The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I’m always nervous to continue a series long after I’ve finished it, even if it is a prequel of sorts.You never know if you’ve changed too much to still enjoy the world and characters, or if the author’s writing or storytelling just isn’t the same as it once was.But I needn’t have been worried because The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was great.We drop right back into the cruelty of this dystopian world, which is both nostalgic and unsettling. We get to see more of how the Hunger Games was created, more of its origin story, and more explanation/backstory for things that happen within the original series.It was an enjoyable read, especially if you cast aside any expectations. It’s never going to live up to our fondness for the original series. It doesn’t have that freshness, that excitement. But it does contain some nice closure for a series that helped me through a lot.For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel

I’m not sure I can even recommend this book. It was equal parts of boring and interesting. However, the one thing that really stood out was Snow (obviously). I hate him so much, but that’s the point, right? As soon as I started this book, I knew I’d have a problem with the evil that is Coriolanus Snow. He is loyal to no one but himself. Once he's met with an opportunity to attain power, he'll stop at nothing and will quickly discard anyone in his way, even the one person he claimed to have affection for. He's a very well written villain. His manipulative ways and rise to power were fascinating. The book wasn’t great, but Snow was definitely one of the highlights.Lucy Gray is one of the brighter spots in this book. She’s got so much personality, but I felt like her character was a bit underused. She’s the perfect contrast to Snow’s evilness, but I couldn’t help feeling like she deserved more depth. Still, I was invested in her story, even if Snow kept stealing the spotlight.Overall, this was an easy read. The writing wasn't epic or anything, so Snow's rise to power was the only thing that I was interested in.