Read my full review at between-the-shelves.com!

First and foremost: this is not a redemption story for Snow. I know that was a lot of people's fears going into this book, and it most definitely is not that. He does some pretty terrible things in this book, just like in the original trilogy.

The history in this novel is probably my favorite part. At this point, the Hunger Games are a far cry from the spectacle that they've become in Katniss's time. The tributes are basically treated like prisoners (but not lavish prisoners like Katniss and the others). They're starved, kept in cages, basically treated like animals. However, there are moments where we see some of the elements we're familiar with start to creep in: gifts to the tributes in the arena, mentors, and television interviews.

While you could read this book before reading The Hunger Games, there are a lot of connections and references to the original books that you'd miss. As someone who is familiar with The Hunger Games, I can't say whether or not some of the events would be difficult to follow. But there were parts that felt more rewarding because there were referencing things that happened in the original books. Honestly, I wouldn't mind more historical Panem books like this. Give me a story about Haymitch, please!

Snow is a terrible person. We saw this again and again in the original books, and we see it here too. Yes, his family is struggling after the war, not being able to find food and almost getting kicked out of their apartment (side note: there's a main character in this book that we also see in Mockingjay who is a part of Snow's family). It's clear from his actions that Snow will do absolutely anything to restore his family's name. Which means that some of these actions are difficult to read.

His narrative voice also wasn't my favorite thing. One of my favorite things about The Hunger Games is Katniss's snarky commentary. Her voice adds something to the story. For me, Snow's voice felt flat a lot of the time, almost like he was trying to stay polished and proper. It fit his character, it just wasn't something that I could connect to. There's also a bit of a romance, which felt out of place for me in terms of his character. From what we know about him, it just didn't feel like it fit with the story.

I think I'll be sticking to my original rating for this book. It's cleverly written with a lot of Easter eggs for those that are familiar with the original books. Though it's dark and Snow is a bit difficult to swallow, I'm happy with how this book contributes to the original universe. It's an interesting look at motivations and how some power structures get put into place. Division! Division is key in making Panem the way that it is. I think there will be division on this book as more people read it, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.
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I *think* I'm going to leave this at 4 stars. Snow's point of view is...not fun to read at times, but I thoroughly appreciate all the history of Panem we get in here. Stay tuned for a full review tomorrow!