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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

(The Hunger Games #0)

Suzanne Collins

3.82 · Rating details · 272,412 ratings · 34,608 reviews

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow stude ...more

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Kindle Edition, 439 pages

Published May 19th 2020 by Scholastic Press

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Start your review of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

May 20, 2020 Nataliya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-reads

For all of their faults, The Hunger Games books a decade ago became a pop culture phenomenon. The brutal premise in a YA book, the surly heroine with a backbone of steel, the motifs of manipulation vs truth, the moral ambiguity, the pain of survival, the lasting impact of trauma — yeah, I loved it shamelessly, warts and all .

And then Collins writes a prequel about President Snow. Yeah, *that* Snow. The Emperor Palpatine of that universe (I’m a bit shaky on Star Wars stuff, but I think I got th ...more

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Jul 04, 2019 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell rated it did not like it

Shelves: i-came-i-saw-i-yeeted, ya-ya-land, blank-of-blank-and-blank, science-fiction, help-help-i-m-being-repressed

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DNF @ p.101

Me going on a date with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Me: So what do you like to do for fun?

TBoSaS: Cabbage soup.

Me: Uh huh.

TBoSaS: Roman names.

Me: Uh huh. *signalling desperately to the waiter for a glass of wine* Those aren't really hobbies you know.

TBoSaS: Hobbies?

Me: You know, things that give your life meaning.

TBoSaS: Oh.

Me: Yeah.

TBoSaS: Does hating on the poors and being surprised that they have feelings count?

M ...more

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May 25, 2020 Emily May rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-utopia, young-adult, 2020

I feel absolutely drained by this book.

Because I was such a big fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, I was determined to finish The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but doing so took a LOT out of me. What a chore this book was! I now understand the disappointed and outraged reviews of others who read it first, but what I don't understand is how those people were still able to blast through this in a day or two. You guys are far tougher readers than I am.

I have to confess that I was initially enthusi I feel absolutely drained by this book.

Because I was such a big fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, I was determined to finish The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but doing so took a LOT out of me. What a chore this book was! I now understand the disappointed and outraged reviews of others who read it first, but what I don't understand is how those people were still able to blast through this in a day or two. You guys are far tougher readers than I am.

I have to confess that I was initially enthusiastic about this book being told from Coriolanus Snow's perspective. I know it put some people off, but one of the few things I love more than a good villain is a good villain origin story. No, I didn't expect to sympathise with him, but could I understand how he'd gotten so messed up and evil? Well, maybe.

But... I don't think it works. For so many reasons, but a major one for me is that this book is so boring. So meandering, unfocused, dry. There's a lack of urgency and emotion. A lack of any connection with the characters outside of Snow, who is so self-serving and self-pitying that I couldn't even have fun hating him. I could not understand what we were reading for. I had no real questions that needed answering. This book added nothing to the Panem universe.

And the "romance" was just downright unpleasant.

The plot takes us back to the 10th Hunger Games, where Coriolanus Snow is assigned as the mentor to the district 12 candidate, Lucy Gray (whose songs are the one shining light in this novel). Coriolanus sees this as an opportunity to shake himself free of the hardships of the past and improve his social status. Lucy's potential victory becomes deeply-entwined with Coriolanus's own, and their relationship is a discomfiting mix of romantic feelings and him using her to achieve his own means.

But, still, while this is unpleasant, I don't think I am half as bothered by it as I am by how utterly dull the story is. I'm not so refined as to be above some trashy drama, but that's the thing: it's not dramatic. It's lifeless and cold. 90% of the plot exists inside Snow's head. He tells us about the supposed hardships he has had to endure, but we never really feel them. And something about his perspective makes every other character he encounters seem dull also.

A few others noted that this book picks up at the end, which is possibly the only thing that carried me through. It does, but I can also say it was far too little and far too late for me. I think the only good thing about my lack of connection with this book is that I can safely say I don't even consider this part of the same universe as the original trilogy. I can now go forget about it.

