The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)
-
-
4.5 • 6.8K Ratings
-
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price.
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 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A generation before Katniss Everdeen won the Hunger Games (and our hearts) with her bravery and sacrifice, a different underdog prepared to face the reaping. We all know Coriolanus Snow as the tyrannical president of Panem. But at 18, he was the heir of a formerly great family and a laughing stock. At first, an assignment to mentor a destitute girl from District 12 seems like the ultimate demotion for Coriolanus, but working with the strangely charismatic Lucy Gray presents him with an opportunity to reclaim his family’s ruling status—if he can navigate the web of old alliances, new money, and shifting loyalties. We were floored by Suzanne Collins’ captivating prequel, which proves that even the most nefarious villain is still the hero of their own story—and isn’t 100 percent terrible. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is just as exhilarating as the other books in the Hunger Games series.
Customer Reviews
Good but slow
I enjoyed this book. I appreciated the amount of detail and the insight into Snow’s background and his evolution into the evil dictator we see throughout The Hunger Games series. It was interesting to see how his experiences and choices shaped the person he eventually became.
That said, the book was very slow in places. At times, I struggled to keep reading and maintain my interest. The chapters were also really long, which made it difficult to find a good place to stop. Overall, it was a good book, but I think it could have been shortened a bit while still telling the same story.
Amazing.
This story was amazing, definitely in my top. I decided to read this after I watched the movie, I wanted to see more of Coriolanus’s POV, and I did. This book was amazing. I almost felt sorry for him, but in the end I know Lucy is still out there, I got hope for my girl. This story was fascinating, thrilling, and terrifying. The end when he’s in the forest really was the cherry on top for me, it was as almost I felt his rage/sadness. Wish he never said anything about 3 people and went on to live with Lucy but without that we’d never have Katniss to thank for ridding the world of a terrible leader <3
AWESOMENESS
I really enjoyed this book. I love the series so I was really excited when this came out.