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A review by kaadie
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Hmmm, yeah not a fan of this book. The first problem for me was the slow pacing of the book. Not that the Hunger Ges series were necessarily cover to cover action, preferring to set the scene and then let loose, the Ballad of Songbird and Snakes followed suit. However, personally the book lacked tension, which was so exquisitely mastered in the Hunger Games. Maybe it's because the book is a prequel, which instantly makes it harder to capture an audience since the outcome is already known.
However, I feel like the author didn't capitalize on Snow's ambiguous morality or his supposedly lethal intelligence. President Snow was a formidable opponent in the Hunger Games and I don't think the stage was really set for that character in this prequel novel. Instead he was whiny and arrogant making him as insipid and delusional as the rest of the Capitol. As opposed to the insightful and lethal leader that he was in the proceeding novels. Obviously he thought himself better than district people but he never underestimated the effect Katniss had. As much as Snow was a product of his environment I didn't enjoy the choice to make Dr Gaul the main antagonistic influence in the novel. As crazy as it may sound I would have preferred "The boyhood tales of budding psychopath Coriolanus Snow".
However, I feel like the author didn't capitalize on Snow's ambiguous morality or his supposedly lethal intelligence. President Snow was a formidable opponent in the Hunger Games and I don't think the stage was really set for that character in this prequel novel. Instead he was whiny and arrogant making him as insipid and delusional as the rest of the Capitol. As opposed to the insightful and lethal leader that he was in the proceeding novels. Obviously he thought himself better than district people but he never underestimated the effect Katniss had. As much as Snow was a product of his environment I didn't enjoy the choice to make Dr Gaul the main antagonistic influence in the novel. As crazy as it may sound I would have preferred "The boyhood tales of budding psychopath Coriolanus Snow".