The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review by Vennela Japa

 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review by Vennela Japa

I got this book back in July 2020, as a birthday present. I wanted it for so long because The

Hunger Games trilogy was my everything back in elementary school, and this book would allow

me to jump right back into that world. I decided to re-read it recently, in excitement for the

movie coming out in November this year. This book is, spectacular to say the least. The

world-building and character development are well flushed out, and the storyline is captivating.

While some say that the book is too long, or got boring at parts, I disagree. I found myself

entranced throughout the entire book. The most fascinating part of the book was Coriolanus

Snow’s slow journey towards evil and how his life led him to be the madman the people of

Panem knew in the original trilogy, President Snow. The book features many callbacks to the

previous trilogy, fun little things to notice as you read the novel. The side characters, while there

are many, are three-dimensional. Lucy Gray, our other main character apart from President

Snow is a mysterious character that captivates the book’s audience as soon as they first meet her.

The ending is shocking and lets the reader perceive it as they may. I don’t want to spoil anything,

but we figure out exactly why Snow is the way he is, and who created him to be the monster he

became. Many were disappointed when The Ballad was announced, preferring the story of

another character from the original trilogy to focus on, not the twisted villain who seems to be

unforgivable. Yet, this brought a new perspective to the original novels, a new perspective on

who Snow really is. I highly recommend reading this book, and I highly recommend watching

the movie in November. I know I’ll be there on opening night in theaters.