The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cover art

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

A Hunger Games Novel

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

By: Suzanne Collins
Narrated by: Santino Fontana
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £16.98

Buy Now for £16.98

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly

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. Action & Adventure Dystopian Fiction Literature & Fiction Music Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Survival Stories Thrillers & Suspense Words, Language & Grammar Survival Game Feel-Good
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Featured article: The top trending BookTok audiobooks


For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession....

Featured article The top trending BookTok audiobooks

Featured article: Katniss Everdeen - a Hunger Games character guide


Sister, tribute, revolutionary, the Girl on Fire—Katniss Everdeen has been known as a lot of things, but there is truly no character quite like the heroine of the The Hunger Games series. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins is set in a future dystopian world where the Capitol keeps a tight hold on Panem, the country made up of what is left of North America, and its strictly divided 12 districts. The main trilogy follows Katniss Everdeen on her journey from an average, impoverished girl in a forgotten district to the symbol of resistance. Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Katniss.

Featured article Katniss Everdeen: a Hunger Games character guide
All stars
Most relevant
I found it hard to listen to the narrator doing female voices and speaking songs.

NARRATOR

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I liked the book for the most part but the ending felt a bit rushed.
There are a lot of songs but the narrator murdered them more efficiently than the Hunger Games would have
That aside I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed the previous ones. An insight into the man's past and what made him who he was, making you root for him even though you know the monster he would eventually become.

Good book but the narrator was a no from me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fans of the original Hunger Games trilogy will be thrilled by a return to Collin's richly textured universe. However, the promise evoked by such a reprise isn't nearly realised in this oddly paced, often plodding tale. It smacks of an ill conceived TV sitcom spin-off (think Joey) and fails to reach the gut wrenching, pulse quickening heights of its predecessors. There is the odd element of what we want from Collins, Dr Gall's visceral loathing for her fellow man being one example, but much of the colour, richness and texture previously created by Collins is lacking. Fans will be disappointed with the drab, grey scale depiction of the post-uprising Capital, and the Character arc of Snow lacks the plausibility and intricacy (if that is the right word) of Katniss Everdeen's. I was left feeling as though the whole thing had been a bit rushed. In trying to garner sympathy for Snow and his family's much reduced status following the war, Collins left herself with little room to transform him (believably) into the blood thirsty tyrant we know from the later episodes. His subsequent cruelty and ruthlessness reads as out of kilter, rather than a natural progression. Listeners will also wonder how on Earth the doting figure of Tigress will ever come to loath Snow to the extent depicted in Mockingjay. But with this question I see a glimmer on the horizon- the prospect of yet another visit to Panem. I had hoped that this work would address Snow's rise to power, as briefly described by Finnick O'Daire in Mockingjay- that would undoubtedly have been a far more thrilling ride. So I hope that Collins is merely laying the groundwork for further writings... Because this story certainly isn't at an end.

An unexpected treat for fans, but not up to par.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I needed an easy listen book for running and figured the hunger games trilogy was just that so I’d give this a go. The story is all over the place and a bit hectic, jumping from one story line to another and kind of rushing outcomes before moving onto something new. It feels very “must get everything mentioned” and almost as if she ran out of time/books to get all the unanswered questions out there.
Overall, it was a very easy listen, but I don’t think the story had any real depth or meaning... the final chapter is all that was needed really to explain president Snow’s outlook on life... However we do find out why the hanging tree song is taboo 🤷🏻‍♀️

A bit meh

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Many people think that the hunger games novels are just fiction but in my mind it’s the evolution of our current capitalist society and if we don’t change to something like Marxism soon we will be plunged into nuclear war ,destroying all moral and most of society .

The ballad of songbirds and snakes is one of the best books I’ve ever listened to

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews