Book Review : Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

 Since I bought a kindle, I have been reading many more books than I used to.  Today I finished a book, so I guess now  should review it. I'm not really a literary scholar and I am not very good at analyzing books, I will just write about what I liked and didn't like. 

I read "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" by Suzanne Collins, this book is a Prequel to the Hunger Game Trilogy taking place about 65 years before the first Hunger Games book.  It tells of a young Coryolanus Snow (who you may remember for the Hunger Games becomes the President of "the Capitol", the evil governing district responsible for the hunger games), when he was just graduating high school and getting involved in the Games for the first time. 

I really liked the original Trilogy, the whole concept where children are forced to hunt each other in an arena creates a very interesting and compelling story in my opinion.  The whole adventure is pretty gripping and is a real page turner.  This new book I would say is just as gripping and interesting and maybe a little more thought provoking as it delves into what is human nature.  I also feel a lot of symoblism is used throughout which I enjoyed unpacking.  I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone who likes the Hunger Games.

(Spoilers?)

There is still a hunger games which takes place in this novel (though it is only 1/3 of the novel). Though the main character (Snow) in this book is a mentor to a tribute, so you really see the whole Hunger Games experience from the perspective from someone living in the capitol.  I like this change of vantage point.  The interesting twist is that he falls in love with his tribute he is suppose to protect.  I didn't love when love is a thing and the two character want to be with each other and kiss and stuff, it seems pretty unrealistic for these two with such different backgrounds to fall for each other.  I guess it all happened in a pretty high stress scenario so maybe anything can happen.  Still in a book where children are sent to murder each other, I roll my eyes a little when "love" becomes something people are worrying about. (It reminds me of  this Studio C parody from the original books).  

I liked to watch the Snows characters develop as he worked through a number of disappointments and failures, and also a little bit of success.  Also I feel like a good number of twists and turns happened in the plot which I did not see coming.  It was interesting to read this book knowing from the beginning who Snow becomes in his future and trying to piece together how he gets to be that person from the character he starts out as.  Even at (and especially) at the very end, when you are really wondering how the book is going to end.  The situation changes very quickly.  I do like how it ended up. I also like Lucy Grey's character (Snow's tribute form district 12), the way she talks and thinks. 

Thats enough, if you liked the original series, I think you may also enjoy this one.  And I just read online they are planning to make a movie out of this one too. Which will be good, while I was reading it I kept thinking "this could make an awesome movie."