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Jun 17, 2019 Tatiana rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: pretend this doesn't exist

Shelves: ya, why-the-hype, i-am-so-over-you, ppb, dystopias-post-apocalyptic, 2020

Only last 20 pages of this book managed to stir my interest. So, is this 1 or 2 stars? If I hate read the rest of it? Okay, I'll be generous. 1.5 stars it is, but there is no way I am rounding this up.

The problem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is that it doesn't know what it wants to be until the very, very end. It meanders here and there, bloated, unfocused, wordy, boring, misguided, treading the same water on and on and on, to the point of tedium. Just to get to the climax where Snow Only last 20 pages of this book managed to stir my interest. So, is this 1 or 2 stars? If I hate read the rest of it? Okay, I'll be generous. 1.5 stars it is, but there is no way I am rounding this up.

The problem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is that it doesn't know what it wants to be until the very, very end. It meanders here and there, bloated, unfocused, wordy, boring, misguided, treading the same water on and on and on, to the point of tedium. Just to get to the climax where Snow needs to decide if he wants to be good and poor and in love or bad and successful. I kept waiting for some grand twist or revelation to happen. What I got was a tiny splash of excitement after 500 of uninspired blah.

There are failures of every type in this novel. Snow's evolution is convoluted, drawn out, poorly paced, and entirely too much time is spent on lingering on his sob stories of poverty, school demerits and cabbage soup. His inner world is neither explained well nor is it interesting. This is not a successful villain origin tale. You will never convince me that it is. Too many new characters are introduced, but none of them are memorable. There is not one person of Haymitch's caliber, or Cinna’s, or Effie's. There is an attempt to show the dawn and messiness of the early Hunger Games, with all the gore and DYI-horror, but it's diluted by the wrong perspective, weird Capitol apologia and a BIG BAD, super-boring first game maker villain. There is a romance that it totally unbelievable and an incomprehensible joke.

I literally spent 99% of this book with this expression on my face. (I wish I were exaggerating.) None of what was happening made any sense, especially the romance (gag).

I do believe there is a decent story somewhere in this mess of bloated mediocrity, a story that should have been told by Lucy maybe? But as is, this is a massive failure of execution. The pacing is off, the themes are muddled, there is no passion, there is no urgency, there is no heart, there are no stakes. There is, of course, Lucy who was badly underserved. And her songs (too many?). Two potential positives totally wasted on this travesty of a novel.

I am not touching this book ever again, and I am going to try to forget it ever existed.

A heartbreaking fiasco.

____________
Not sure I liked this excerpt or the idea of redeeming a monster. Still, hope dies last...

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/w...
____________
Never expected this one to happen... ...more

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Jul 23, 2020 Kat rated it it was ok · review of another edition

ok, i'm thinking i might just scrap this reading vlog, so i'm just gonna dump my thoughts here for now and we'll see what happens.

- i did truly find the nods to the original trilogy fun. finally finding out the origin of the hanging tree song, why snow despised katniss so much from the get-go, how certain features of the games were implemented, etc. was really interesting. that being said, i've seen a number of reviews say that this read like fan fiction, and i honestly kind of agree. the way t ok, i'm thinking i might just scrap this reading vlog, so i'm just gonna dump my thoughts here for now and we'll see what happens.

- i did truly find the nods to the original trilogy fun. finally finding out the origin of the hanging tree song, why snow despised katniss so much from the get-go, how certain features of the games were implemented, etc. was really interesting. that being said, i've seen a number of reviews say that this read like fan fiction, and i honestly kind of agree. the way that every single loose end from the original story was tied up felt a lot like fan service to me, and while as a fan of the original trilogy i gladly ate that shit up, i don't think any of it was a needed addition to the overall world.

