Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

[KianCox]

Have you been looking for a new, exciting book to read but need help finding the options? Your wait is over because The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins is the book for you. It is the prequel to the Hunger Games series, and this is my favorite book ever. Having read this book three times, I believe it has been written amazingly, with an intriguing storyline, great characters, and an ending that leaves the reader wondering what happened.
    Everyone would agree that without a storyline that keeps the reader entertained for the entirety of the book, the book will be boring to read. Luckily, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has a beautifully conducted plot that allows readers to go along with the story and feel like they are in it. The book opens up with a young man named Cornelius Snow preparing to become a mentor for the tenth annual Hunger Games. His family has fallen on hard times after the gruesome civil war that corrupted his nation. His family used to be the wealthiest in Capitol City, but now they were barely passing by. Snow becomes resourceful during the war and applies these skills throughout the story. He is assigned to District 12 and has to figure out how to make the female representative of the weakest district into a Hunger Games Champion. Snow also has to face not only financial trouble but personnel trouble as well. The school's president begins to find out about his family's hardships and finds out he has also been cheating. For punishment, Snow must patrol District 12 and learn to live without a name that means anything. This plot focuses on having resourcefulness that allows the reader to see the pain of Snow but also that the pain is leading him down a path he cannot come back from. The plot perfectly encompasses a story that keeps readers' attention and makes them never want to put the book down.
Characters are one of the most influential factors in a story. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes created characters that aligned with the story's plot perfectly. The book focuses on a young Cornelius Snow, who is manipulative, power-hungry, cruel, and highly narcissistic. He acquired these skills while his country was in a brutal civil war, and being quick and cunning was the only way to survive. A consequence of these skills is that they lead him down a dark path that the readers follow as they continue reading the story. As the story continues, we meet a girl from District 12 named Lucy Gray Baird. She cares deeply for justice, is selfless, and loves an audience. Although these two have completely different personalities, Snow uses Lucy’s showman ability to charm the Capitol. This relationship doesn’t last as Lucy begins to see what kind of person Snow is. The final main character is Sejanus. He is very trusting of others and would do anything to help a friend. Snow uses this to his advantage like a moth to a flame and befriends him. Their friendship continues throughout the story, but Snow’s motive remains unchanged. Overall, the characters are well thought out and can connect to the reader in several ways. Snow represents the people who would do anything for power, Lucy represents selfless people who want justice, and Sejanus represents those who are too trusting and let others take advantage of them. Each character speaks to a different part of us by acting through the story. 
One of the most determining factors of a story is its ending. Most people who have read Divergent loved the series but hated the ending because it felt rushed. I strongly think that the ending of this book was beautifully orchestrated to leave the reader wondering what happened. It is up to the reader to decide what they want to believe happened. It is a fast-paced ending but not an ending that feels rushed. You feel as though you are following along with the characters as they meet their fate at the end of this book. Although some people dislike books with open endings, I think this is an ending everyone will love and want to know more about.
Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes is one of the best-written books ever. It has diverse characters everyone can relate to, a plot that keeps the reader entertained throughout the whole story, and an ending that leaves you wanting to know more about the book. These are why I recommend that this book is a must-read.