The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

by Suzanne Collins

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

A long-desired companion to THE HUNGER GAMES, THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES is an interesting story and expanded exploration of Panem. While I don't think this book is quite as high-quality as the original trilogy, I did enjoy it. The characters were flat, the plot meandered... but the world was as fantastic as ever.

Knowing how Panem and the Hunger Games evolved in the early days after the war was a tidbit of knowledge I didn't know I wanted until I started reading this one. I was fascinated by the growth of the world, and I absolutely felt like the founding stones for the world we know during Katniss' era are all here in THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES. My biggest complaints are in the shallowness of the characters (Lucy Gray Baird, in particular, felt like a lost opportunity), the length of the book, and the abruptness of the ending. If you're looking for a strong, character-driven story, THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES isn't it. But if you're interested in the world of THE HUNGER GAMES, I think this is a great exploration of this world, and in general, it's an enjoyable, thought-provoking read.

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