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liesthemoontells 's review for:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a long time I had limited interest in reading this book. I found the last half of Mockingjay to be messy and disjointed to the point of unreadable, and I struggled to see the hook of President Snow's origin story. Eventually my curiosity overcame my disinclination, and I'm glad it did!
I was impressed by this book for both its villain origin story and its worldbuilding. It isn't easy to write a compelling antihero who you can both root for and be repulsed by at the same time, but Suzanne Collins makes it feel effortless. I was completely hooked by the interiority of young Coriolanus Snow from the first few pages.
It was thrilling and shocking to see the casual inhumanity of the Capitol towards people from the Districts through the eyes of the oppressors; the choice to frame Coriolanus and his peers as traumatised children of war added complexity to characters who would otherwise be monstrous brats.
I don't know how convincing I found Lucy Gray as a foil to Coriolanus, and the last third of the novel set in the Districts felt a little rushed. Overall, however, I found this book to be a compelling, intelligent and entertaining read. I thought the book successfully injected new life into the series, and it makes me excited to further revisit the world of Panem.
I was impressed by this book for both its villain origin story and its worldbuilding. It isn't easy to write a compelling antihero who you can both root for and be repulsed by at the same time, but Suzanne Collins makes it feel effortless. I was completely hooked by the interiority of young Coriolanus Snow from the first few pages.
It was thrilling and shocking to see the casual inhumanity of the Capitol towards people from the Districts through the eyes of the oppressors; the choice to frame Coriolanus and his peers as traumatised children of war added complexity to characters who would otherwise be monstrous brats.
I don't know how convincing I found Lucy Gray as a foil to Coriolanus, and the last third of the novel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation