Recently I finished reading the much awaited Hunger Games prequel. And for me, it matched all my expectations if not more.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action-adventure novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is a spinoff and a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, released on 19th May 2020. The story is set in the Capitol, during the 10th Hunger Games. Coriolanus Snow, an 18 year old student of the academy, has been selected as one of the mentors for the tributes of the Hunger Games.
The story shows us the descent of Snow becoming the narcissistic, selfish and cruel dictator that we know from the Hunger Games trilogy. Here a mere teenager, we see how he slowly transforms into a psychopath with the story of his earlier years.
The character of Lucy Gray is refreshing and bright, in contrast to the dark and grim atmosphere of the Capitol. A singer from district 12, she gets selected as one of the tributes with Snow as her mentor. One with a headstrong personality who craves freedom she will be hard not be become a fan favourite. While she may be fun, she also has her serious moments when you realise that she is also very smart and quick.
The book gives us large insight into how the Hunger Games used to earlier work. How the tributes were treated, what the arena used to look like. It also tells us how they were created and gave us a perspective of how the people of the Capitol viewed them.
The story was more character driven than plot, but still is enjoyable to read, albeit a bit slow. The main focus was on the characters and even the philosophical thoughts of Snow. The action was toned down as compared to the trilogy.
Overall it is an amazing book and fans of The Hunger Games should definitely read it.
"Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings."
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