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

Suzanne Collins

May 2020 · Scholastic Audio · Narrated by Santino Fontana

About this audiobook

Ambition will fuel him.Competition will drive him.But power has its price.

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 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.

Ratings and reviews

The narrator was pretty great, I enjoyed listening except for the music pieces. It's hard to read-sing lyrics without sounding cringe. Contents of the book are meh; it was exciting to learn more about the world and the games but following the dreadful evil white man in power was probably the least exciting lens to experience the world building through. Made for some great listening to distract myself at the dentist though, so thanks for that.

the book is listenable, but overall feels immensely rushed. The goal of the story was to give us an overview of how snow became the way he was and how the capital ended up in its position at the begining of the original trilogy. However we received a villain who lacked relatability unless you yourself are a snob. The voice for the audiobook is pleasent, but their dead pan reading of any singing lines immediately pulls you from the novel.

This story gives fans of The Hunger Games an intriguing perspective of Coriolanus Snow. This story begins in the last year of school for Coriolanus. As a senior project, select students are chosen to be mentors to participants of the Hunger Games. Coriolanus is assigned the female tribute of District 12. After reading this book I had to go back and reread the series looking for clues to Snow’s dislike to District 12.

About the author

Suzanne Collins is the author of the bestselling Underland Chronicles series, which started with Gregor the Overlander. Her groundbreaking young adult novels, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, were New York Times bestsellers, received wide praise, and were the basis for four popular films. She returned to the world of Panem with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Year of the Jungle, her picture book based on the year her father was deployed in Vietnam, was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim. To date, her books have been published in fifty-three languages around the world.