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

Hunger Games fans rejoice, we have a prequel in our midst! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (I’m not too keen on the title, if we’re being honest) follows Coriolanus Snow—yes, that Snow!—during the tenth annual Hunger Games. He is an 18-year-old student at the Academy in the Capitol and this is the first year that mentors have been introduced in the Games. Snow is one of 24 Academy seniors chosen as a mentor, but has been given the embarrassing task of mentoring the girl from District 12. To secure the high status of his family name, as well as his future as a leader of Panem, this is Snow’s one chance to prove his worth.

“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.”

Now, time for the review! I will start with my spoiler-free thoughts and then give an obvious warning when I’m ready to spill the spoiler-ridden beans.

I think it was fascinating to read about a “protagonist” that you know eventually becomes the villain in the main Hunger Games trilogy. We’re following Snow’s story as a mentor, but we obviously don’t want to root for him…right? I will admit that there were moments-a-plenty when Collins had me waving my “Let’s Go Snow!” signs, but then she’d toss in a comment that made me tilt my head and remember how this story inevitably ends. While some may argue that Snow’s character development is inconsistent, I believe the underlying tone representative of his true character is stable throughout the story. Even when he’s doing something noble, you’ll be left scratching your chin and wondering otherwise.

I loved learning about the early development of the games when it was all still in a primitive stage. The bells and whistles that are ever-present in the recent Games are nowhere to be found, yet you’re still on the edge of your seat as the contest progresses. As Snow participates as a mentor and completes an Academy class under the instruction of the Head Gamemaker, he analytically explores the social and political reasoning behind the Games (an aspect that differentiates this installment from Collins’s first three books). Characters from the original trilogy—or at least familiar family names—are sprinkled throughout the story. Flickerman, Heavensbee, Crane… It’s interesting to learn of these prominent families and their multi-generational roles in the Games. Plus, we get a fresh view of District 12, before the viewing of the Games were mandatory and music was outlawed. And speaking of music, we are reintroduced to two songs from the original series.

Now for the downsides. I think the events leading up to the actual Games were way too drawn out—the opening gong doesn’t sound until over 200 pages in. The Games itself only lasts 100 pages, which left me perplexed as I noticed I still had another 200 pages to go. While the last few chapters were a whirlwind of action, the pages proceeding it (about the last third of the book) moved at about 75% speed…enough to keep me wanting more, but not quite as fast as I’d like. As for the ending… I understand that not every question can or should be neatly answered, but I felt that there were a few too many holes left unfilled. Perhaps there is a sequel in our future? All in all, if you enjoyed the first three Hunger Games books, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I was a little disappointed in the ending, only because I read the entire book with my own theory in mind, thinking it would definitely be proven or refuted by the end. My guess was that Lucy Gray would leave Snow (or vice versa) because of his alignment of ideals with the Capital, go off and marry someone else in District 12, and have Katniss Everdeen as a granddaughter. I think this theory was even more solidified by the fact that music was banned in District 12 by the end of the novel, but Katniss sings two of the same songs in the original trilogy. If she wasn’t Lucy Gray’s granddaughter, I think she was the granddaughter of one of the Covey members (maybe Maude Ivory) and these songs were passed down in their family. Plus, both Katniss and the Covey family lived in the same area: the Seam of District 12 near the woods. Coincidence? I think not. However, no part of this theory is addressed near the end of the story or in the epilogue. Perhaps it’s one of those ideas that has a lot of merit, but the author doesn’t want to outright confirm it so that the reader can make their own inferences.

Can we talk about how Lucy Gray just disappeared in the end?? I’m glad that she finally caught on to Snow’s trail of lies and cover-ups, and the scene where he is chasing her through the woods and unloaded all his bullets in an attempt to kill her had me at the edge of my seat! But after he can’t find her, Snow just goes back to District 12 and we hear nothing more of Lucy Gray. Was she hit by one of the bullets? Did she manage to survive? I think this might be Collins’s way of connecting Lucy Gray’s end to her ballad—her footsteps stopped and she was nowhere to be found. If she did survive, I doubt she’d be able to return to District 12 for fear of Snow finding and killing her, which puts a dent in my aforementioned theory. I think Katniss being a granddaughter of Maude Ivory makes more sense considering this line of thought.

Also, we never found out what caused the bombing during the arena tour. I figured we’d at least get this answer since it killed quite a few characters. At least we finally found out about the relationship between Snow’s dad and Dean Highbottom (which was mildly anticlimactic). Regardless of these faults, however, I still loved this book!

Comment below what you thought about this book! Did it live up to your expectations?