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

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

3.25

I felt the shift in Snow was a bit abrupt. His disagreements with Lucy Gray didn't really seem to build to enough to justify his actions in the end, though given his age and his stress level maybe it's not so far off. The first two thirds are quite fun for a prequel, showing off how we got to the later modern hunger games and giving some interesting depth and sympathy to the Capital and its war time material deprivation. The last third I found a bit weaker, I would have liked to see a bit more darkness in Coriolanus earlier to go from such a sympathetic figure to such a villain so quickly. 
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