I didn't want to read this book because I couldn't bear the thought of humanizing President Snow. But my friend lent it to me, telling me it was worth reading before the Haymitch book.

I never should have doubted Collins. She masterfully shows how Coriolanus thinks, what motivates him, how he talks himself into the most despicable actions because he truly believes he deserves the world and everyone else is just a pawn in his game. It's chilling how highly he thinks of himself as he mistreats everyone around him.

It's fascinating to see the early Hunger Games and how different they were from the spectacle that Katniss is forced to participate in. It was eerie to see the origin of the hanging tree song. I was also struck by the use of third person, when both the Katniss and Haymitch books were first person, pretty standard for YA. I hated it and couldn't put it down.