- snow's character felt like an afterthought in his own book?? I was surprised by what a passive protagonist he was for the majority of the story, and he lacked the detail and nuance that would have made this a compelling character study. while i liked that we got to see how easily he was able to manipulate others from the start, his overall transition from the little, privileged weasel of the first two parts to the actual villain in part three was entirely abrupt and unsatisfying.

- the pacing of this was also wonky as heck. the first 450 pages were moving at the pace of a snail (that's a fact, not a complaint. i enjoyed the slower bits more) compared with the breakneck pace of the final 60 pages, i got whiplash.

- the ending (no spoilers) but while i thought snow's portion wrapped up way too quickly just as he was getting interesting, there was enough left hanging with *cough* other characters *cough* that i truly wouldn't be surprised if we got a sequel to this story, and idk how i feel about that.

not sure what else to say....basically, unpacking more of panem's history was an ambitious idea on collins' part, and i think it could have been done well (maybe as part of a collection of novellas?) but, this book was just far too long and failed to strike a good balance between snow's story and the exposition of the early games. ...more

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May 20, 2020 monica kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases

a lot of people are not going to like this book. it’s weirder and maybe a little...goofier? than the original hunger games. it’s also much more philosophical - almost part novel part contemplation on nature vs nurture and the base instincts of humanity. and it is not a villain origin story like you’ve read before. if you’ve come here looking for a story like the joker where you leave sympathetic to the villain and understanding what moment pushed them to being evil? well, you’ll likely be very d ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Cindy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the first half of the book and looked forward to how Snow's villain origin story would be pulled off. I was invested in his conflicted feelings about the Games and possessive affections towards his love interest - this set up a really interesting (and juicy!) dynamic, because there's a lot of potential to create a tragic, dramatic, and poignant story there. Unfortunately, the last third of the book bumped my rating down to 3 stars, as I felt very underwhelmed by the outcome and ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Cardan Greenbriar rated it it was ok

Shelves: desperately-want-to-read, will-die-if-not-given, super-curious, grabby-hands, panicking

*the perfect portrait of me, who waited for something meaningful to happen in this book till the end*
description

sooooooo moral of the story: Snow was just going through late confusing raunchy Puberty

all in all from the beginning I was in the

description

oh and using the excuse "slow build/burn" for a book that has poor writing and plot is getting old, boy hoooooo boy the writing was BAD Ms. Collins!
the developing was BAD Ms. Collins!
And SO.MANY.CHARACTERS.AND.THEIR.NAMES.MY.GOSH.

*during reading*

*me waiting for s

...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Mariah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tbr-2020-releases, own-hardcover, miami-library, read-in-2020

Listen, I hate President Snow as much as the next person.
But SNOW. FUCKING. LANDS. ON. TOP.

This is actually brilliant. Like genius. Critical, and scathing and thought provoking.
Sprinkled with moments where your jaw just quietly drops in shock and pain but you can't do anything except keep on reading.

This book is hypnotic. It had an unputdownable quality I'm still unable to quite put my finger on.
Hats off, this is how you prequel.

The only reason I took off a star was because of the rushed ending. ...more

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Dec 19, 2020 Jesse (JesseTheReader) added it

I went into this one being VERY SKEPTICAL and for the most part I enjoyed it. I still didn't really feel like we delved in too deep on how President Snow became the corrupt person he is in the hunger games trilogy, but we definitely saw a different layer to his character through this story. I found the first portion of the story to be the most engaging bit and the later half I found a bit underwhelming. In a lot of ways it felt like the story was being dragged out, but I was also still engaged w ...more

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May 21, 2020 Peyton Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it certainly was. If you’re someone who knows the original books super well, then I think you’ll get the most enjoyment out of it. There’s so many references and nods to the original books that made me so excited! I also thought Snow’s perspective was super interesting to be in and it gave us loads of information about the world of Panem. We learned so much in this book! Overall, I super enjoyed it and I flew through it because I simply couldn’t stop ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Kai marked it as on-hold

