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dyer's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is incredibly thoughtful in every word. Suzanne Collins covers war, the nature of humanity, censorship, media as a weapon, classism, male mental health and more in 517 short pages.
I enjoyed reading about an evil character and his origin story. I also loved the relationship between LGB and Coriolanus. He is delusional! He loved thinking he controlled her, owned her. He loved the fantasy of her. A manic pixie dream girl that may trick the audience too.
I enjoyed reading about an evil character and his origin story. I also loved the relationship between LGB and Coriolanus. He is delusional! He loved thinking he controlled her, owned her. He loved the fantasy of her. A manic pixie dream girl that may trick the audience too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
mollyb13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book definitely pales in comparison to the original trilogy. I did like learning more about President Snow's background but feel like something was missing - overall I don't really feel like I completely understand his origin story. I know that the reader is supposed to sympathize with Coriolanus at different points in the book but he just always seemed sketchy/terrible to me? At times I also felt like the author was trying too hard to connect this book with the series - having the main characters frequent the lake/cabin that Katniss visited often, linking Snow so closely with District 12, Lucy singing with the mockinjays like Katniss, etc... .
Overall was a good listen on audiobook and was likely the reason I got through it as fast as I did. Suzanne Collins of course adds in plenty of timely political commentary which I love. The entire reason the Hunger Games is so horrifying is that the way she writes about politics applies to our current day society. Very much Animal Farm/Lord of the Flies spooky.
Overall was a good listen on audiobook and was likely the reason I got through it as fast as I did. Suzanne Collins of course adds in plenty of timely political commentary which I love. The entire reason the Hunger Games is so horrifying is that the way she writes about politics applies to our current day society. Very much Animal Farm/Lord of the Flies spooky.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Blood
onefineelephant's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
9/10. I really enjoyed this book. Coriolanus is a very complicated character and an unreliable narrator which makes him so intriguing. However, I was worried that he was going to come across as the hero of this story (considering how awful he is from the original trilogy) but thankfully his paranoia and selfishness permeate every page. Essentially, he is the main character but he is still a villain or at the very least problematic. It is fascinating seeing things from his point of view and even understanding his actions while also recognizing that he could have acted more humane. Coriolanus is more humanized because of this book since we get to see his hardships and emotions, but his putrid personality still affects everything he touches. Additionally, I love the Covey and addition of songs with their meaningful lyrics embedded in the story. It helped that I could listen to the movie's soundtrack, though, to actually grasp the songs' tunes. I knew how this book would go because I saw the movie first but I enjoyed the book so much more because I could actually understand his motivations and thought processes. Suzanne Collins does a great job of portraying him while also writing him in a way that clearly does not excuse his behavior. As always, I am in love with her writing and will always praise her work.
SPOILERS:
As I said, I watched the movie before reading the book so I knew the events of the book. While watching the movie, I wondered if Coriolanus actually loved Lucy Gray like he said or if he felt attracted to her but was manipulating her for his own benefit. I guess both could be true, but the book makes it clear that he does actually love her even though his own paranoia, selfishness, and manipulation spoil even the most pure thing in his life. The concepts of trust and love come up in this book quite a lot, especially at the end, and I think it is fascinating to examine what those concepts look and feel like. Coriolanus claims to love and trust Lucy Gray (even to himself) but ultimately proves that while he may love her, he is incapable of truly trusting anyone. I think the only person Coriolanus ever truly trusted was Tigris and we know that he ended up having a falling-out with her later in life. Considering his actions throughout the book (causing Sejanus's death, murdering people, becoming a Peacekeeper/cop, horrendously improving the Hunger Games, turning on Lucy Gray), I take deep satisfaction that he grows up to be miserable and alone. Snow may land on top, but tyrants always fall eventually.
