465. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Rating: ☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
517 pages, published May 19, 2020
Reading Format: Audio Book on Hoopla
Summary
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to the wildly popular Hunger Games Trilogy. The book opens with the reaping in advance of the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18 year old Coriolanus Snow, whose prominent family has fallen on hard times after the death of his military hero father, is preparing to serve as a mentor in the Games and hope that the experience will provide him the redemption he desperately seeks. Snow is assigned to tribute Lucy Gray Baird, a 16 year old singer/songwriter from District 12. As the games proceed, Snow develops feelings for Lucy and starts to question the life he has led.
Quotes
“You’ve no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with, and they’re not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn’t give you that right. Having more weapons doesn’t give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.”
“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.”
“That is the thing with giving your heart. You never wait for someone to ask. You hold it out and hope they want it.”
“You can blame it on the circumstances, the environment, but you made the choices you made, no one else. It’s a lot to take in all at once, but it’s essential that you make an effort to answer that question. Who are human beings? Because who we are determines the type of governing we need. Later on, I hope you can reflect and be honest with yourself about that you learned tonight.”
“And try not to look down on people who had to choose between death and disgrace.”
“We control it,” he said quietly. “If the war’s impossible to end, then we have to control it indefinitely. Just as we do now. With the Peacekeepers occupying the districts, with strict laws, and with reminders of who’s in charge, like the Hunger Games. In any scenario, it’s preferable to have the upper hand, to be the victor rather than the defeated.”
“I’m planning to,” said Sejanus. “I’m planning to build a whole new beautiful life here. One where, in my own small way, I can make the world a better place.”
My Take
While not quite as good as The Hunger Games trilogy, I enjoyed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which provided insight into how Coriolanus Snow became a heartless tyrant in later life. I especially liked the characters of Sejanus and Lucy who preserved their humanity in spite of horrific conditions.
