THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne Collins

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES By Suzanne CollinsThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #0
Published by Scholastic Press on 5/19/20
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 541
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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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 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.

Short and Sweet Review

It is time for the 10th annual Hunger Games and Coriolanus Snow has been chosen to be a mentor to one of the tributes. Coriolanus knows that if his tribute wins that this could bring him and his family back to their former glory. The odds are stacked against him when he’s given a tribute from distract 12, but Lucy Gray has a way about her that charms people and Coriolanus knows that every choice they make can either make it or break it for them.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Coriolanus Snow’s villain origin story. We get to see who President Snow was before he became the guy gunning for Katniss in the Hunger Games trilogy. Here we see that the house of Snow has fallen on hard times and he’s just trying to make it by and keep up appearances. Coriolanus attends the academy and him and 23 other students were chosen to be mentors. Coriolanus is given Lucy Gray from district 12 and she’s probably the most willing to talk to her mentor and follow his lead, she’s also a singer and that’s how she’s been winning over the people. Coriolanus finds himself coming up with new ideas for the games, like betting and sending things into the arena for the tributes, and it was interesting to see that it was him who came up with some of the things we see in the other books. Coriolanus falls for Lucy which in the ends gets him in trouble and instead of being in the Capitol he’s sent to be a peacekeeper in district 12. In district 12 Coriolanus tries to follow the rules but he’s reunited with Lucy again and also an old friend from the Capitol but they have some rebel ideas in mind. It took me a while to figure out but after some thinking I realized that this is when we see Coriolanus make the switch into a villain, during his time in district 12. After we see Coriolanus switch up on people he ends up going back to the Capitol and starts to make his way back up the social ladder and this is when he eventually becomes the President Snow that we see in future books.

I thought this book was interesting and I liked that we get to see how Snow became who he was. It was also interesting that this book isn’t completely focused on the games its just one part of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, the pacing was kind of slow but it was really to build everything up and in the end I was satisfied and a few days after reading this book I’m still thinking about it.

MOCKINGJAY By Suzanne Collins

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

MOCKINGJAY By Suzanne CollinsMockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #3
Published by Scholastic Press on 8/24/10
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 339
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss Everdeen.

Short and Sweet

The 75th hunger games didn’t go as planned and if you thought President Snow was angry before, watch out! Katniss and Finnick were rescued from the arena and taken to district 12, while Peeta, Johanna, and whoever else was alive in the arena were taken to the capitol. In district 13 Katniss meets Alma Coin, who is looking to be the new president but needs Katniss’s help. Katniss needs to become the Mockingjay and help lead the revolution against the capitol and President Snow. Katniss agrees as long as Coin also agrees to rescue Peeta and pardon him.

This is the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy and everything was leading up to this moment, Katniss being the face of a revolution and hope. Katniss’s main focus in this book is keeping those she loves safe, saving Peeta, and finally getting rid of President Snow. Katniss is taken around to different districts to see the destruction left behind by the Capitol and this really gets her motivated and she gives messages not only to the districts but also to President Snow. Peeta is eventually rescued but his time in the capitol changed him and his reunion with Katniss isn’t a happy one. I will say I did like how the champions who have competed in the hunger games all deal with their PTSD and we see how Katniss and Peeta are really haunted by their past.

I did enjoy this final installment, I will say I think Catching Fire was my favorite book. This book was focused on the revolution and we see Katniss figure out who was truly the enemy. I loved the ending and that goes back to Katniss working through some things. The ending was good but also a little bittersweet in a way. The Hunger Games was an exciting series and we see over the course of the three books the climax build to finally lead us here and overall it was successful. This trilogy was filled with excitement and characters who are clever and who you grow to love. The Hunger Games trilogy is one I can see myself picking up again in the future just to relive everything.

CATCHING FIRE By Suzanne Collins

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CATCHING FIRE By Suzanne CollinsCatching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #2
Published by Scholastic Press on 5/28/10
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Short and Sweet Review

Katniss and Peeta have won the 74th hunger games and are adjusting to life in the Victor’s Village in district 12. Katniss’s antics with the berries in the games didn’t go unnoticed, by the capitol or the people in other districts. President Snow pays Katniss a visit and tells her to be on her best behavior and make sure that people know that her actions in the games were because of her love for Peeta. After that Katniss learns of uprisings in other districts and she decides to join in but obviously on the down low. The President obviously is not about to let the uprisings or Katniss be the downfall of all he’s worked hard for, so for the 75th Hunger Games he decides to put past victors from each hunger games back into the arena. Now Katniss and Peeta have to survive in an arena with people who also have experience playing the games.

