The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0), by Suzanne Collins

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And I finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes today.

So I'm writing a review about it.

Enjoy.

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian.

Status: Standalone

Pages: 517

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 outmanoeuvre 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. The 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."

My Thoughts

I have positive and negative thoughts on this. Some of you will hate these opinions I'm guessing, but they're merely opinions. You're welcome to your opinions, so don't hate on mine.

Okay, here we go.

I didn't love this book, like some people. I also didn't hate this book, like a whole lot of people did. It was just kind of meh.

My favourite part was probably the writing style. It felt very much like the original trilogy, and it made me want to keep going, to find out what happened next, which is what it feels like, reading the Hunger Games.

However, the pacing was all over the place. Most of it was very slow, like it was trying to create intrigue, and then there would be a moment when it got really fast paced, and then, as if that moment hadn't even happened, it would get really slow again. I didn't have a huge problem with it overall, but it could have been better honestly.

Other than that, some of the parts felt really rushed, like they just showed up out of nowhere, with no warning, no clues whatsoever. Especially the ending. It all kind of ended abruptly, with barely any lead up to it.

When it comes to the characters, there left a lot to be desired. There wasn't enough detail to get attached to the tributes for me to feel anything when they were killed in the arena, there wasn't even enough to distinguish which ones where from which district. The mentors weren't much better, only a few stood out, but again, I didn't really feel anything for them either. There were one or two characters that felt like real people, (those characters bumped up the overall rating), but they weren't enough to give this book a higher rating that 3 stars (and even that's being generous.)

Now, Snow. *Sigh.*

Snow kind of felt like a spectator in his own story. It just felt like he was totally accepting of everything that happened. Yes, he saw the struggles the tributes were having in the Capitols, yet he did nothing to change their situation that wasn't prompted by someone else. He didn't seem to have much problem with what the Capitol was instructing, other than what would happen to his reputation if he was seen to be thinking or acting differently.

World-wise, I was expecting it to be more polished than what it was. Like, I get it, this book takes place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, so it's not going to have the same feel, but it just felt flat.

Also, I feel like there could have been a more interesting way for Snow to question things other than the way it was laid out. (Not giving any spoilers.)

 And I wish The Hunger Games were longer. Going into this, I knew it wasn't going to be much of an emphasis on them in this, because of the spoiler free reviews I'd seen beforehand, but I still wish they had been longer than they were, or at least more of a build-up throughout. The Hunger Games were sub par to me.

Looking back at this review, I'm wondering why I didn't rate this lower. The reason is probably because, despite all it's flaws, it's not terrible. The writing, and the first couple of parts was enough for me to give it an average rating. And it creates a hope that if Suzanne Collins can write a sub par book about a character that we all hate in the original trilogy, what will she be able to do with a character we all love? I'm holding onto the hope that this will kick of a spin-off series of all the characters I wanted this book to be about: Mags, Johanna, Finnick, Haymitch, Cinna, or even Effie.

Will it happen? Probably not. But I can still hope.

Overall, I don't think The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes contributed a whole lot. (Other than wanting to re-read the original trilogy of course.) But I'm rating it 3 stars. An average read.

And I'm done.

Okay! That's my review, and as always, you're free to post your own opinions in the comments below (though I'll be deleting hate comments, mark my words.)

I hope you have a good weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday.

Byeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

June TBR (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And it's the start of June, which means a new TBR! (God I love these posts.)

And I have to admit, I'm so looking forward to reading all of these books (like especially excited for this list in particular.)

So enjoy, because this is going to be a long list (yay!) and there is a very real possibility that I won't finish all of these books this month (because some of them are huge!)

Enjoy!

1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins

I've heard some very mixed reviews on this, because people are very much on one side of the spectrum when it comes to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Do I wish it would have been Haymitch, Mags, Finnick or Johanna? Definitely. But am I still going to read it? Absolutely. If only to make up my own mind about whether I like this- or hate it. I'm just over 100 pages through, and it's alright so far. More details in my wrap up at the end of June. (Or maybe in a review, who knows?).

2. Seasons of War (Skulduggery Pleasant #13), by Derek Landy

I have been following this series since 2008, and Seasons of War marks the final trilogy of the Skulduggery Pleasant series ever. Derek Landy is one of my favourite authors, and I actually got to meet him, just over a year ago! Seasons of War is a story solely focused on Valkyrie and Skulduggery, where they are sent on a secret mission that takes them away from everything they know. Here is where Valkyrie will have to fight the hardest, against the people who want her dead, and her own violent impulses. She must fight against the dark, to once again stand in the light. This kind of feels like Harry Potter mastering occlumancy in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but more interesting. I had no idea that I needed a book like this, that's purely focused on the dynamic duo, but now it's hear I can't wait to see what events uncurl in the 13th instalment of the Skulduggery Pleasant series.  

3. Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3), by Seanen McGuire

Beneath the Sugar Sky. I'm a little confused on what this is about. Based off of the Goodreads blurb, this is a book about fixing the past, in the present? Anyway, from what I gather, Rini, the protagonist, gets to visit the Home for Wayward Children and meet all the characters from the first book! (Which I am so excited for!) I'm very confused about how this whole thing is going to work out, because for Rini to be able to meet those original characters she has to travel into the past from the present, but I'm sure everything will be explained at some point. Halfway through the series, after this! (Also, just take a moment to admire this gorgeous cover.)

