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

Description

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: 7.72

561 RATINGS

48 REVIEWS

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ReadReads

Mar 15, 2024

10/10 stars

I loved getting to hear the storyline directly from Snow's perspective. He's clearly an unreliable narrator, and the narcissism comes through in his thought processes. I don't really understand the people who sympathize with him, as I felt the book clearly painted him as a villain, just not from his own point if view. I loved how well this book ties into the rest of the series and gives explanation as to how the world developed. It was also reall...read more

megew8

Feb 28, 2024

9/10 stars

I really enjoyed some Snow backstory and how The Games as we know/knew them came to be. I would have liked to see a *slightly* different ending but am overall pleased. Also, as there are no plans for any further books, I would have liked to have the epilogue go a little further into the time between Ballad and HG. BUT, I suppose it does leave it open for more books if Collins ever feels up to it.

annberkley

Feb 26, 2024

6/10 stars

Meh. I thought it would be more of a villain origin story than it was. Also, I listened to it on audible and while the narrator did well, the way he portrayed the females in the story was a little.. off? Would not recommend listening to it as an audiobook, but overall was enjoyable and I am looking forward to the movie and hope it's a little less meh.

Davies_508

Feb 15, 2024

10/10 stars

I loved all the hunger games books and my partner bought me this book so I dove head first into it. And I loved it. I don’t get the media hype on Snow. I fell in love with Reaper and Marcus. My favourite characters.

Chuckstafer

Feb 02, 2024

8/10 stars

First things first: this was not a bad novel, it just wasn't as engaging as the original Hunger Games series was. This novel also wasn't the story that I thought I would be getting by the description. I thought it was going to be more of Snow's ascent to power as President of the Capital, but instead, it was an "origin story" of sorts about some of the defining moments in his life that started to turn Snow into the ruthless leader he was in the l...read more