Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games Series, and a real treat in character-writing!

Personally, I guess this book gets better the more often you read it. It was my first time reading it, and I already really liked it—even though I constantly felt at war with Coriolanus (as one should I guess^^”). It’s fascinating how self-absorbed a person can be, how convincing he is, and—let’s face it—how lucky he gets at times. Diving into his mind was incredibly interesting, and somehow very different from what I expected. I always loved him as a villain in the original series, but experiencing his character development over the two months the story mainly covers was something else entirely. At times, it felt close to torture—especially watching him victimize himself again and again, spinning his narrative however it best suits him, and yet doing it so convincingly. Despite how difficult it was at times to sit with his perspective, there’s something masterful about how Collins portrays his mind and lets us witness his becoming. It’s a slow, almost painful transformation—and yet it feels inevitable. I honestly believe that with later rereads, I’ll be able to pick up on so much more—not just in terms of universe lore, but also in the deeper philosophical and political aspects, and the commentary on power, privilege, and control. All in all, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the kind of book that lingers. It haunts you—not with jump scares or tragedy, but with questions about what makes a villain, and whether they ever truly believe they are one.

Ich war mir wirklich unsicher ob ich dieses Buch überhaupt lesen soll, weil die Erfahrung bei Werken, die so gut ankamen wie die Hunger Games Reihe, zeigt, dass Prequels and Sequels meistens nur noch Fanfiction ist, damit die Lesenden wieder irgendwas über ihre Lieblinge lesen können. Ich fand's deshalb mutig, dass sich Suzanne Collins ausgerechnet mit Snow beschäftigt und so ziemlich alle anderen Personen aus den Hunger Games Reihen links liegen lässt. Das Buch ist gut, ich glaube, hätte ich es näher an der Hunger Games Reihe gelesen (also auch ich jünger), hätte ich es noch besser gefunden, aber so war es etwas Nostalgie gemischt mit Action und durchaus einigen Plot Twists. Wie immer aber ist das Ende von Büchern, dass mir vieles vermiest. Bei Mockingjay war es damalss nicht anders. Ich fand den Turn von Snow viel zu schnell und es ergab sich alles viel gut dafür, wie viel Mühe investiert wurde ihn empathisch, menschlich und rebellisch erscheinen zu lassen. Als hätte Collins es schaffen müssen am Ende des Buches genau den Snow zu haben, der 40 (?) Jahre später in den Hunger Games exakt der gleiche ist. Aber da sich vorher gut lesen lässt und mich zum weiterlesen gebracht hat, sind eigentlich 3 1/2 ⭐ angebracht.

Suzanne Collins.. every single one of her books is a masterpiece. I loved to get to know the character of Snow so much more. The unreliable narrator, the question whether villains are born or made, his decisions leading to who he became, the way the capitol’s ideas are so stuck in his head.. One of the most interesting books!

I've always wondered why Snow was so heartless and what his motivations were. It was an interesting book about his young life and what led to the Hunger Games we know. Unfortunately, it was very drawn out in places, so you could easily cut 200 pages off the book. Otherwise, great world of Panem. 4/5⭐