4. All Your Twisted Secrets, by Diana Urban

I have no idea why, because there are books that promise to be absolutely incredible on this TBR, but this is the one I'm looking forward to the most. All Your Twisted Secrets is Diana Urban's debut novel, and it's about 6 completely different characters who are invited to a scholarship dinner to discover its a trap. They're presented with a choice: one of them dies, or they all do. As they all desperately try and uncover the identity of their captor, they find they each have secrets they desperately need to conceal. But with the time running out, confusion turns to fear, and fear to panic, and there's one question left: who will be the one to die? I think that this sounds like a very interesting read, and I think fans of the One of Us Is Lying series will love this. Highly anticipated for this month.

5. The Henna Wars, by Adiba Jaigirdar

The Henna Wars, although it only came out in USA this month (and it's released from Amazon until 1st June) wasn't actually on my anticipated releases list that I posted a couple months ago (you can see that here), but it's sort of crept up on me since then, because of the buzz it's getting on Booktube. What draws me to the book is the representation that we're getting, and it's been ages since I've read an LGBT book, so I'm looking forward to reading one for the first time in a while. (Why aren't there more LGBT romances being released in the summer?)

6. Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2), by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I finished Illuminae on Friday and I need to continue on to find out what happens next. I've never felt such a need to know everything like this before, except with Skulduggery Pleasant when I was a teenager. I won't disclose any spoilers on the first book because I don't want to get trolled, but there is so much going on constantly, that I know this'll be a series that I'll need to re-read once I've reached the end of Obsidio. I really hope that Gemina is as good as Illuminae, because of how much I loved the first one, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Okay! That's the end of ,my TBR for the month of June. I'm not certain I'll be able to get to all of them, but I'll certainly try my best (there are some very large books this month.)

I hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll see you very soon.

Byeeeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx

May Wrap Up (2020)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And somehow we've come to the end of the 5th month of the year.

Here's what I got up to.

Enjoy!

-BOOKS-

I read a total of 5 books this month, and I'm happy to say, I enjoyed every single book I read.

1. Under the Dome, by Stephen King

I was going to write a review for this book, but I don't think I'd be able to do it justice, so I'm talking about it in my wrap up instead. The only description I can give for this book is that it's like a colossal spider's web, following several people currently residing in a town called Chester's Mill. Having seen the tv show a few years back, I could remember some of the names, but not all of them, so I thought I'd have some idea of what I was in for. Turns out, the tv show didn't even scratch the surface. There were so many characters in the beginning, it was hard to keep track of who was who, which characters were main, which ones supporting. But eventually, you learn whose who, and start to root for the characters, learn which ones are complete crap-heads that you want to dump a truckload of poo over. Such an intense and addictive read (says the girl that it took nearly a month to finish.). If you want an all engaging read that leave you obsessed for days afterward, I highly recommend this.   

2. A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3), by V.E Schwab

It feels weird that this trilogy is over. I've only known these characters three months and now it's over. I finished this just over 10 days ago and I'm at the point when I'm missing these characters, their amazing/ dramatic adventures that always ends up in some kind of trouble.  Saying that, I liked the way everything was wrapped up, if not in the way I expected. A Conjuring of Light was so good, it's most likely made it's way on to my Favourite Series List of all time, which probably isn't a surprise because of the hype this series has. Please give me more VE Schwab. 5 stars.

3. A Girl in Three Parts, by Suzanne Daniel

I loved this book so much I posted a review about it (and I haven't written any reviews all year, so that is no understatement.) If you want more in depth thoughts you can click the link (it's in the title) but to sum it up, A Girl in Three Parts is about Allegra, an eleven year old girl that's basically trying to 1)figure out what kind of person she wants to be when she's being pulled in three different directions by the people she loves most; 2)find out what happened to her mother when she was young; 3) find out why her two grandmothers can't stand the sight of each-other (they're polar opposites.) All in all, an absolutely smashing debut novel, can't wait to see what else she has in store.

4. Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanen McGuire

I finished this at the start of the week, and I'm happy to say that I loved it just as much as I loved the first book. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is a prequel to Every Heart A Doorway, focusing on Jack and Jill, before their time at Eleanor's Home for Wayward Children. After reading this I might actually listen to the first book again, just to put the second book into more context. This book actually made me wish there were prequels for all the characters in the first book, just so I can get to know each of them, but I know there's no way that would be realistic. One thing it did achieve: It certainly made me excited for Book 3.

5. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1), by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I finished this this afternoon, and my main question is: Why did I wait so long to read this book?! A 5 star read, if the rest of the series is as fantastic as this, there's no reason why it shouldn't much my favourite series list of all time. It certainly wins as one of the most beautiful covers list. Illuminae is basically a case study, so this is a book full of evaluations, ship diagrams, and text message conversations. A book that my Ravenclaw brain cherished, I can't wait to see what happens in Gemina. Highly recommend this, and I can't stress that enough.

-FILMS AND TV SHOWS-
Films
1. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)- One of those classic favourites of mine that I can play as often as I like and still enjoy it!
2. Sense and Sensibility (1995)- it may only be a film, but it's the first time I've seen something that Jane Austen created! (Definitely need to read some of her books soon.)
3. Black Panther (2018)- Undoubtedly an unpopular opinion but I enjoyed this a lot less than what I thought I would (based on the excitement I got from other people's opinions on this film.)

TV Shows
1. Chicago Med~ Seasons 2/3
2. RuPaul's Drag Race~ Current season
3. The Next Step ~ Season 4

-What I Did This Month-
1. Worked.
2. Ran.
3. Read.
4. Posted.

That's about it.

Okay! That's my wrap up for May! I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you all on Monday with my June TBR! I hope you have a lovely weekend, with this wonderful weather, and I hope you all continue to stay safe in these troubling times.
Byeeee!

-Abi xxxx