The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy and follows the coming-up of Coriolanus Snow. The house of Snow has fallen on hard times after the district’s rebellions several years prior and he’s losing his ability to hide it and keep his status. Snow starts the novel as an eighteen-year-old student at the Academy where he’s being assigned a tribute to mentor through the Hunger Games. He’s determined to win so that he can win the prize money and save his family name. He gets assigned the girl from District 12 which he believes to be a losing sentence, but when she makes a big splash at her reaping, Coriolanus decides to do everything he can to get her to win. Once his tribute, Lucy Gray, reaches the Capitol, he realizes that she’s more fierce and wonderful than he’s ever imagined and he starts to fall in love.
I thought that this novel was a great addition to the Hunger Games universe, albeit not quite as great as the original trilogy. At the start of the novel, Collins tries to humanize Snow which was strange to read, but Snow quickly starts to descend into his truly evil self. Throughout the book, the development of his relationship with Lucy Gray perfectly goes along with his character development and adds a great romance aspect. Additionally, Snow’s eventual betrayal of those that he loves helps affirm him as the monster we see from Katniss’ story. Overall, I would give this novel a 3.8 out of 5 stars because it was a really well-written novel, but didn’t quite live up to the original books. If you are a Hunger Games fan, love dystopian fiction, or want to know how someone could turn completely evil from being a mostly respectable person, I highly recommend that you read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Review Written by Ada, 9th Grade