Fabian &
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- Format
- Audiobook
- Edition
- ISBN 9781094290515
Reviews
easy and fun read, i liked it
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
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
men r terrifyinh
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
Finally got around to finishing this. I had already seen the film prior to reading this but regardless, I still thoroughly enjoyed. Suzanne Collins, the LEGEND you are.
Hearing this story felt so satisfying. I loved all the connections back to the original trilogy and it really felt like you began to understand Snow’s motivations throughout this life. It’s so interesting that even though in some ways his character has some endearing qualities, you can feel undercurrents throughout of where is morals are faltering. AND Lucy Grey is just fantastic and I love her.
I loved the section about the section at the beginning about the mentorship, and funnily found some sections when the games were actually on a little bit slow. I think it was just different from the in game perspective we have been given prior.
Overall, a fantastic addition to the original trilogy and now… onto Sunrise on the Reaping!
that’s a scary villain. sometimes people are just naturally born evil.
This one was rather confusing me even after a re read
the only book to ever leave me in actual despair
Omg omg omg omg
I knew this was going to be a 5 star read, but holy shit this was a home run.
if i had any qualms about it, the final chapters completely silence them
Wowowow. Now I want to read the hunger games all over again.
Collins does a remarkable job depicting the beginning of a story we already know the ending to. I could not put it down. As always her depiction of corruption, propaganda, and human nature left me devastated
First time reading a novel of any sort, so I'm not really sure if I can make a proper review about the book, but one thing's for sure: I found it pretty nice. Maybe reading a lot more will give me insights on how to write a proper review next time. But until then, all I can say is that it was a nice read :)
The fact that this book took me 4 years to read when I’m such a diehard hunger games fan should have been a warning or omen or something. I really didn’t like this book. I understand what it was trying to do, but it really didn’t work for me.
For starters a lot of things from the original trilogy are nodded to here, and for a bit it was interesting, but after a bit I started to roll my eyes. There was a particular bit where Snow expresses such vehement hatred for mockingjays, and even says that he wishes they would all die out, and reading that just made me feel like Suzanne was nudging and winking at me, “haha get it, he hates mockingjays and Katniss becomes the mockingjay hahah get it”, and yes, I got it.
Secondly, Snow’s character wasn’t all that compelling. Hell, I think i liked him way more as a villain when I didn’t know anything about him. He wasn’t interesting, he was actually quite boring. For a villain as compelling as Snow, I felt this origin story did not do him justice at all. He didn’t feel nuanced enough for me, I get that he becomes a horrible dictator in the future but I was hoping to see a steady progression to that, and that wasn’t there.
I hated the romance that was added in. A lot of it was to show Snow’s controlling nature and how selfish he was, with all the depictions of how much he viewed Lucy Gray as his property, or some sort of trophy, but it hurt to read. Which I guess was the point, but still. I felt like it also did a disservice to Lucy Gray’s character too, I really didn’t find her that compelling.
The pacing of this book was so aggravating to me. It was interesting for a little while but somewhere in there I got so bored. It like flatlined for a majority of the book. It wastes so much time in the middle I felt like, and then rushed to the end. I was so over it.
Anyway, I liked some of the characters, Reaper and Sejanus were some favorites. I liked the Covey too, i wish we got more of them. I guess that’s it, 11 year old me would be appalled by this review.
Interesting back story, I enjoyed reading it from Snow's point of view.
The story got very slow paced in the middle but towards the end it got interesting again.
Originally, I was not at all thrilled at the announcement of this book, its subject in particular. And I am still glad that I left reading it until now; I think that was the rigth decision as it helped me approach it with more of a positive attitude and an open mind.
Frankly, in the hands of a different author, this could have been an absolute disaster. However, Collins is miles above many of her peers with excellent command of language, plot and themes. It genuinely feels refreshing to read a book that is both an entertaining read and clear and smart in its messaging, whilst also remaining firmly within its target age group (YA / older YA).
One thing I really liked about the novel is that Collins does not directly condemn anyone's actions. Obviously, the audience already knows who Coriolanus is, they come with a pre-concieved notion of him. However, rather than trying to make him excessively cruel or comically evil, Collins lets the character take the natural direction of development - a culmination of his upbringing, circumstances and personality. Instead of blatantly stating his characteristics and giving them a moral value (increasingly rare in mainstream YA and NA), she often places other characters in juxtaposition of him. She leads the readers to ask questions of what is right and what is wrong, how would they react if put in those same situations, and trusts them enough to find their own answers. It is simple but smart writing and what helps bring so much nuance to "The Hunger Games" series.
