The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins | BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins AUDIBLE NARRATOR- Santino Fontana PUBLICATION YEAR: 2020 GENRE: Dystopian Fiction FORMAT: Audiobook & e-book BUY ONLINE: amazon

 

I remember reading The Hunger Games trilogy and loving the first two books- The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Unfortunately my love for this trilogy went downhill when I read the third and final book – Mockingjay. In fact if I remember correctly , I might have quit halfway . Overall I liked the author's easy- to- read writing style and the whole reality game theme around which the majority of the story took place. 

So when this prequel book was announced , I was not so thrilled about it. I didn't even plan on reading it this early . I had subconsciously decided that I would buy it only if the reviews were good. But the hype around this one was too much to ignore. Everyone was talking about the story line and how there were discussions about whether this book was needed in our lives or not even before its release. The thing that grasped my attention at this point was the fact that this was going to be sort of like an origin story for President Snow who was the main antagonist in the original Hunger Games series. 

I had planned on buying the physical copy but due to the implementation of the nation-wide lock down, I was unable to order any books. So I did the next best thing - I bought it on audible and simultaneously read it with the e-book format( this deadly combination is the best for those who have a difficulty  trying out any other format other than physical books) . 

Synopsis- As mentioned before , the story revolves around a young 18 year old Snow who is assigned to mentor a girl Lucy Gray from District 12 in the 10^th Hunger Games competition.

What I liked?

1.       I liked the “easy to read “ writing style of the author. It is very much like the writing style that we saw in the original Hunger Games trilogy.

2.       The story is divided into three parts- The first two parts were a joy to read. I flew through it in no time. Each chapter ended with some kind of a cliffhanger which made me excited for the next chapter.

3.      The game itself was thrilling and entertaining. It gave good nostalgic vibes and made me want to re-read the hunger games.

What I didn't like?

1.       The third and final part which comprised of at least 40 percent of the story was a big fat bore. The pacing became incredibly slow and hence felt like a torture.

2.       Despite the slow pace, I continued reading with the hope that the climax will make me forget all the flaws . Unfortunately that didn't happen as the ending failed to impress me.

 

Overall, I would say it was just a little above average for me. I loved 60 percent of the story with all my heart and absolutely loathed the remaining portion. I am sure there is going to be a sequel to this book which I am not sure if I am going to read.

RATING- 🌕🌕🌕🌖 (3.75/5)