Catching Fire was more exciting to me than The Hunger Games. In The Hunger Games we see the build up to everything and we kind of see it come to a head in Catching Fire. Katniss knows she made the people in the Capitol angry but she wasn’t expecting to learn about the uprisings that are happening in other districts. Katniss isn’t sure what to make of this, the only thing on her mind is keeping her family and friends safe, she even thinks about running away again. In the end Katniss decides to be apart of the revolution but she’s not sure what to do especially after she gets the news about having to take part in the 75th Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta still try to play the crazy love bird angle but I’m starting to think its becoming more than an act to Katniss. The two are also advised by Haymitch to start making some alliances. I did enjoy seeing all of the new competitors but was also sad when some of the people in Katniss’s alliance met their ends. Finnick was pretty useful and it was nice seeing another guy who knew what they were doing around in the arena he also had sponsors. The arena this time was different but there was a pattern the group figured out and in the end there were some things that happened that I wasn’t expecting.

I loved the ending and I’m ready to see how things end in the next book. Even though I’ve seen the movies it’s been a while and I did like seeing how much more detail is in the books. On to the next!

THE HUNGER GAMES By Suzanne Collins

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE HUNGER GAMES By Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Published by Scholastic Press on 9/1/09
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 387
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Short and Sweet Review

Panem has taken the place of what used to be known as North America. Around Panem’s Capitol is twelve districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by having one boy and one girl from each district participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live tv. Katniss Everdeen lives in district 12 one of the poorest districts, she basically keeps her mother and sister alive with her hunting skills. When it’s time for people to get called for the games, Katniss hears her sisters name called and she doesn’t really think about it but Katniss volunteers to take her place. We follow Katniss as she navigates going from surviving the harsh environment of her district into The Hunger Games where she really has to kill to survive.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the movies, but I tried to forget about those and go into reading this book with a clean slate. I do enjoy the concept and seeing everything play out in the arena. Katniss is our main character and she’s motivated by the love she has for those around her, we see that when she takes her sisters place and when she teams up with Rue and eventually Peeta during the games. As I mentioned Katniss is our main character, but we also see a lot of Peeta because he’s also from district 12. Before the games, Katniss and Peeta are mentored by Haymitch and Effie. Haymitch suggests that they play on the emotions of the rich people from the Capitol and to do that they need to seem like they’re in love. Katniss is uncomfortable with this because there’s a guy back at district 12 named Gale and they’re not dating but there’s something there. While in the arena we see how ruthless the other competitors are and we also see Katniss rely on what she knows best, hunting with the bow and arrow. I did like seeing how Katniss was able to survive and her compassion for Rue and Peeta.

The Hunger Games is a good book and it keeps you hooked, because you’re invested in not only Katniss but Peeta too. It’s interesting to see how different each district is and how in the games the latter districts are seen as weaker. I’m ready to continue the series and see what happens next especially because Katniss made some bold decisions that not everyone was happy with.

ALL FALL DOWN by Ally Carter

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ALL FALL DOWN by Ally CarterAll Fall Down by Ally Carter
Series: Embassy Row #1
Published by Scholastic Press Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyMiranda

A new series of global proportions -- from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter.

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her -- so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can't control Grace -- no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.


Ally Carter’s first Embassy Row novel All Fall Down is rife with political intrigue, snarky teenagers, a murder mystery and a possible romance that may unite or ruin nations.  Phew, that is a lot to pack into one novel but Ms. Carter does it well.  Grace Blakely is a smart-mouth army brat who has been around the world but now she’s back with the grandfather she hasn’t seen in three years.  Her grandfather is the United States Ambassador to the foreign nation of Adria.  As soon as she arrives in Adria, Grace is bombarded with memories of her deceased mother.  Everyone is convinced her mother died in a fire but Grace believes she was murdered and is determined to find the killer.

I really enjoyed Grace. She made me laugh and I felt empathy for her.  Of course, I could not get enough of her and the Russian Ambassador’s son Alexei.  There are some serious sparks between them! I liked most of the secondary characters especially the friends Grace met quickly upon arriving in Adria. At times I felt the memories were too much. The mystery as to the murder of Grace’s mother ended surprisingly, which doesn’t happen often.  I was a bit disappointed with the ending but I still would like to read book two in the series.

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