*whispers softly*: fuck

*whispers louder*: this book releases tomorrow and if I see any of you posting even the mildest spoilers in your status updates you'll have a safe place in hell that looks exactly like the 74th Hunger Games

*yawns*: 60% in and I can't make myself care so I'll just finish this some other time...or not

Find more of my books on Instagram ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Maryam Rz. added it · review of another edition

Shelves: sociology, romance, faves, all-time-faves, young-adult, literary-fiction, psychology, science-fiction, dystopia-utopia

Am I the only one excited to read more of Snow's brilliantly manipulative ways and dive into his past and (hopefully) rise to power? I mean, poisonsssssss *snake hissing*

| 🐍 | • | 🐦 | • | 🐍 | • | 🐦 |

I have a vital, life-changing question: why does this book have 14,680 ratings when IT'S NOT EVEN OUT YET!?

UPDATE: it's out so you guys can finally have an excuse for RATING BOOKS YOU HAVEN'T READ. ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases

So apparently this is about President Snow...

“A teen born to privilege but searching for something more, a far cry from the man we know he will become. Here he’s friendly. He’s charming. For now he’s a hero.”

Really?

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Jan 25, 2020 Nilufer Ozmekik is currently reading it

When you patiently wait for this book too long and you find out this book's plot is about: President Snow's early times:

...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was ok

Shelves: bookstagram-made-me-do-it

...more

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Jun 24, 2019 NReads marked it as to-read

I really really really don't care about Snow's life. ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Teodora marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya, sf, dystopia, on-app, 2020-releases

I feel an old obsession coming back to life... ...more

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Dec 26, 2021 Jayson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-american, genre-young-adult, genre-dystopian, read-in-2022, 500-599-pp, genre-science-fiction

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Awfully banal, too many names to recall, the end carries weight, but too-little-too-late, revealing but not urgent at all.

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Jun 09, 2020 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: published2020, grchoice_round1, tucker_recs

A new BookTube Video is Up all about whether you should buy, borrow or burn 2020 YA books! Let me know what you think!

The Written Review

“Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings.”

Coriolanus Snow, future president of Panem, is just eighteen-years-old in this prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy.

He is one of the Snows - a once mighty house in the Capitol but now is on the edge of desolation.

He's desperate to preserve the image of his family and find a way to ...more

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May 22, 2020 Merphy Napier rated it it was ok

Shelves: two-stars, dystopian

Here's a link to my spoiler free video review: https://youtu.be/A2iM9AOosw4

I mentioned in the review that I'd clarify what I meant by the ending feeling abrupt and convenient. Here it is:

(view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 ✨ A ✨ marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-release, wishlist

I've been avoiding all theories and predictions until I did my reread of THG. But since this is coming out tomorrow I'd like to leave my own theory here. I think it will be nice to be able to look back and see if it was correct (maybe?)

[bear in mind that the only thing I know is that this is about Snow and a district 12 tribute he will be mentoring. I have not read any excerpts bc I like things to be a bit of a surprise and come up with my own crazy predictions]

So I think we can all agree that ...more

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May 14, 2020 Meagan Andersen rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As much as the idea of a whole book dedicated to the mind of President Snow reviled me, I knew this book would be as excellent as it was!

The most captivating piece of the book is in the early development and psychology behind The Hunger Games. It’s a fresh angle. We get to see Capitol citizens living in a post-war redevelopment stage, in which they’ve actually experienced starvation and fear. They have not yet been lulled into complacency regarding the depravity of the games. I loved reading the As much as the idea of a whole book dedicated to the mind of President Snow reviled me, I knew this book would be as excellent as it was!

The most captivating piece of the book is in the early development and psychology behind The Hunger Games. It’s a fresh angle. We get to see Capitol citizens living in a post-war redevelopment stage, in which they’ve actually experienced starvation and fear. They have not yet been lulled into complacency regarding the depravity of the games. I loved reading the moral based arguments that eventually abandoned themselves for a fear-conditioned dependency on the power structure between the districts and the Capitol.

