We return to the Capitol, The Hunger Games and to Coriolanus Snow when we review The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Ballad – the blurb
“It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-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 outcharm, 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 favour 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.“
Again, once more
And so we return to the world that gave us Katniss Everdeen. Set before Katniss is born we are introduced to 18 year old Coriolanus Snow whose family, steeped in historic greatness, has fallen on hard times. Chosen as a mentor to a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games, he is disgusted to find his tribute is none other than the girl from District 12 – the lowliest possible district. The girl however is no push over and Coriolanus realises his chance at gaining favour, and money, may suddenly be on the up.
Snow was probably my least favorite character from the Hunger Games. If I’m honest I wasn’t too bothered about reading a book about him. However I loved the original trilogy and relished the chance to step back into the world of Panam. What we see in Ballad is a very different beast to the slick machine of Katnis Everdeen’s 74th Hunger Games. Set only 10 years after the War, the Capitol is only just recovering and bombings and hardships are very much still in people’s minds.
Teenage Snow, struggling in the aftermath of the War, is a likeable character. Yet he is already able to put on a performance and is certainly looking to better his otherwise pitiful existence. Grieving for his mother, he obviously deeply cares for his cousin, Tigris, and old family friend Pluribus. As the Games draw closer you find yourself liking him. Which was something I felt very conflicted about. If hard times had not fallen on the Snows, would he be trying so hard? Would he have even looked twice at tribute Lucy Gray Baird?
Spot the snake
I liked Lucy although we never really saw inside her head. Through her it was lovely to see a return of The Hanging Tree song as well as some new ones. Little touches (tributes!) like the Hanging Tree, Katniss potatoes and the creation of Mockingjays are lovingly woven in to the plot. It was fascinating to see how the games develop, not just the actual 10th games which is of course interesting, but the sewing of the seeds for future games. How they involve the audience and the districts. It’s also crammed full of songs and snakes, so much so that it’s like a game to spot the hidden references.
Snow always lands on top
Collins leaves it very late to swing the pendulum back to the Snow we all know and don’t love. Ballad provides a fitting ending showing his true colours. He is a boy fueled by ambition, self preservation and views every relationship in light of how that person can help him. The Ballad of Songbirds feels very much like a Hunger Games novel. You can read it before the Trilogy or after but either way you won’t be disappointed. All it was missing was Haymitch, Beetee and Finnick. Stories for another day perhaps?
