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

How far would you go to survive? Unsurprisingly, Coriolanus Snow would do everything it takes in the Hunger Games prequel, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

When I first found out the iconic Hunger Games series was getting a fourth book literally 10 years later, I was beyond thrilled. The book that sparked my interest in reading again was going to be rebirthed into a new form! But when I realised that the plot was about Snow, I was slightly taken aback. Usually, in the villain’s perspective, the author would sympathise with the antagonist—blaming their traumatic past as a result of their current actions. I was not looking forward to seeing Snow's redemption arc after all he’s done.

About The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

It’s 65 years in the past. The 10th annual Hunger Games has a special addition to the competition—the best of the Capitol students are assigned a tribute from the reaping to mentor as part of their final year assignment. The new “alliance” formed between Capitol and District was meant to push the citizens into watching the games.

As the Snow household has recently crumbled, Coriolanus is putting in his all to restore his family’s name and honour. However, the odds are not in his favour. When he is paired up with the worst tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, the girl from District 12, his hopes of glory diminish.

Coriolanus has to weigh his decisions, as every choice he makes could make or break his future. It will be a fight to the death in the arena but he has to survive, no matter what.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review

The premise of the novel is interesting, and a nice fan service to the original trilogy. It was a nice surprise to see the lyrics of The Hanging Tree again, although it was slightly different to Katniss’s version. Speaking of Katniss, the novel also explains Snow's hatred for Katniss since the beginning.

Besides Snow, we also got more insight into the creation of the Games and how it was in the early days.

The elephant in the room: Coriolanus Snow.

While the book doesn’t provide any redemption for Snow (thankfully), it does help us understand him and his actions better. Coriolanus is brutal and he would do everything in his power for his own benefit, and this book proved that.

I do find it interesting to see his “villain origin story” unfold, even though it wasn’t much of an origin since he was always like that.

On the other hand, it felt as though Snow wasn’t a main character in his own book. He was going through the motions of the story, without much thought of his own. Knowing of his manipulative and cunning behaviour, you’d think he would play a more active role in his own story. It was difficult for me to connect with him, not just because of his personality, but because his character felt so distant from the story.

The romance is so icky...

The way the romance is portrayed between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus gave me a weird feeling. Coriolanus views Lucy Gray as nothing but a trophy and to see her affection being manipulated by someone she cares about did not feel right. I'm not sure if forcing another star-crossed lover trope to draw parallels between them and Katniss and Peeta was a good idea...

Slow burn but the only thing I wanted to burn was this book.

The story is so slow: We’re talking about the speed of a snail. Then suddenly at the end, the snail miraculously transforms into Turbo. What a shocker it was for me to endure.

While I did appreciate the quick end (the book is already 517 pages long), it would have been nice if the pacing of the book was a bit more uniform throughout. That being said, I enjoyed the slower bits more than I did the faster ones. It gave more depth into the story which I found more enjoyable than the bits we sped through.

My Recommendation

★★★☆☆ (3/5)

There were so many things that could’ve been improved with the book but overall I thought it was an okay addition to the series.

If you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, this would be a nice inclusion to your read to tie up the series together. For fans of the dystopian genre, you’ll be in better hands in the Hunger Games trilogy than you'll be in here.

Movie adaption of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released by Lionsgate, will be out in cinemas on November 17th.

I am so excited for the movie adaptation of the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Hunger Games movies were so splendidly done, and knowing that the same person who directed the Catching Fire and Mockingjay movies is back for this adaptation is a confirmation that the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie will be a banger.

In the meantime, hold on a little longer because you don't need to read this book beforehand. You wouldn't be able to finish it in time for the movie anyway considering how draggy and long it was.

About Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins is the author of the best-selling Underland Chronicles series, which started with Gregor the Overlander.

Her groundbreaking young adult novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, were New York Times bestsellers, received wide praise, and were the basis for four popular films. She returned to the world of Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Year of the Jungle, her picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Vietnam, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim. To date, her books have been published in 53 languages around the world.