SPOILERS:
As I said, I watched the movie before reading the book so I knew the events of the book. While watching the movie, I wondered if Coriolanus actually loved Lucy Gray like he said or if he felt attracted to her but was manipulating her for his own benefit. I guess both could be true, but the book makes it clear that he does actually love her even though his own paranoia, selfishness, and manipulation spoil even the most pure thing in his life. The concepts of trust and love come up in this book quite a lot, especially at the end, and I think it is fascinating to examine what those concepts look and feel like. Coriolanus claims to love and trust Lucy Gray (even to himself) but ultimately proves that while he may love her, he is incapable of truly trusting anyone. I think the only person Coriolanus ever truly trusted was Tigris and we know that he ended up having a falling-out with her later in life. Considering his actions throughout the book (causing Sejanus's death, murdering people, becoming a Peacekeeper/cop, horrendously improving the Hunger Games, turning on Lucy Gray), I take deep satisfaction that he grows up to be miserable and alone. Snow may land on top, but tyrants always fall eventually.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and War
kyarabereading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really interesting getting to see President Snow’s POV after having read the Hunger Games series. A lot of people may see this book as a way to humanize Snow to justify the decisions he made later on in life, but I slightly disagree. I think it humanizes him to show how an ordinary person can be capable of evil even when faced with every opportunity to do the right thing. And Coryo had MANY opportunities to do the right thing, but in the end he chose a life of power and greed over one of love and community. I don’t think Coryo had love in his heart for anyone - not even Lucy (he never really tried to understand her, mostly just to control her) - so every decision he made was led by fear for his own self-preservation. And that was very saddening to see considering the amount of love he had around him.
Coryo is a smart, capable individual. In another life, Coryo could have seen the circumstances he and other citizens of Panem and realized that they were all under the same boat - all under the Capitol’s control. He could have chosen a life with Lucy Gray. Instead, he let years of propaganda and fear of the unknown (the districts and its people) & fear of perceived disorder (the removal of the current class system) get to him to the point he treated district people like the enemy instead of the ones actually responsible for his hardships (the Capitol).
I think this book, like the entire Hunger Games series, is a very interesting commentary on our world today. On the way propaganda works to make us hate one another. On the way the elite treats & views working class people. On what it takes to create real change in world and how quickly the government will try to shut it down. On the excuses one can tell themselves to not do anything about the pain and suffering of others even when you have the power to do so (SLIGHT SPOILER: like multiple of Coryo’s classmates not approving of the Hunger Games despite being active participants in it and deciding that ultimately there was nothing they could do). A heart-wrenching read because of how much it parallels to the real world.
There were some places I think this story fell short however. I think the writing was not as captivating to me as Collins’ past books in the series, but I think that’s probably mostly because I loved seeing the world through Katniss’ eyes. I felt much more connected to her as a reader. I think this book serves as a very self-reflective book, and it’s evident in the amount of time Coryo spends just thinking and planning and asking himself questions and reflecting on the state of the world. The long passages of Coryo going over the same topics over and over again got a little meh after a while. But I do think that Coryo is a very interesting narrator nonetheless, and I think those passages were meant to make us reflect on our own biases and understanding of the world around us, and for that I appreciated them.
Coryo is a smart, capable individual. In another life, Coryo could have seen the circumstances he and other citizens of Panem and realized that they were all under the same boat - all under the Capitol’s control. He could have chosen a life with Lucy Gray. Instead, he let years of propaganda and fear of the unknown (the districts and its people) & fear of perceived disorder (the removal of the current class system) get to him to the point he treated district people like the enemy instead of the ones actually responsible for his hardships (the Capitol).
I think this book, like the entire Hunger Games series, is a very interesting commentary on our world today. On the way propaganda works to make us hate one another. On the way the elite treats & views working class people. On what it takes to create real change in world and how quickly the government will try to shut it down. On the excuses one can tell themselves to not do anything about the pain and suffering of others even when you have the power to do so (SLIGHT SPOILER: like multiple of Coryo’s classmates not approving of the Hunger Games despite being active participants in it and deciding that ultimately there was nothing they could do). A heart-wrenching read because of how much it parallels to the real world.
There were some places I think this story fell short however. I think the writing was not as captivating to me as Collins’ past books in the series, but I think that’s probably mostly because I loved seeing the world through Katniss’ eyes. I felt much more connected to her as a reader. I think this book serves as a very self-reflective book, and it’s evident in the amount of time Coryo spends just thinking and planning and asking himself questions and reflecting on the state of the world. The long passages of Coryo going over the same topics over and over again got a little meh after a while. But I do think that Coryo is a very interesting narrator nonetheless, and I think those passages were meant to make us reflect on our own biases and understanding of the world around us, and for that I appreciated them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
jessiesnoww's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I LOVED the first 2/3 of the book, but then the pace slowed way down and the stakes were much lower.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
emilymayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
reenashenoy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and War
schohayes's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked this more than I thought I would! A great villain origin story, that guy sucks
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
caelix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The first time I picked up was right after watching the movie if I’m not wrong, and I don’t know why but even though I was super excited to read it, I dropped it after reading not even a chapter.
