The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins REVIEW

 Summary:

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 out maneuver 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.

My Thoughts:

It started off nicely, and then was a slump for a bit before going back to being interesting. I do really wish that how Snow got the presidency was included, as we barely know anything about that.

Snow is originally a character to sympathize with. His family, though famous and from the Capitol, is very poor and they worry about losing their home daily. I don't really see how choosing to follow the rules over love made him the cruel president we see during Katniss's time though. I honestly wish we got more of Sejanus (a brief friend of Snow's before he is betrayed and hung). He seemed like a more interesting character to me. I now know why Snow hates District 12 though. I wish we knew more about the rivalry between the headmaster, Dr. Gaul, and Snow's father. 

I don't understand why the tributes were basically starved before the games. If you want someone to fight to the death and be entertained by it...they kind of have to be at full strength. 

It was good to read, but if you're just a casual fan, you might not want to. While some parts were great, others were extremely boring.

My Rating: 2 stars