“And try not to look down on people who had to choose between death and disgrace.”
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Goodreads Synopsis
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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 Capital, 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.
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My Personal Thoughts
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The Hunger Games is my favourite young adult dystopian story because it started my love and interest for this genre. I still remember reading this trilogy 5 years ago and watching the movies multiple times since then. When I requested for a copy to read and review on my blog, I did not really expect anything aside from the fact that I need to delve into it because I am a certified THG fan. I have heard negative opinions even before it was released mainly because it is a prequel that will focus solely on President Snow’s story back from the 10th Hunger Games. And we all know that he is everyone’s most hated character.
It was surprisingly good and I enjoyed it so much. I finished it in two days because it is a real page turner. Everything made sense and fell into the right place. The history was discussed and answers are provided as to how the gift giving to victors started, what the jabber jays are, the Avox, Tigris, and even the song of rebellion. It is a well-written story but unfortunately it is not enough for me to rate it 5 stars. It is far behind the Hunger Games.
This book gave me the clarity that I was looking for and one of them is the reason behind Snow’s lack of remorse and being a goal oriented person. The ending was perfectly concluded although I was left with one question in the end. Anyway, I think that is the beauty of leaving one aspect hanging, for the reader to assume and make an ending of their own.
Writing style is amazing and the book is unputdownable. The world building is greatly done as well and all of Panem including some districts, and the Capitol were all groomed solidly. The character building is commendable because whilst Snow will be a tyrant in the future, he was not built that way from the first page up to the last couple of chapters in this story. One message that will linger is sometimes the people whom we love and care for will be the ones who will manipulate us and use us in the end. I absolutely adore this masterpiece!
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World Building: 3⭐️
Character Building: 5⭐️
Message: 3⭐️
Plot: 3⭐️
Overall: 3⭐️
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Liked:
I was able to dig deeper into Snow’s character
Fast-paced
Fast-read
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Disliked:
A cliff hanging part
The lyrics of the songs part were boring for me
Not too action packed as I was expecting
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Overall, it is a fun read and I feel accomplished knowing how it all started. Thank you, Scholastic Australia, for my review copy.
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Xoxo,
Janna 🍂
