Review (⭐️⭐️ 2 stars):
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes attempts to deepen the lore of Panem by diving into the early life of Coriolanus Snow, but instead of delivering a gripping origin story, it offers a slow, unsettling narrative that’s both emotionally hollow and shockingly inappropriate for the YA shelf.
The pacing is glacial for the first half, bogged down in bureaucratic politics and Snow’s narcissistic inner monologue. The violence, while expected in this world, is crueler and more disturbing than ever—without the moral clarity that grounded the original trilogy. There’s a particularly toxic romance that feels forced and predatory, and the ending offers little resolution, just a bleak descent into psychopathy.
What makes this especially problematic is the packaging. Marketed as YA, this novel showcases manipulation, betrayal, and brutal death without any redemptive arc or lessons learned. Teens expecting a Katniss-style heroine will instead find themselves following the slow corruption of a future dictator—one who never had much of a soul to lose.
Collins can write, but this one feels like a cynical cash grab. It’s not thought-provoking, just unsettling—and not in a good way. Let’s just say I’m not singing this ballad again.