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ashylibrarian 's review for:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins
2.5/5 (audiobook)
I was honestly rather hesitant about picking up this book because, after my reread of The Hunger Games series, I was not a fan. But I kind of wanted to see what the hype/controversy was all about and form my own opinions on it.
This book started off pretty strong for me. I enjoyed the quick-paced plot that told the story of one of young adult's most hated villains. I also really liked the premise of this book because I enjoy learning backstories about characters I have strong feelings about but have limited information about within novels. President Snow always seem to get my blood boiling.
It was engaging to learn more about the Capital, the Snow family, Panem, the games, and District 12. However the plot really died for me in the last quarter or so of the novel. The ending did pick up and had a pretty intense finish, but I did find myself losing interest after the games were over.
I do like how Suzanne Collins created this novel not to highlight the villain and make the readers feel sympathetic for him but to instead show how he worked through the corruption, the horror, and the injustice in order to create the horrible the Hunger Games and Capital that we know today.
Lucy Gray's character was a charmer. I was a little hesitant about her when she was initially picked during the reaping, but my feelings quickly changed. Her energetic, optimistic character created something to root for within this novel. It was kind of predictable that she was going to win the 10th Hunger Games, but there were still some surprises about the way she won. Lucy Gray brought joy, hope, and color to this story.
As a final thought, I really enjoyed all the references and answers to the series, especially the parts that I knew I had questions about, like the hanging tree song, the mockingjays, the development of The Hunger Games, and how President Snow came to be with his blood and roses.
Over all, this is probably my second favorite book in The Hunger Games family, but I still can't say that I really enjoyed the series. I love the idea and world that Collins built with this series, and I really do wish that I liked it more, but I can't seem to look past all of the issues I had within the trilogy.
I was honestly rather hesitant about picking up this book because, after my reread of The Hunger Games series, I was not a fan. But I kind of wanted to see what the hype/controversy was all about and form my own opinions on it.
This book started off pretty strong for me. I enjoyed the quick-paced plot that told the story of one of young adult's most hated villains. I also really liked the premise of this book because I enjoy learning backstories about characters I have strong feelings about but have limited information about within novels. President Snow always seem to get my blood boiling.
It was engaging to learn more about the Capital, the Snow family, Panem, the games, and District 12. However the plot really died for me in the last quarter or so of the novel. The ending did pick up and had a pretty intense finish, but I did find myself losing interest after the games were over.
I do like how Suzanne Collins created this novel not to highlight the villain and make the readers feel sympathetic for him but to instead show how he worked through the corruption, the horror, and the injustice in order to create the horrible the Hunger Games and Capital that we know today.
Lucy Gray's character was a charmer. I was a little hesitant about her when she was initially picked during the reaping, but my feelings quickly changed. Her energetic, optimistic character created something to root for within this novel. It was kind of predictable that she was going to win the 10th Hunger Games, but there were still some surprises about the way she won. Lucy Gray brought joy, hope, and color to this story.
As a final thought, I really enjoyed all the references and answers to the series, especially the parts that I knew I had questions about, like the hanging tree song, the mockingjays, the development of The Hunger Games, and how President Snow came to be with his blood and roses.
Over all, this is probably my second favorite book in The Hunger Games family, but I still can't say that I really enjoyed the series. I love the idea and world that Collins built with this series, and I really do wish that I liked it more, but I can't seem to look past all of the issues I had within the trilogy.