Without Coriolanus Snow, we would only have been able to read about this time through a newly made-up character. As loathsome as Panem’s president is, it was a brilliant and logical choice to write from his perspective.

It was fascinating to think of the Games before they were a huge production fueled by gambling, showmanship, and style. The classic arena with tickets, turnstiles, and viewing boxes and the delivery of the victors like livestock in a cattle car. The games of the past are the same as the games of the future, only played out on a smaller, more openly brutal and inhumane scale. No prize but survival, no posh meals (or food at all), no elegant outfits, no interviews, no tokens, no training, and no mentors. Until the 10th Hunger Games.

The mentoring system begins with students of the Capitol’s Academy, Coriolanus Snow being one of them. Several of the Capitol students bond with their tribute and mourn their death. This obviously eventually gives way to the Victor-Mentor system, because there has to be division between the Capitol and the Districts to continue the “eternal war”. One of my biggest questions in the original trilogy was always how none of the Capitol citizens objected to the televised murder of children. But seeing the early stages and development of the games through the eyes of manipulated Capitol teenagers makes the 75 years of terror plausible. Fear begets fear, hatred, and a desire to control. Some Capitol characters are even lovable, despite their willful ignorance.

A few such lovable characters are Tigris and Lysistrata; compelling characters with moments that at least hint at un-Capitol opinions on The Games. Or at least a sadness over the lost of certain tributes and a recognition of their humanity. I also liked Clemensia although she wouldn’t feed Reaper, because her storyline was so intriguing to me. She experienced the snakes and their aftermath first-hand and knew what it was like to be afraid for her life the way the district tributes did. The scene where she and Coriolanus turned the paper in to Dr. Gaul was actually my favorite scene, because I enjoyed the slow, dreadful dawning of what was about to take place in the snake habitat. And of course, Sejanus Plinth. He was too good and too gullible. I loved when he broke into the arena to sprinkle the bread on Marcus’ body, but I wish he’d died there so that his end didn’t have to hurt so much.

President Snow’s character, thankfully, is hardly ever lovable. Even his best moments are manipulative and calculated. Collins does a great job of creating charmingly insincere interactions between Snow and his acquaintances/friends/enemies that showcase his desire to protect and advance his status at all costs. His need for control and order is highlighted not just through his sadistic additions to the games, but in his relationships. He constantly refers to the girl he ‘loves’ possessively - as his girl, and is fraught with jealousy concerning her ex beau that she expresses no continuing interest in. As much as you pity his circumstances, and are impressed with his ambition, he would be distinctly unlikable even without the foresight of his future in The Hunger Games Trilogy. You root for him to make the right choice, while knowing he won’t.

Snow’s snake-like charm made it difficult to love Lucy Gray by association. She was a very unique character that I found well-developed, but had a hard time identifying with. I think having insight to Snow’s character makes it hard to support any girl that finds him lovable. It makes her seem naive and foolish, although she was being played like Master of Puppets. I appreciated that she values trust more than love, and that realizing Coriolanus’ lie is what caused their fallout. I like to believe she was clever enough to get away from Snow and escape to the north! Since the book is from Snow’s perspective, he has to believe that she’s most likely dead, and we get to believe that she’s now a hopefully less dystopian, Canadian free bird.

