Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved the first two thirds of this book. It was exactly what my inner Hunger Games fan needed - some added backstory to how the Game began, the evolution of them, and the main draw of the Game itself.

I also loved Snow and most the main characters throughout the entire book. They were all well developed and had various motivations. Writing was also impeccable.

But the last section.... It wasn't as intriguing as the first two. It essentially became a war drama/love story, which was never the main reason why I wanted to read the books. (This is also a lot of why I didn't care for Mockingjay.) However, things took a turn at the end that was more true to form.

I would like to see another two books in this prequel series, though. I would like another one set about twenty years from this one (not sure who I would want the POV of), and then another one about Haymitch and his game.

All in all, it's def a good read for a Hunger Games fan, but just be prepared for a tonal shift in part 3.

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