Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina

Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

By: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian

Pages: 540

Release Date: May 19th, 2020

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Rating: ★★★★☆

Summary from Goodreads:

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-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 out charm, 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.

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Review:

I have to say, I'm kinda torn with this book. As a story, it was really interesting, but as part of the Hunger Games series, I wasn't sucked into the world like I was with the trilogy. I wanted to feel the same excitement and thrills that I felt before, but I was left on the outside of the hunger games with the lack of technology and emotions.

It seemed like everyone was just crazy, and Snow wasn't really Snow, nor did I find out really how he became to be the same man I knew from the trilogy.

With all that being said, after a while I threw out the whole Hunger Games thrill of it all and just enjoyed the book as a new experience instead of a whole series. I loved the music and and the snakes. They really played an intricate part of the story. All in all, it was a pleasant read.