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

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Suzanne Collins is the absolute greatest of all time when it comes to dystopian novels. Never in my life did I expect to feel any amount of sympathy for a young President Snow, but here I am. Seeing his early days and learning about the origins of the Hunger Games was riveting. All the characters were so well thought out and even the things I saw coming were exciting to watch play out. If you liked the Hunger Games trilogy and aren't sure about a prequel, you NEED to read this. And if you've never read any of the Hunger Games novels, I think starting here would do just as well as starting with the original book. It works standalone just as well. I'm excited to re-read the rest of this series now.