I loved the tie-ins to the trilogy. I loved getting to learn The Valley Song that made Peeta fall in love with Katniss and the origins of The Hanging Tree. It was interesting to read about a District 12 that was free to go the meadow and the lake and free to play music in the Hob. At certain points I felt like there were too many tie-ins to be realistic, particularly in the mirrored figures of Lucy and Katniss, but I appreciated the sentiment all the same. Despite their relationship as protagonist and antagonist, you get the sense that Katniss and Snow understand each other. They do agree “never to lie to each other” and hold true to that agreement. But seeing her through Snow’s eyes - as a sort of reincarnated Lucy Gray - justifies that understanding. Her name alone brings him back to a time at the lake with Lucy. The songs she sings are Lucy’s songs. Her defiance, her talent, her “star-crossed love” as ill-fated as his own. Her mockingjay pin and Peeta’s frosted cookies, both tokens of his betrayal of Sejanus. The parallel of Snow giving the snakes Lucy’s scent in the arena to protect her and giving the snake-mutts Katniss’ scent so they could hunt her to her death was wicked cool. All brilliant... but almost too brilliant to be believable. Seeing Snow in all of Katniss’ old haunts felt more fan-service than authentic.

It’s never clarified, but in my mind, Snow’s old penthouse becomes the training center. This is based off nothing except my wild imagination and maybe some strategically reminiscent verbiage? The Snow family lives on the top floor - the same floor that might eventually be where the District 12 tributes stay. There’s also a flat roof with a garden, very like the one where Katniss and Peeta spend some secluded time. And Coriolanus and Tigris both mention an elevator several times, which gave me déjà vu to when Katniss first rides the elevator in the tribute center and almost asks Effie if they can ride it again. Especially because selling or repurposing the Snow family’s ancestral home would provide another reason for Tigris’s hatred of her once loved cousin. Yes, I know lots of buildings have penthouses, flat roofs, and elevators. There’s no proof, but I like the theory and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway, all this to say I loved it. It was a great read and it made me want to reread the trilogy which I just read a month ago. Thank you, Suzanne Collins! ...more

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Jun 13, 2020 Samantha rated it did not like it

1.5 stars

I went into this cautiously optimistic because although I was not pleased that we were following Snow... I thought Suzanne wouldn't do us dirty like that right? WRONG. She absolutely did.

My biggest complaint with this story is simply that it didn't need to happen. I didn't care. I didn't want to know any of the information I was told in this story. Snow's backstory does not make him more interesting or compelling. In fact, it makes him less so.

The story forces you to follow this chara ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”Being a hero at home had its limitations; he needed a larger audience.”

So, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” made it into the “Goodreads Choice Awards 2020” and is probably one out of 3 books I actually managed to read this year. *lol* Taking a closer look at all the reviews that have been written about it, I have no idea how it ended up as a nominee in the awards but I suppose the main reason why it made its way in there is because it’s popular and provoked very conflicting emotions. I mean ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Charlotte May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, alcoholism-drugs, ya

I enjoyed this well enough. It wasn’t as terrible as some of the reviews make it seem, neither did it blow me away.

3.5 ⭐️

Coriolanus Snow is from a noble Capitol family. His father was a war hero and his grandmother sings the Capitol anthem each morning.
He and his cousin Tigris are both orphans, and since the war nearly all their fortunes were lost in shares in District 13.

When the 10th Hunger Games comes around the students are offered the chance to work as mentors to the tributes, with a sc ...more

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Sep 25, 2020 jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

im so confused. was this supposed to make me like snow?? because it really didnt. can we make it a rule that if authors do a spin-off, it needs to be about a character worth reading about?

im just really not sure what the point of this is, because its definitely not a redemption story and theres hardly anything that directly ties it into the main series. i just… i dunno what to do with this.

the thing is, i had a really good time being back in panem. i also thought SCs writing has really improved ...more

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May 20, 2020 luce rated it did not like it

Shelves: vi-not-for-me, disappointing-reads, almost-and-former-dnfs, 2020-reviews, skimmed

| | blog | tumblr | ko-fi | |

It's a yikes from me.

Did the world really need The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
I think not.

