A review by ebihen3
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow.... I read the HG series as a teenager when they first came out and completed a reread last year of books 1-3, and I walked away with such a different feeling than the first time. I find this series very haunting. This is such an amazing series and it is written so well that you hardly need to remember details of Panem when diving back in for this prequel. 

I was unsure what I expected from this prequel, but I am speechless at what has transpired over 30 chapters. I went from feeling like I should love Snow, to hating him, to maybe understanding him? What broke me the most when reading this was how tight the binds of the Capitol were on him that he couldn't accept the friendship of Sejanus and that he kept trying to convince himself that he was not falling for a "district girl." It was clear the life he wanted for himself and throughout this book, you see how he found himself after fighting the lessons of Dr. Gaul. Even though I knew his fate to be President, I wished he had chosen a different path and I wish he didn't have to betray people who loved him in order to "land on top." 

Also, what happened between him and Tigris that resulted in her harboring Katniss all those years later? I need the tea...