I was initially reluctant to read this book. It is really hard to find a worthwhile, satisfying prequel, and especially one that focusses on a villain. With all the hype around the film though, I was excited to give it a go, and I really enjoyed it!

There were two stand-out features of this book for me, and that was the characterisation of Coriolanus Snow, and the development of the Hunger Games themselves.

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I was worried that Snow would either become too sympathetic of a character, or have a superhero-villain-style, extreme backstory. However, I thought he was pitched exactly right! He had enough sympathetic moments to be a credible protagonist, but throughout all his decisions we could see his moral failings. It was such a great depiction of a complex, villainous figure, who has convinced himself that he is doing the right thing.

I also loved how the Hunger Games were portrayed. The Games are still a relatively new concept in this book, and many of the iconic moments from the original books are missing. While some of the gaps were filled in – how gifts were introduced, or the first televised interviews – there were some things still left undiscussed, such as the new arenas or the opening parade. I thought this was the perfect balance, as you really got a sense of the development of the Games over time into a long-standing tradition.

Reading this book was a very similar experience to reading the original trilogy, so easy to get stuck right into! The only drawback for me is that the final section really dragged, and felt quite detached from the rest of the novel. I think the impact it had could have been achieved in fewer chapters, that were more closely linked to the main storyline.

This was such a great return to Panem, and a reminder of quite how good Suzanne Collins is in the world of YA dystopia!