Full of unnecessary exposition and weighed down by self-indulgent fanservice, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a train-wreck of a novel. The story lacks rhyme or reason, things happen only to advance the plot (regardless of whether they make sense because what is even logic?), there are no stakes (Coriolanus having to eat cabbage soup and not being able to pay taxe ...more

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May 24, 2020 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, young-adult, fantasy

From what I have seen from early reviews, I'm in the minority for this one - but I really enjoyed this. I can understand the criticism, and perhaps the argument that this isn't particularly necessary, but there's just something about this world and its set up that manages to suck me in every time.

Following Snow as a main character was always going to be a bold choice. He's not likeable or redeeming in anyway, and I think many people will be put off by this as he's often hard to connect with on a From what I have seen from early reviews, I'm in the minority for this one - but I really enjoyed this. I can understand the criticism, and perhaps the argument that this isn't particularly necessary, but there's just something about this world and its set up that manages to suck me in every time.

Following Snow as a main character was always going to be a bold choice. He's not likeable or redeeming in anyway, and I think many people will be put off by this as he's often hard to connect with on an emotional level. He's selfish, ambitious, proud and generally doesn't care about anyone unless he can get something out of having a relationship with them - whether this be power, money or advancement in society. When he becomes so taken with Lucy Grey it comes as surprise at first, until we see just how unhealthy their relationship is. His perception of love is so skewed from the norm that he believes he possesses Lucy. He owns her like an extension of his property and her success in the games can only lead to more success for him. He doesn't really want her to be free.

His relationship with Sejanus Plinth is another complicated edition to the story. As the son of a wealthy former District 2 entrepreneur, Snow is obviously jealous of the boy at the start of the novel. While Snow must keep up a persona of class, and uphold the Snow name while secretly wollowing in poverty, Sejanus is frequently bought his way to the top by his powerful father. But Sejanus is almost the opposite of Snow. He's a romantic, a believer in goodness and putting the world to right. Fairness and equality. Everything the Hunger Games fights against. He's also incredibly annoying to Snow, constantly throwing him into situations he has no intention of being involved in. But he's the only friend he has.

I was also delighted to see the history and revisit some of the well known places of the Hunger Games. The story builds and expands on the lore well, intrinsically linking the stories together from the past. There are the ghosts of Katniss and Peeta throughout the story in the form of Lucy's songs, the tree by the forest and the mockingjays - a creature Snow instantly hates because of their obvious subversion from the Capitol dream. It was interesting to see the backstory of the games, its purpose and development beyond dumping a bunch of children in an abandoned arena with weapons. By instilling interest into the event by involving the citizens of the Capitol and engaging the psychology behind it you encourage its continued existence and validate the violence. Especially when you combine the idea of the games with a leader who is clearly a psychopath (looking at you Dr. Gaul) by adding in mutts to kill your tributes in fun and colourful ways.

The writing has improved immeasurably too, when compared to Collins previous novels. On a base level the story is simple, yet you can delve a lot deeper into the philosophy of human nature, war and the constructs of political dominance and the effect on society. Why do the Hunger Games persist? What is their purpose and what are the consequences for the people who live in the Capitol and districts? I found it thought provoking.

I understand the complaints, but any trip into Panem is a winner for me. Coupled with an interesting, morally grey lead and machinations of power and corruption with crazy professors who mutate snakes and bunnies to kill and you're onto a winner for me. ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Petra mostly on hiatus in hospital in Mexico added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-100-reviews, books-reviewed-but-not-read, reviewed, dnf-or-never-read

Updated 19th May 2020 - 14,662 ratings · 543 reviews, and it isn't published until tomorrow. A great deal of these were done 6 weeks ago when the ratings were up to 14,500ish. A lot of the ratings (sort by new) seem to come from unusual accounts, I had it in my mind marketing accounts from an Indian agency, but then the names changed so I was probably wrong. I thought that has got to be rubbish. Why on earth would the mega-successful and excellent writer Suzanne Collins' publishers want to do th ...more

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Suzanne Collins

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little B ...more

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“You’ve no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with, and they’re not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn’t give you that right. Having more weapons doesn’t give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.” — 133 likes

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