This was in December 2023.
Now, August 2024, I picked it up again on a sunny day and started to read.. and then didn’t stop. I ate the whole book up in a total of less than 24 hours. It was another masterpiece by Suzanne of course, I don’t know why I doubted her pen the first time around!
Having now both watched the movie (though now I’m definitely due for a rewatch) and read the book, I can confidently agree with the people that complained that the movie was too different from the book. I have to say, though, it’s not changed I disagree with necessarily. All around, considering the director inability to see the anti-war statement in Suzanne’s books, I think it’s a good adaptation. Very enjoyable movie, really good cast (I love Rachel and Tom sm), dynamic change between the different parts of the story. It makes you like Snow, and then leave you with an awkward feeling toward him, which is what the book also goes for. But I think what the director missed was once again, the myriad of little things Suzanne adds in her writing that add this special touch to it, a certain humanity.
I did like Snow in the book, he’s funny, sharp, you can feel why people would feel interested in him, but he’s also just a boy. He has friends and he has family and he has morals that he follows because that’s how he was raised, even if some of them are questionable. All the moment where he interact with people he genuinely considers his friends, or all the time he talks about his childhood with those people around him; all the times those people talk to him and show their characters, and His character through this interaction, those are the bits that the director cut and changed, and I think it’s a big lost.
I personally think the arena scene was more interesting in the movie for sure (and it is my favourite version of the scene) but I do feel like there was another sense to the scene original. That this wasn’t a spectacle, no matter how much you try to make it one. Thats it’s just children killing each other’s.
Anyway, all of this to say, I loved the book and all the added details about the Capitals during the war and the political aspect of things! And I loved seeing Snow interactions with people throughout the whole book!
I would recommend 100%, but be wary of some gruesome scenes here and there!
This was in December 2023.
Now, August 2024, I picked it up again on a sunny day and started to read.. and then didn’t stop. I ate the whole book up in a total of less than 24 hours. It was another masterpiece by Suzanne of course, I don’t know why I doubted her pen the first time around!
Having now both watched the movie (though now I’m definitely due for a rewatch) and read the book, I can confidently agree with the people that complained that the movie was too different from the book. I have to say, though, it’s not changed I disagree with necessarily. All around, considering the director inability to see the anti-war statement in Suzanne’s books, I think it’s a good adaptation. Very enjoyable movie, really good cast (I love Rachel and Tom sm), dynamic change between the different parts of the story. It makes you like Snow, and then leave you with an awkward feeling toward him, which is what the book also goes for. But I think what the director missed was once again, the myriad of little things Suzanne adds in her writing that add this special touch to it, a certain humanity.
I personally think the arena scene was more interesting in the movie for sure (and it is my favourite version of the scene) but I do feel like there was another sense to the scene original. That this wasn’t a spectacle, no matter how much you try to make it one. Thats it’s just children killing each other’s.
Anyway, all of this to say, I loved the book and all the added details about the Capitals during the war and the political aspect of things! And I loved seeing Snow interactions with people throughout the whole book!
I would recommend 100%, but be wary of some gruesome scenes here and there!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Classism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
maddielags's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My 14 year old self is absolutely screaming that this series is still something I’m enjoying 12 years later. I honestly thought that the trilogy would be all that we’d see but this book just adds so many more layers to the story that I’m so glad it exists.
Going into it after the first three and how much of a bad guy Snow is, I really wasn’t sure if I would like it but I loved the character of Lucy Gray. Snow is… hard to like, but that’s kinda the point.
This book had little nods to the trilogy and explained the back story of some pivotal stories from the trilogy, such as seeing the story of the hanging tree and how the song came to be.
All that’s left for me to say is… read the book, if you liked the trilogy, you will like this book.
Going into it after the first three and how much of a bad guy Snow is, I really wasn’t sure if I would like it but I loved the character of Lucy Gray. Snow is… hard to like, but that’s kinda the point.
This book had little nods to the trilogy and explained the back story of some pivotal stories from the trilogy, such as seeing the story of the hanging tree and how the song came to be.
All that’s left for me to say is… read the book, if you liked the trilogy, you will like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, and Classism