Name: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
ISBN: 9781743836811

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 students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Izaac Richards

Coriolanus felt sure he'd spotted his first mockingjay, and he disliked the thing on sight.

Ashlyn Barrett

yaya

Jup I still hate you I thought this would maybe make me understand you but it only shows you really are cruel and manipulated 

Pia 

Alyssa Weaver

Mrs. Plinth shook her head. "No. No. Your cousin's his only friend." 

How sad, thought Coriolanus. To have no friends. 

Valle Fernandez

The truth is, we were all so busy killing each other tagt we forgot how to have fun. She knows, though. Your girl.

Jasper

'It's just the kind of story that catches fire.'

'Well, you know what they say. The show's not over until the mockingjay sings,' she said.

*Maui voice* I see what's happening, yeah.

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.

"What young brains lack in experience they sometimes make up for in idealism. Nothing seems impossible to them."

"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."

"The Covey believe you're put on earth to reduce the misery, not add to it."

Before need, before love, came trust. The thing she valued most.

cait

This reaping day, like most, was shaping up to be a scorcher. But what else could you expect on July 4th?

This is so not okay you can’t just treat humans like animals tf

This is just sad how some get the chance to have a better life while other dont

“You saw my tribute? He was my classmate. You know before I came here. Back home. His name is Marcus”

Jordan

“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.” -Lucy Gray

The audience rewarded those who would perform with applause and more food.

Well she played with them like they are animals so

In one movement, the tribute yanked Arachne forward and slit her throat.

You matter to me, Lucy Gray," he repeated. His words drew her eyes back to him, but she still seemed distant. 

Yeah I expected something like this to happen

Suzanne Collins

Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)

I both read and heard this. Conclusion: f*uck snow, I hate that b*stard. I have no sympathy whatsoever and getting to see where he came from to what he became is astounding.

Tsu 💙

honestly my least favorite so far. i love it, dont get me wrong, but was a bit dragged on and a bit long. love suzanne down though and she cant do much wrong in my eyes

Alexa

Well, what to say? She did it again. This was a masterclass in unreliable narrator and it's haunting how disturbing this set up is. I don't even know what to say. It was obviously perfect. I only have emotional reactions and no ability to analyse anything right now.

Autumn 

Katie Avila

This book was much better than the movies. The description was phenomenal and the way it subtly hints at snow’s insanity throughout it all is just gold. I love how Lucy Gray’s poem foretells at her fate, and how we never really find out what happens to her. 

Liv 🤍

I love you Susanne Collins and your little hunger games universe. 

I hated Snow so much, truly a psycho, but classic instance of nature or nurture? 

The way his character is written is amazing, and the connections you can make between this book and the original saga are mind blowing.

I love you Lucy Gray, and I hope you’re living your best forest life pookie.

Denisse Garcia Ramírez 

I love you Susanne Collins and your little hunger games universe. 

I hated Snow so much, truly a psycho, but classic instance of nature or nurture? 

The way his character is written is amazing, and the connections you can make between this book and the original saga are mind blowing.

I love you Lucy Gray, and I hope you’re living your best forest life pookie.

mallorie 🦌

Absolutely fascinating work of YA. It took me a while think about what I wanted to write for this review, since I ended up liking the book a lot more after I finished and sat simmering with it. It lags, but I think it’s important to have all that dead time so it hits harder every time Snow makes a “wrong” decision. I understand why Suzanne Collins didn’t put this in first person, especially since at the end of the day it’s still YA, but, boy, if there was a first-person-POV, adult-audience version of this book …….. 

Jacque

took me over a year to finish this. the third act is the best part for me. snow is a psycho and i hate him a lot.

beep beep

fantastic writing through the perspective of the most deplorable narrator imaginable. i cannot STAND this fucking dude

james cao

While I enjoyed the original trilogy of Hunger Games, this was somehow less exciting for me. Reasons unknown, maybe I was forcing it or I wasn’t reading consistently enough. The book was great, but I found it hard to read at parts. The ending has such a good plot point, and I am still glad I read it. I’d like to watch the film and read the next book, to see what happens next! 

Olanda

I think I may be convinced that Coriolanus Snow might be Suzanna Collin’s most well-written character

A story that shows what pride and entitlement does to a human. 

Jessie!

I think I may be convinced that Coriolanus Snow might be Suzanna Collin’s most well-written character

A story that shows what pride and entitlement does to a human. 

snow lands on top is a line that goes so hard… 

Danniella

Nala

Welcome to a captivating and thrilling read that delves into the themes of power, corruption, loyalty, love, and betrayal. Collins masterfully creates realistic and relatable characters that have flaws, strengths, motivations, and emotions. Coriolanus Snow is not just a villainous antagonist; he is also a human being who struggles with his identity, his ambitions, his relationships, and his values. Lucy Gray Baird is not just a passive victim; she is also a strong-willed heroine who fights tooth and nail for her life, her freedom, and her future.

