It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, 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.
Description from Goodreads.com.
Review by: Bethany Cantrell
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is the latest edition to the popular YA dystopian series: The Hunger Games. Set sixty-four years before the events of the first novel, this prequel takes readers along Coriolanus Snow's journey as a mentor in the Tenth Annual Hunger Games, and beyond. Snow's world is turned upside down when he meets the talented and charming Lucy Gray Baird, the young woman that he is tasked with mentoring as she fights for her life in the arena. Collins expertly weaves themes of corruption and the dangers of control into her writing as Snow struggles between his thirst for power and his desire to do what is right.
This thought-provoking book was by far one of my favorite reads of the summer. The characters are distinct and incredibly engaging. The plot is delightfully unpredictable. Snow's role in the series is well-established, and yet I was still surprised by his inevitable slip towards the power-hungry President of Panem that fans of the series know him to be. Collins' clever use of the unreliable narrator style leads the reader to reflect on the novel's themes of manipulation.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is thoroughly well-written and arguably one of Collins' finest works. I would highly recommend it to any fans of The Hunger Games, as well as anyone seeking an emotionally impactful book. It is one that you will not want to put down and, once finished, will want to reread again and again.
Interested in reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Visit the Reference Room in the Hardin Valley Campus Library or request it for pick up at your closest campus online at: https://pstcc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01TNTECH_INST/df3ard/alma991009774392403166
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