Book Review of
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Grace's Review
I read the Hunger Games two years ago. I enjoyed them. I liked them. The writing was great and the plot kept me interested. I didn’t like that the characters had so many faults and often weren’t too lovable. But in the end, I was glad I read them.
So when The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out, I bought it. I was having surgery and I knew it would be a good time to read it.
I waited a bit to read it, but I did pick it up while I was recovering.
It was well worth it. I might even say it was better than the series. It is a prequel. It has characters I could not love, but I did end up sympathizing with them. I understand why they did stuff because they were so well developed characters.
I have heard that some die hard fans are not as pleased with this book, and I see why. But I liked it.
If you have read the Hunger Games, I encouraged you to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes because I think it will help you understand parts of the series. It will also make you look at characters differently. Because just like normal people, the characters have backstories that led to them being the people they are later in life.