I desperately want to read this book but I also desperately hate reading physical books nowadays. Pathetic and terrible, I know... but I am unable to lay in the position I want while holding a physical book... and the need to have a light source drives me insane... I anxiously waited at the door as I watched the Amazon package tracker move closer and closer to my apartment... and now it has been 2 days and I have still not begun... BUT I CAN DO IT!


<img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_8KGlebWqTQ/maxresdefault.jpg" width="300" alt="3 days later"/>

WELLLLLLLL I knew it... The book was supposed to be about Snow so we knew that Collins would try to make us sympathetic to him. She definitely managed to make me fall in love with him- at least for the first half of the book. I REALLY enjoyed everything up until after the games ended. After the games ended,

that is when Snow's personality started to twist noticeably and that is probably why I did not like it as much... that

and because I felt like the plot started to weaken or something. I'm not really sure how to put it into words but I was not a huge fan of the second half. 5 stars for the first half... 2.5 for the second half... so I am being nice and giving it a 4 because I am just happy that we have been given this unexpected glimpse into more of the Hunger Games world.

The one thing I HATE is the lack of solid answer as to what happened to Lucy Gray. I know that is the point... trying to make it like the Ballad of Lucy Gray... but it is FRUSTRATING.

The one thing that I absolutely loved about the book is that it gives us an idea of how the Hunger Games developed.

I love that the Hunger Games themselves were suggested as a drunken, joking answer to an assignment. I love that we could see the suggestions that would ultimately transform the Hunger Games into what we saw in the 74th and 75th games. I also absolutely loved how the songs we know from the original series were included and explained in this prequel.

I feel like I need even more now... I want to see specifically how Tigris evolves from where she is in this book to where she is in the original series. I want to continue to follow the development of the games. and not related to this book, but I WANT TO READ ABOUT HAYMITCH'S TIME IN THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!

Side Note: I literally bought and installed a reading lamp above my oversized Luvsac (my current favorite reading spot) just for this book. So maybe now I will be more open to physical books...

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Reread in preparation for the movie November 2023:

This time around I listened to the audiobook. I’m still not a fan of physical books, haha. I think all of my previous opinions still hold true. And I’m still desperate for her to write Haymitch’s games. I actually found a full novel length fanfiction that is supposed to be really good and I intend to read that to satisfy my craving. Below is my commentary from while reading it again… it is pretty scarce and probably not even worth copying over

- 82% snows has been becoming more and more of a red flag since coming to district 12. I don’t think I noticed/realized it this early on when I read the book the first time.
- 97% I forgot just how batshit crazy he went at the end
- 100% really, snow was evil as can be at the end… but it’s sort of heartwarming how the two families merged and his life worked out at the end. If only he didn’t go crazy and kill Lucy

Movie Review  🍿 
My one true complaint is

that they had him say that he felt powerful after his first kill. I feel like that one line drastically altered the timeline for his character’s transition into madness/evil.