The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel)

I really enjoyed discovering why Snow became the man he did and initially I felt very sympathetic towards him thanks to some great writing and the events that occurred. Felt the ending was a bit rushed though after how well the rest of the plot had been developed.

This book is a deep retelling of Snow's story to how he became a maniac and greedy for power . This book is very interesting and the main reason I picked it up was because I know all about Hunger Games and have read the original 4 books several times but hadn't heard of this one so decided to read it . This book is a young adult book but is funny at times but overall to deep for a child . However my reading calibre is enhanced and developed so I found this an interesting read despite the large amount of pages and small writing . I believe the movie was better than the book in encapsulating the audience but the book was a masterclass of writing in which I wish to replicate once I become a writer .

The story was very good and I couldn’t put the book down once I had started.

i liked how it showed the back story of the villian

Essential reading for all fans of The Hunger Games. I always love finding out more about a character's backstory and this doesn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the insight into the origins and history of the games - and it definitely added to my reading of the other books in the series.

Brilliant book!!!
I love the author's style of writing and the tense and emotional moments in this story. You can really feel how the characters act and feel throughout the book.

Having read the original Hunger Games I really loved how this book gave the background to President Snow. As with the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins drew you in to the characters and you always wanted to know more.

Amazing! Really interesting to see the hunger games from the capitol's perspective and also how much the games has changed. The plot id gripping and has compelling characters. I loved the writing style.

I listened to the Audiobook, which was an epic 16 hours +.

I enjoyed the story, but found it difficult to connect with Coriolanus Snow and get invested in his story.

It was interesting to have a back story to the hunger games and how it evolved in the early days. I look forward to seeing how this transfers to film, but also makes me want to re-read the Hunger Games in future too.

This book was very interesting about the villain of the main series. The 3 plot twists at the end were... disturbing, but it was a very good summary.

I think that this was a bit of a let down after reading the whole series. But my favourite character is the president's cousin sister.

I had already read the three sequels to this not realizing about this jewel of a book had so much atmosphere and bite to it. Really helps lift the story of the sequels of this book to another level had so much depth really loved it great fiction would defo recommend ,well done on another amazing book Suzanne Collins ;)

Having read all the Hunger Games books, I was looking forward to this but not sure if it would be as good as none of the characters. It was brilliant, I couldn't put it down and read in 2 days.

Fascinating prequel to find out the backstop of president snow.

The prequel to the Hunger Games explaining the origin behind the games. An interesting melding of late Republic Rome and Romantic poetry. Coriolanus Snow is the anti-hero we cannot help but like until his narcissism and need to always land on top leads him to crimes we cannot forgive.

I thought Lucy Gray Baird was very imaginative, making songs for different things. I liked the book because it fitted very well as the prequel of the Hunger games series. The idea of rat poison from Coriolanus Snow was very clever.

I would recommend for 10 - 12 year olds.

I think it was very well written and I never thought I would sympathise for President Snow. It did confuse me at times and the pace of the book went from slow to quite quick. But for the last 100 pages of so I could not put the book down it was so thrilling. Also I love the fact the Coriolanus called Mrs Plinth ma even if he didn't say it to Sejanus's face I still think Coriolanus has a want for Mrs Plinth to be his ma.

I would really recommend this book

I loved this book. Such an interesting prequel which gets you thinking about the way a character can be shaped by their past. I think Hinger Games YA fans will love this book.

This is such a good read! The plot is the so well done, nobody could predict any of the plot twists. After reading the Hunger Games, I found it really interesting seeing things from young Cornelius’ view!

Enjoyed this book as much as the others in the original series. It was interesting to find out more about Snow and his background.
There are still some unanswered questions so hopefully another book will appear.

A much anticipated prequel to the Hunger Games- it does not disappoint. We learn of the origins of the Hunger Games through the eyes of Coriolanus Snow- the archvillain of the Hunger Games who eventually becomes President Snow. The start of the book, Coriolanus Snow is a teenager who is worried about money and how to get through his final year at the Capitol Academy and being one of the first mentors in the 10th Hunger Games. To his dismay, he is given Lucy Gray Baird, a district 12 competitor- unlikely to win- but Lucy is a real individual and perhaps it won't go so badly. For those of us that love the descriptions of the Hunger Games,this one has all that and it is really interesting to see Snow's descent from impressionable young man with ideals to become the all evil President. A very clever book which I couldn't put down!

Absolutely outstanding

The first two thirds of this novel were well written. It has the same pacy tone as the original trilogy. However, the final denouement did seemed rushed and not true to the character development of the first two thirds.

If you liked the Hunger Games books, then this prequel is for you! I couldn't wait to see how Snow became such a baddie and was surprised to find him such a likeable character, and I was routing for him for most of the book. Can't wait for the film version, it might help me pronounce some of the names and remember all the tributes and mentors better.

I liked Lucy Grey the best because she was confident and did what she believed was right.

This book is all about president Snow before he became the president.

Not as good as the original series but enjoyable

The book was an interesting addition for those that enjoy the original Hunger Games trilogy. Being a prequel, it is also suited to readers unfamiliar with the series.

I enjoyed the plot of the story as it focused on the Games but also the characters that we had come to know and dislike in the other novels. At points it makes for very uncomfortable reading and forces us to look at humanity in a critical way. Although a dystopian novel, many of the characteristics of our current society are reflected in the writing.

I would recommend this to confident readers who aren't afraid of a 'difficult to swallow' scene!

i loved it. It explains the backstory of cornelius snow. Would recommend it to people who love hunger games