“The Hunger Games are a reminder of what monsters we are and how we need the Capitol to keep us from chaos,” (Collins 343).
On the morning of the reaping of the tenth annual Hunger Games, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow learns he will be mentoring the female tribute of District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. While unfortunate, Coriolanus won’t let his disappointment of tribute affect him. The odds are already against the Snow family, once mighty the Snows are now struggling, and only Coriolanus’ charm and smarts has allowed him to follow his family’s mantra that he hopes will one day again be true: Snow lands on top. But Coriolanus is drawn to Lucy Gray, and though he knows the tributes from District 12 have little hope of surviving, let alone the Hunger Games but Coriolanus is determined to do just that, even if it means breaking some rules.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Hunger Games. I love the idea of them and what Collins is making a point of in her series. I think they’re very smart books, well-thought out, and I appreciate the series for everything it does, but I never found the books enjoyable. To me they always dragged on and were kind of a slog to get through, which is why I think it took me so long to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I really only read it because the movie just came out (I think it looks good) and I was getting annoyed at the plot being spoiled to me through TikTok. So now I’ve read it, and it is and isn’t what I was expecting.
The Hunger Games was the first book I read that was written in first person present perspective, so I was shocked to see that Collins wrote Coriolanus from a third-person perspective. I think this worked better for Coriolanus though because having to get inside that for a first person perspective would be difficult. He is a truly awful character. It’s impressive, honestly, at how irredeemable Collins makes Coriolanus. He’s prideful, selfish, manipulative, and cares very little about anyone despite himself (later including Lucy Gray into things he cares about) and redeeming his family’s legacy. It’s fascinating to see Coriolanus’ inner monologue versus his actions to others around him, how he considers what would give him the best advantage to others and changing his choices accordingly.
He looks down on almost everyone, even his grandmother and cousin, but it’s how he looks at Lucy Gray that’s really interesting. I’m hesitant to call what’s between them a love story because it’s more of a story about obsession and possession. Coriolanus often views Lucy Gray as something other, a pet, something he can control. He even comments later on that he preferred when Lucy Gray was in the arena because at least he knew where she was then. He’s jealous of the idea of her with someone other than him and seems utterly incapable of seeing Lucy Gray as a person and victim of war just as he is. This of course builds with some new information Collins gives on the Capitol side of the Hunger Games which is truly horrifying. The way the Capitol dehumanizes the tributes is disturbing, from having them be looked at by a veterinarian as opposed to a doctor and the way they are turned into monsters by the Capitol. It’s the true strength of the Hunger Games series, how propaganda and war can turn us into monsters.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a worthy addition to the Hunger Games series. Suzanne Collins is such a mysterious author and I hope she continues teasing her fans with snippets into the games and Panem with more books from other characters in the series. Get ready to restart your Hunger Games obsessions!
Publication: May 19 2020
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 520 (Hardcover)
Source: Owned
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia, Prequel
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, 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.
Sarah O'Connor 