by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, 2020. 517 pages. Young Adult
The Tenth Annual Hunger Games are about to begin, and Coriolanus Snow has been chosen as a mentor. A win in these Games could bring glory to the Snow name, which saw better days before the war; the family depends on the slim chance that Coriolanus's tribute outlasts the other twenty-three. But the odds are not in his favor: humiliatingly, he's been assigned the female tribute from destitute District 12. He'll soon see how intricately interwoven their fates are: both inside the arena in a fight to the death, and outside the arena as the desire to follow the rules competes with the necessity to survive.
This newest installment of the Hunger Games saga has received some heavy criticism since it's publishing earlier this year. It certainly has a more philosophical feel when compared to the previous plot-driven novels. It goes above and beyond the typical villain origin story, exploring morally grey areas and the importance of following the rules, rather than presenting the villain in as a sympathetic character. To be honest, I didn't read it as voraciously as the original trilogy because it wasn't as much of a thrill ride. But I don't think it's bad for a book to make you think as you read it.
DT
2 comments:
I was intrigued by the contrast between what the Games were like in the early years and how they are run in the trilogy. While Snow never really became a likable character, it was fascinating to see how the war shaped his world view and how he got to be the person he is in the trilogy. This book should be read after reading The Hunger Games trilogy. It's not as engaging as the others, but it would make for a great discussion on how people's values impact their decisions. I would definitely recommend to anyone that enjoyed The Hunger Games.
I listened to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on Overdrive and I really enjoyed it in this format versus reading the physical book. This book has a lot of moral and ethical topics that would be good to discuss. The pace is definitely a lot slower than the original trilogy and I got used to that pacing, but then the last part of the book changed and almost moved too quickly. I'm interested to see if the author continues with more books about the earlier years of Coriolanus Snow.
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