The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games)

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.

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528 pages

Average rating: 7.69

751 RATINGS

69 REVIEWS

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mhalgren

Dec 17, 2024

4/10 stars

I really did not like this
So so slow and i just donât think it was compelling to write his story at all knowing what happens and heâs just incredibly narcissistic and too concerned with his reputation

also the end was not satisfying

Anonymous

Dec 12, 2024

8/10 stars

if Coriolanus Snow has no haters then Iâm dead.

I loved Collinsâ writing, it reminded me why I got in trouble repeatedly for staying up to read the Hunger Games. I really enjoyed untangling her symbolism and guessing what certain things would mean down the line. That said, I had to keep reminding myself that it was very intentionally written so that Snowâs voice would send me into little fits of rage, otherwise I considered stopping reading a couple of times.

Because I know the original series, I was shocked people walked away drooling over Snow, but I thought maybe the book would explain it. No. Girl, get up. In the most unfriendly way, if that is you, get your head checked.

Again all my love to Suzanne Collins <3 can we ever get a Finnick prequel? please

Monica R

Dec 12, 2024

8/10 stars

First two parts were great but the last part (especially the last 100 or less pages) felt a bit rushed or like Suzanne had to make a more drastic change to make Snow align with how he is portrayed in the original trilogy. It's not like he was a pure and sweet angel but those last 100 pages seemed to make an almost 180-degree-turn in Snow's downfall into becoming what he is in the original trilogy. Overall though, really engaging novel and curious to see how it is adapted for the big screen.

lizac

Dec 09, 2024

4/10 stars

this felt like a lost opportunity. the whole thing was very dragged out, the character development was lacking, i still have so many questions? lol

blewballoon

Nov 21, 2024

6/10 stars

You're in Coriolanus Snow's POV for the entire book, and I personally found him awful and hard to sympathize with even in the earlier parts of the story where I think he's meant to be more sympathetic and likeable. Since you don't get any other POV and Snow is so self absorbed, it's hard to get a good measure of the other characters and a sense of who they are outside of his feelings about them. I loved the Hunger Games books and movies as a teen, and it was neat to see the origins of some aspects of the games and a little more world building about the history of Panem, but I didn't really enjoy this story on its own. The writing is as clear and suspenseful as I remembered from the series, though, so it helps get through the book quicker.