After really enjoying The Hunger Read, I had to run out and pick this one up from a bookshop just so I could continue my adventure. This one was just as brutal and through provoking. Reading about how the people in the Capitol experienced the Hunger Games was fresh and interesting. Also seeing how the mentors viewed their tributes as someone who could just make them famous was both intriguing and terrible. I truly don't understand how they can be so cold-hearted.

However, this book does have some flaws. This one is rather lengthy which does in places make the pace rather slow and makes things condensed. Also, Lucy Gray's character arc. She starts as a promising and relatable character, who is confident, smart, cunning, and brave. She challenges Snow's worldview and values and makes him question his loyalty to the Capitol. However, as the story progresses, she becomes less developed and more dependent on Snow. She loses her agency and her personality and becomes a mere object of Snow's obsession.

Overall, I think that this was a little slow at times - the third section especially - but I thoroughly enjoyed this insight into Panem's past and remained interested throughout. My only other issue is that the ending is a bit open-ended and I feel the need to know exactly what happened.

Ian Brakspear

Welcome to a captivating and thrilling read that delves into the themes of power, corruption, loyalty, love, and betrayal. Collins masterfully creates realistic and relatable characters that have flaws, strengths, motivations, and emotions. Coriolanus Snow is not just a villainous antagonist; he is also a human being who struggles with his identity, his ambitions, his relationships, and his values. Lucy Gray Baird is not just a passive victim; she is also a strong-willed heroine who fights tooth and nail for her life, her freedom, and her future.

 

After really enjoying The Hunger Read, I had to run out and pick this one up from a bookshop just so I could continue my adventure. This one was just as brutal and through provoking. Reading about how the people in the Capitol experienced the Hunger Games was fresh and interesting. Also seeing how the mentors viewed their tributes as someone who could just make them famous was both intriguing and terrible. I truly don't understand how they can be so cold-hearted.

 

However, this book does have some flaws. This one is rather lengthy which does in places make the pace rather slow and makes things condensed. Also, Lucy Gray's character arc. She starts as a promising and relatable character, who is confident, smart, cunning, and brave. She challenges Snow's worldview and values and makes him question his loyalty to the Capitol. However, as the story progresses, she becomes less developed and more dependent on Snow. She loses her agency and her personality and becomes a mere object of Snow's obsession.

 

Overall, I think that this was a little slow at times - the third section especially - but I thoroughly enjoyed this insight into Panem's past and remained interested throughout. My only other issue is that the ending is a bit open-ended and I feel the need to know exactly what happened.

julia

I really enjoyed all the tie-ins with the original trilogy and that we get to see Coriolanus' villain origin story--particularly that he wasn't all bad, just a sociopath and traumatized, which was capitalized on by the truth psychopath: Dr. Gall. It seems Snow wouldn't be who he is in the trilogy if it weren't for her special attention and patronage.

Anyway I was on the edge of my seat for the first half of the book, but the second half kind of dragged. It was incredibly long and it felt like there were too many unnecessary details. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to watching the film now.

Bethany

I really enjoyed all the tie-ins with the original trilogy and that we get to see Coriolanus' villain origin story--particularly that he wasn't all bad, just a sociopath and traumatized, which was capitalized on by the truth psychopath: Dr. Gall. It seems Snow wouldn't be who he is in the trilogy if it weren't for her special attention and patronage.

Anyway I was on the edge of my seat for the first half of the book, but the second half kind of dragged. It was incredibly long and it felt like there were too many unnecessary details. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to watching the film now.

Took me so long to finish because I didn’t know it was in Snow’s pov 

This man is actually out of this world insane and manipulative, there were things he would say that I had to stop and stare at the wall for a second 

Sílvia

Took me so long to finish because I didn’t know it was in Snow’s pov 

This man is actually out of this world insane and manipulative, there were things he would say that I had to stop and stare at the wall for a second 

Necessary for the plot obviously and good writing I just f-ing hate Coriolanus and hated reading from his pov but also Suzanne did a good job of showing the minute and slight ways of his descent to evil from the beginning in his thoughts and offhand comments he would make 

Ruby Emmeline Fisher

kari <33

good but i frankly dont care enough. like ive watched the movie so i didnt have the anticipation of will she win and i read this like 2 years after reading the og books so im kinda put of my hunger games obsession. but it still is a good book so i wont mark it down 

melanie

I watched the movie before reading this, and now that I have finished this, I can say with 100% confidence that this book adds so much to the series. Snow's inner monologue provides so much characterization (that makes you despise him) that you don't get from the film. I loved seeing Snow transform from "rude and uneducated" to "this is now a part of your character, and you are now a dictator." 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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