The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

A Hunger Games Novel

By: Suzanne Collins

Narrated by: Santino Fontana

Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-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 out charm, 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.

©2020 Suzanne Collins (P)2020 Scholastic Inc.

I wish he had sung during the songs

I wish he had sung during the songs instead of just reading the lyrics in a monotone voice

Should probably get re-done

Storyline is good. Great having back stories on Snow and the songs. The narration was hard to stand. Especially after finishing The Hunger Games. The songs were the worst. You kind of clench your teeth and wait for it to end. I like the book but the narrator was not a good match.

Just as good as the trilogy!

Loved the twists and turns of this book, definitely left me wanting for more, I hope the author continues to write more hunger games books!

Just OK

Well, I did read it all the way until the end because I really wanted to know about Snow's backstory. The Hunger Games were really fast paced and taut, but this one kinda lagged.

Others mentioned that the narrator bothered them, but I didn't think he was that bad. I always turn the pace up to between 1.2 and 1.3, so that might be the difference, who knows?

All in all, it really was just OK.

Really good prequel

Not gonna lie it's a hard read if your familiar with the series. The subject matter and language used makes one very uncomfortable. But it's a great addition to the series. Nice to see the origin of alot of things.

Very enjoyable

This was a fast moving,engaging story. The narration was great but I did turn it up to 1.3x. Based on the ending, I’d guess that the author is creating another series or trilogy. The material in this book is good and mostly different from the first trilogy but it could become too repetitive if more books are written.

I mean it's nice but...

The beginning is a bit of a drag. And while it's a fine look at previous panem, it doesn't add anything to the story. He starts off as a privileged capital kid and ends the story the same way. Watch a guy buckle down on his beliefs from the beginning. I have bo complaints about the writing, but this just didn't need to be made.

Great Narrator

if you enjoyed the Narrator for the book "you" then you're already familiar with his talent. I enjoyed the book and love the Narrator.

Brutal Story of Love and War

My only wish is that the songs were actually sung. Good story of the beginnings of Snow and the raw magnitude of the hunger games in their infancy.

Hungry for more

It seemed a missed opportunity to me that SC stopped after the original trilogy so I was thrilled to hear she was sending us back to Panem.

I loved the idea of learning how Snow began his climb, my only critique is I feel that the first act of the story leaned towards giving you simpethy for a man we know to be a monster.
as for the performance, I feel a woman would have been better suited for the narration because of the many female interactions in the storyline.

Overall great listen!