Lillian

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Lillian is Currently Reading

Lillian is currently reading

The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)

by Robert Jordan

bookshelves: currently-reading

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progress:

(23%)
— Jul 17, 2026 07:40PM

Jul 17, 2026 07:40PM

Lillian is currently reading

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

by Suzanne Collins

bookshelves: 2023-audiobook-challenge, 2023-backlist-reader-challenge, audiobook, books-i-own, dystopian, new-in-2020, romance, sci-fi, young-adult, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2023

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Lillian said: " I put off reading this one for a really long time until I finally caved because I want to see the movie 😅 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to her hit series The Hunger Games which features Coriolanus Snow at the same I put off reading this one for a really long time until I finally caved because I want to see the movie 😅 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is a prequel to her hit series The Hunger Games which features Coriolanus Snow at the same age as Katniss and opens on the day of the reaping for the 10th annual Hunger Games. I did not want to like or understand President Snow. He was callous and unnecessarily cruel to the tributes and Districts in The Hunger Games trilogy. Yet somehow, this book, his story, needed to be told.

Coriolanus is an 18 year old boy who becomes a man in the course of this book. His backstory is tragic like most children of war. He was a small child when he lost first his mother and then his father to the war between the Capital and the Districts. He has few memories from before the war, but what he does remember is colored through rose-tinted glasses. His family is a prominent member of society and a force to be reckoned with….before the war. Now, it is just Coriolanus, his cousin Tigris, and his grandmother. They live in poverty, barely making ends meet, and hoping that Coriolanus can complete his final year at the academy and go to university. All of their hopes hinge on this happening.

But it is time for the Hunger Games, and the new director is under pressure to make the Games popular. The first step is involving mentors from the academy and assigning them to tributes. Coriolanus is assigned District 12’s Lucy Gray. Lucy is a rebel from the first time we see her before she even reaches the tribute stage. She reminds the reader a lot of Katniss, and I’m not sure that was a coincidence. From her rebellious streak to singing on national television to her stunt during the games, it’s hard not to understand Coriolanus’s fascination with his tribute and his determination to see her survive.

However, this story isn’t about Lucy Gray. It’s about Coriolanus and how he becomes the pathetic man we all loathe. And, oh man, does Collins deliver! She answers all the questions we’ve had about Snow: his obsession with Katniss, his reaction to the song “The Hanging Tree,” and his roses. This is the story of a scared boy that grew up starving and poor who becomes a proud man so scared of losing his power that he becomes a tyrant and dictator.

Overall, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes exceeded my expectations. I didn’t love it, but I don’t think we’re supposed to. This is a dark story, the origin of a villain. It will not leave you with a happy feeling or a feeling of hope. It is ominous and overshadows Katniss’s story. Honestly, when I finished this one, I immediately reread The Hunger Games and loved it even more than I already do. If you are a fan of the series, like morally grey villains, or are looking for a YA dystopia, I highly recommend it. ...more "

progress:

(9%)
— Jul 15, 2026 06:34AM

Jan 07, 2024 01:40PM · see review