The prequel to The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, published in 2020. This story follows a young President Snow and what shaped him into the villain we know from the original trilogy.
This was a book I'd known about for a while and wasn't particularly interested in reading. I'd grown up with The Hunger Games and was a huge fan but now that I'm older, I'm not interested in that world as much. Not only that but I didn't exactly like President Snow so why would I read a book entirely about him?
What converted me was the fact it was being made into a film. That's what got me hooked on the trilogy so I decided to keep in with the tradition and read it before the film comes out. That and the fact that I'm writing YA Fiction novels myself, so it's always nice to read what other authors of similar genres are creating. It left a pretty strong impression so here's my quick book review on it.
The story starts out with us getting to know Snow as a teen and his poor lifestyle. He was once one of the most esteemed citizens, from a powerful family but now he was practically starving as was most of The Capitol. We follow as he attends the Academy and has to take part in new idea to get viewers for The Hunger Games, which is for students to mentor the tributes. This is where we meet Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District Twelve who immediately puts on a show.
There are two parts to the novel; the Hunger Games where Lucy competes and Snow does his best to keep her alive, the second part where the two deal with the consequences of being allies. I don't want to give too much away in this review if you haven't read or watched it yet (although the movie trailer gives away quite a lot). We know that Snow becomes a peacekeeper after the Hunger Games. We know that Lucy plays music back at home. We know that the two of them fall in love.
I feared that this book would be all too predictable, and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Snow doesn't become the villain because of one big event. It's a number of small things that happen, and his personality that lead him to make questionable decisions.
In all honesty, I found the book to be a bit too long-winded. I was glad the whole thing wasn't just about the games, but it felt repetitive when dealing with Snow's financial situation. It also felt very political. I understand the theme of this franchise but there comes a point in a YA book that it feels too much like a commentary on real-life as opposed to being immersed in a fictional world. Perhaps it's because I'm an adult that I long for more of an escape from reality when reading rather than experiencing a lot of parallels of the negative sides of life.
Staying on that topic, there's not a lot of positivity in the book. Even the characters who are essentially good people, don't have a great storyline and it's all quite depressing. Considering that's the last book, it doesn't make me want to revisit the world of Panem.
There isn't any character that you truly route for, at least not one I connected with. The love story between Lucy and Snow is a close thing to route for but as the whole thing is from Snow's point of view, you are constantly reminded that he's just not a great guy.
By the end of it, you feel no real difference. You knew Snow was bad going into the book and you get to hear about a good portion of his past, but it's not rewarding. He's not good throughout the entire story. There are glimpses of good decisions but they are all for bad reasons. Maybe I just didn't get it or it didn't connect with me.
On a more positive note, it's a well-written novel and the story itself has a number of memorable aspects. That in itself is a huge achievement. It's just not a story that I enjoyed.
Here's my summary of The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes:
- Backstory to Snow
- You find out the history of the hanging tree
- Lucy Grey being kind throughout the story
- Snow being unlikeable throughout
- Not only focused on the Hunger Games
- Slow-paced
- No real turning point for the characters
- Dystopian commentary on politics
- Doomed lovers
My Rating - 5/10