Another thing that is notable to me is that Collins is absolutely excellent at building up tension. She has such great mastery over her prose that you cannot help but feel anxious in moments that are meant to be joyous, suspicious when things are going well for the characters (even until the very end), moved in dramatic moments (even if Coriolanus, as the main POV, is not). It makes this novel almost fun to read; I definitely gasped in real life at several points. And she achieves all of this even though we know how it all ends!
Last but not least, as always, her worldbuilding is fascinating. It feels grounded in reality - something that a lot of the series' dystopian peers and children seem to lack - and that is because Collins seems to ask how could we get to this point in the first place. This helps here a lot as it allows to create a setting that clearly belongs to the same universe as the original trilogy but does not feel too familiar or like a repeat.
On the downside, there are parts where the novel feels too connected and referential to the original. I think she could have toned down the elements of the mockingjays and even the Hanging Tree, though it is funny to imagine how gagged Snow was when Katniss showed up.
Unfortunately, having first seen the movie, I couldn't completely enjoy the plot twists. Still an amazing story, with an original POV compared to the first trilogy.
It was a little to dragged out in some parts but overall a really good book.
Highlights
Coriolanus knew it had hit home, this dark, moving, far too personal account of her life. He knew the gifts would pour into the arena for her. That her success, even now, reflected back on him, making it his success. Snow lands on top and all that. He knew he should be elated at this turn of events and jumping up and down inside while presenting a modest, pleased front. But what he really felt was jealous.
For a moment he laughed, forgetting where they were, how depressing the backdrop. For a moment there was just her smile, the musical cadence of her voice, and the hint of flirtation.
Lucy Gray was one thing belonging to Coriolanus that he would never, ever get.
But he had thought about her more as his contender. His filly in a race, his dog in a fight. The more he had treated her as something special, the more she’d become human.
Without turning he knew it was the girl, his girl, and he felt immense relied that he was not entirely alone.
He‘d decided, for simplicity‘s sake, to cross the teams off in pairs, regardless of what had happened to them. He didn‘t mean to be ruthless, but there was not other way to keep it straight.
oh! doesn‘t this encapsulate coryo‘s character sosososo well.
A second-class citizen. Human, but bestial. Smart, perhaps, but not evolved.
Miss Collins really did not want anyone misinterpreting her, huh?
you could put a turnip in a ball gown and it would still beg to be mashed.
i like these small pieces of snow shining through in the still deciding stage of who coryo would choose to be.
Coriolanus felt sure he'd spotted his first mockingjay, and he disliked the thing on sight.
Mrs. Plinth shook her head. "No. No. Your cousin's his only friend."
How sad, thought Coriolanus. To have no friends.
"But surely, you're not comparing our children to theirs?" asked Lucky. "One look tells you ours are a superior breed."
"One look tells you ours have had more food, nicer clothing, and better dental care,' said Dean Highbottom. "Assuming anything more, a physical, mental, or especially a moral superiority, would be a mistake. That sort of hubris almost finished us off in the war."
On reflection, he had never even learned her name, but it had earned him the reputation of being rather a player.
But Lucy Gray was his tribute, headed into the arena. And even if the circumstances were different, she'd still be a girl from the districts, or at least not Capitol. A second-class citizen. Human, but bestial. Smart, perhaps, but not evolved. Part of a shapeless mass of unfortunate, barbaric creatures that hovered on the periphery of his consciousness.
So he added a paragraph about his deep relief on winning the war, and the grim satisfaction of seeing the Capitol's enemies, whơ'd treated him so cruelly, who'd cost his family so much, brought to their knees. Hobbled. Impotent. Unable to hurt him anymore. He'd loved the unfamiliar sense of safety that their defeat had brought. The security that could only come with power. The ability to control things. Yes, that was what he'd loved best of all.
He swallowed his peevishness and accepted the congratulations that were pouring in from all sides. They helped to him that he was the real star of the evening. Even if Lucy Gray was confused on the issue, in the eyes of the Capitol, she beong to him. What point would there be in crediting a district tribute.
"I think your odds get better by the minute," said Coriolanus, adjusting a hot pink rosebud in her hair. It matched the one on his lapel, just in case anyone needed a reminder of who Lucy Gray belonged to.
"Well, you know what they say. The show's not over until the mockingjay sings," she said.
"The mockingjay?" He laughed. "Really, I think you're just making these things up."
"Not that one. A mockingjay's a bona fide bird, she assured him.
"And it sings in your show?" he asked.
"Not my show, sweetheart. Yours. The Capitol's anyway" said Lucy Gray. "I think we're up.
He could see Lucy Gray trying to hold on to a shred of dignity, sitting as upright as the chains would allow and gazing straight ahead, ignoring the corpse swinging gently over her head. But it was no use. The dirt, the shackles, the public display - it was too much to overcome. He tried to imagine conducting himself under those circumstances, until he realized this was undoubtedly what Sejanus was doing, and snapped out of it.
