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

adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was skeptical when I heard about this prequel, but I was wrong. I think it's possible that Suzanne Collins holds the unpopular opinion about her books, that you shouldn't hate the players, you should hate the game. That's an easy message to see when you have lovable characters like in the original series. But by choosing to focus on future president Snow, she is able to push that point further. I wonder if this is a reaction to the movie adaptations of the original series. So much of those movies applied the techniques to get in-world-spectators excited about the games to get real-world-viewers engaged. But I don't think it lands that it's supposed to be ironic. This book is, I think, an attempt to drive that point home more clearly. It shows that the craft of narrative can make compelling characters, even as they pursue terrible ends and use terrible means. That tension for the reader makes the theme more obvious yotu time around, I just hope people will appreciate it.
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