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A review by savage_book_review
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Although this is a prequel to 'The Hunger Games' trilogy, the central event remains the same and we are already familiar (to an extent) with the main character, to me this book has a very different feel. And while it is a very good introduction to how President Snow became the way he is in the main series and exploration of his character, it all feels very surface-level and leaves me wanting.
There is a big shift even in the fundamentals of the author's style in this book. In the original trilogy, I noted from my Kindle's progress bar that each of the books was essentially split into three equal parts, each serving the story in its own way. In comparison, this book does have three parts but they're unevenly spread, and the pacing suffers for it. The initial build up and the 10th Games seem quite slow going, and then the action in District 12 feels quite rushed with no real satisfying resolution and lots of threads left dangling.
The Games themselves are also something of a disappointment. While I can appreciate that this is still early in terms of the development of the Games in-world and so by necessity they are a stripped back version designed purely to exhibit the worst of human nature, to me that should almost draw you in more because of the simplicity and brutality. But there's very little that's actually memorable from either inside or outside the arena. I do like the experimental feel of things and seeing the bones of the Games that we're familiar with, and in some respects I can see that this style makes the reader more in tune with the Capitol citizen's way of thinking; that it's a piece of entertainment and not a horrendous waste of human life.
I do love Lucy Gray's character, I just wanted more of it! She's not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked and does feel more like a plot device rather than a meaningful character in places, but when she's bringing her sass and singing to the party she's great! I'm desperately hoping that the ambiguity of the ending may mean we get to see her again in 'Sunrise on the Reaping'... even if it's just as a cameo. But I just don't get the thought behind it, save that it mirrors the song.
Speaking of that ending... yeah, a reread hasn't improved it for me. I mean, yes it's obvious that the story needs to go in a certain direction to turn Snow into the piece of work he is as President, but that change of heart was so fast it just doesn't feel real. And it's extreme too - the absolute 180 in his intentions is beyond my comprehension. But, even if I can stretch my imagination enough to even begin to understand his motivation, I'm completely lost when it comes to Lucy's in these moments. It reads to me like she runs before he's made the switch, but why?! I just don't get it. The writing makes the whole scene a mixed up, rushed mess and then everything just moves on as if nothing has happened. Again, I get that this reflects Snow's perception of things and marks him as an absolute cold hearted unfeeling b***ard, but it leaves the reader cold and unfeeling too.
I did a simulcast of this and the movie, and that only added to my woes. I love the personification of Lucy Gray and the Covey as the Southern Belle and her family, but they may as well have asked Tom Felton to play Snow for all the Draco Malfoy-ness of his character.
I'm glad I've completed the reread in time for Sunrise on the Reaping next week, but I'll be glad to move onto something else in the meantime.
There is a big shift even in the fundamentals of the author's style in this book. In the original trilogy, I noted from my Kindle's progress bar that each of the books was essentially split into three equal parts, each serving the story in its own way. In comparison, this book does have three parts but they're unevenly spread, and the pacing suffers for it. The initial build up and the 10th Games seem quite slow going, and then the action in District 12 feels quite rushed with no real satisfying resolution and lots of threads left dangling.
The Games themselves are also something of a disappointment. While I can appreciate that this is still early in terms of the development of the Games in-world and so by necessity they are a stripped back version designed purely to exhibit the worst of human nature, to me that should almost draw you in more because of the simplicity and brutality. But there's very little that's actually memorable from either inside or outside the arena. I do like the experimental feel of things and seeing the bones of the Games that we're familiar with, and in some respects I can see that this style makes the reader more in tune with the Capitol citizen's way of thinking; that it's a piece of entertainment and not a horrendous waste of human life.
I do love Lucy Gray's character, I just wanted more of it! She's not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked and does feel more like a plot device rather than a meaningful character in places, but when she's bringing her sass and singing to the party she's great! I'm desperately hoping that the ambiguity of the ending may mean we get to see her again in 'Sunrise on the Reaping'... even if it's just as a cameo. But I just don't get the thought behind it, save that it mirrors the song.
Speaking of that ending... yeah, a reread hasn't improved it for me. I mean, yes it's obvious that the story needs to go in a certain direction to turn Snow into the piece of work he is as President, but that change of heart was so fast it just doesn't feel real. And it's extreme too - the absolute 180 in his intentions is beyond my comprehension. But, even if I can stretch my imagination enough to even begin to understand his motivation, I'm completely lost when it comes to Lucy's in these moments. It reads to me like she runs before he's made the switch, but why?! I just don't get it. The writing makes the whole scene a mixed up, rushed mess and then everything just moves on as if nothing has happened. Again, I get that this reflects Snow's perception of things and marks him as an absolute cold hearted unfeeling b***ard, but it leaves the reader cold and unfeeling too.
I did a simulcast of this and the movie, and that only added to my woes. I love the personification of Lucy Gray and the Covey as the Southern Belle and her family, but they may as well have asked Tom Felton to play Snow for all the Draco Malfoy-ness of his character.
I'm glad I've completed the reread in time for Sunrise on the Reaping next week, but I'll be glad to move onto something else in the meantime.