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

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Coming back to the world of the Hunger Games, this time many years before Katniss and Peeta shook the very foundation of Panem, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows the tenth annual Hunger Games. Who is the main focus, you might ask? None other than future President Coriolanus Snow. 

This book contains the twists and dark reality that Suzanne Collins has perfected in her works. It shines a light on the darkness within us all, but it also points out that there is still good in people. There is still hope, there is still light, and there is still honor. 

One thing I always find myself drawn to in a Collins book is rooting for the wrong character, even if I know I shouldn't. In this book, even though you know the atrocities that Coriolanus commits in his future, it's difficult to not want him to succeed. It's difficult to recognize the darkness in him as a young child, even though the signs are all there. I don't want to root for Snow, but I found myself doing it over and over again. 

While this book is certainly separate from the original trilogy, there are certain aspects that are so clearly connected to why Snow behaved the way he did with Katniss later in his life. It's clear that Lucy Gray and Katniss are one in the same, and may even be related, though many years separate the two. This is found in no better place than this: 

"Hey, you found some katniss. Good work, CC." Coriolanus wondered if he meant it to be decorative, like the Grandma'am's roses, but she immediately examined the roots, from which small tubers hung. "Little too early yet."

It's certainly a curiosity when you have that, along with the origins of some of the most powerful ideas and songs of the original trilogy and how those connect to the future leader of perhaps one of the darkest countries in the world.
 
Favorite quotes:
 
"It took two parties to make a war."(183)

"If the cause wasn't honorable, how could it be an honor to participate in it?"(202)

"She could fly around District 12 all she liked, but she and her mockingjays could never harm him again."(516)
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