Scan barcode
A review by thegreatelise
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Favorite book of the year potential.
I loved it so much, I really want to buy a physical copy of the book to underline everything now.
It was my first audiobook and it was a wonderful experience, I'm definitely going to listen to more audiobooks now.
It is an incredible prequel in my opinion, it links so well to the other books while still being its own book, it doesn't need the originals to be good and relevant, I'd even say it's my favorite among the 4.
Snow is such an interesting character, I'm very happy this book was written because if I'm being honest, in the other books I didn't really pay attention to him, I almost forgot who he was everytime he was mentioned and I found it to be one of the most disappointing thing because he was supposed to be the villain of the story but he was barely there and I didn't feel like he had a huge impact and I didn't find him scary or unlikable, to me he was just there. But The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes adds a whole other layer to his character, how he turned out this way and the true evil in him, also being able to hear his thoughts hits hard, we're right into his own self conflicts and how his way of seeing life and other people twist slowly. He is a very well written character.
I wasn't expecting this book to have a romance like that but I'm not complaining, it made me giddy, I can even argue that he had the best romance in all of the hunger games.
I have a huge soft spot for Sejanus, I felt bad for him throughout the whole book and really loved his way of thinking and conveying it.
Lucygray is also such an icon, I really liked her.
I don't really know where to stand on the open ending, it adds doubt to the character but at the same time it is a bit frustrating that we don't know what truly happened to Lucygray. I think we can also see this as Snow being in some sort of denial ? Assuming he killed her, maybe he tried to convince himself that she disappeared in order to feel better about himself and keep some hope that he has still some good in him ? Or perhaps he is downright trying to convince others that she disappeared so they don't suspect him but I like my theory of him wanting to keep an ounce of good even if he has to lie to himself for that.
I think the biggest turning point in his character was when he recorded Sejanus and sent it to the capitol, even if he seemed conflicted about it, there was no doubt that he wouldn't go back and he was determined to send it, I believe that this moment show the point or no return for him when all good has left him. He wasn't all white and pure even at the beginning of the book there are some clear flaws about his character but we can see it take over him more and more through the whole book and I loved seeing this evolution.
I don't really think he could have ever been good because everything he does, he does it in his own interest, never truly out of love even if he tried to depict it as that. At first he wanted Lucygray to survive to get his prize, then he wanted her to survive because he loved her, but he wanted her to survive not for her to live but for him to appear like her hero and to see and have her again. When he planned on running away with her it was mainly to save himself because he had killed the daughter of the major and he was afraid of it being discovered and as soon as he was sure they would never found out when he threw the guns in the water he immediately thought of leaving Lucygray and going back to his old better life.
I loved it so much, I really want to buy a physical copy of the book to underline everything now.
It was my first audiobook and it was a wonderful experience, I'm definitely going to listen to more audiobooks now.
It is an incredible prequel in my opinion, it links so well to the other books while still being its own book, it doesn't need the originals to be good and relevant, I'd even say it's my favorite among the 4.
Snow is such an interesting character, I'm very happy this book was written because if I'm being honest, in the other books I didn't really pay attention to him, I almost forgot who he was everytime he was mentioned and I found it to be one of the most disappointing thing because he was supposed to be the villain of the story but he was barely there and I didn't feel like he had a huge impact and I didn't find him scary or unlikable, to me he was just there. But The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes adds a whole other layer to his character, how he turned out this way and the true evil in him, also being able to hear his thoughts hits hard, we're right into his own self conflicts and how his way of seeing life and other people twist slowly. He is a very well written character.
I wasn't expecting this book to have a romance like that but I'm not complaining, it made me giddy, I can even argue that he had the best romance in all of the hunger games.
I have a huge soft spot for Sejanus, I felt bad for him throughout the whole book and really loved his way of thinking and conveying it.
Lucygray is also such an icon, I really liked her.
I don't really know where to stand on the open ending, it adds doubt to the character but at the same time it is a bit frustrating that we don't know what truly happened to Lucygray. I think we can also see this as Snow being in some sort of denial ? Assuming he killed her, maybe he tried to convince himself that she disappeared in order to feel better about himself and keep some hope that he has still some good in him ? Or perhaps he is downright trying to convince others that she disappeared so they don't suspect him but I like my theory of him wanting to keep an ounce of good even if he has to lie to himself for that.
I think the biggest turning point in his character was when he recorded Sejanus and sent it to the capitol, even if he seemed conflicted about it, there was no doubt that he wouldn't go back and he was determined to send it, I believe that this moment show the point or no return for him when all good has left him. He wasn't all white and pure even at the beginning of the book there are some clear flaws about his character but we can see it take over him more and more through the whole book and I loved seeing this evolution.
I don't really think he could have ever been good because everything he does, he does it in his own interest, never truly out of love even if he tried to depict it as that. At first he wanted Lucygray to survive to get his prize, then he wanted her to survive because he loved her, but he wanted her to survive not for her to live but for him to appear like her hero and to see and have her again. When he planned on running away with her it was mainly to save himself because he had killed the daughter of the major and he was afraid of it being discovered and as soon as he was sure they would never found out when he threw the guns in the water he immediately thought of leaving Lucygray and going back to his old better life.