read: 13/05/23 - 29/05/23 | spoilers!
This book is a genius addition to the series, and clearly so thought-out. Storytelling-wise, many questions from the original series are answered: Where do the mutts come from? How was the betting on tributes normalised? When did it become a sport rather than a punishment? The terrifying but much-needed thing about this book is just how 'understandable' it all is.

How the betting to help tributes in the arena morphed over the years to purely betting on their survival. How the tributes having the option to speak for themselves evolved into having the Capitol pick favourites based on presentation. It was a horrifyingly realistic taunting of morality.

It was also incredibly interesting to see the difference of the games from the 10th to our initial introduction with the 74th in the first ever books.

The tributes kept in cages, unfed and neglected. The state of the Capitol and its recovery from the rebellion.

An intriguing look into the other side of the story we never got to see with Katniss.
The messaging remains as strong as ever. There are many powerful scenes.

The rebel bombing of the arena, Reaper's collecting of the bodies, the violent 'funeral' for the tributes that died before the games even started. Arachne's death; How, with the poking of the bear, a victim will still be punished for having a reaction to provocation, a subtle mirror to how resistance groups are treated as terrorists in our modern world. Sejanus' hanging; How even those who try to utilise their privilege usually end up silenced nonetheless.

The book is heavy and emotional, reinforced by its string of realism.
The dissection of Snow as a character was interesting.

To watch a child of war so desperate for control that everything he touches is tainted with a need for it. How the games aren't just the Plinth Prize, it is the first step to his presidency. How Sejanus cannot be a friend, but instead a stepping stone to power. How he cannot love Lucy Gray, he only wishes to control and contain her. When every obstacle is removed for him, when he has killed those who love him, when every shred of humanity is ripped from him, he is given a clear pathway to dictatorship. I think this book is a great symbol of how violence is a cycle, not just with the 'who wins, who loses', but with the emotionally damage it does on those involved, and how that emotion is fuel to a fire.

I loved the book and the context it added to the original series. The characters were amazing and the story itself was un-put-down-able.