raise the hair on my arms. The transition from Coriolanus to Snow was complete.