Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Book and Movie Comparison

Summary of Book:

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, 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.

Book Reviews:

Coco: This book was really entertaining to read. It fit perfectly into The Hunger Games as a prequel. I loved getting to see a different version of Snow and how he became who he was in the Trilogy. His entire character was so well thought out and had an amazing development arc. It really allowed me to understand why I hate him so much. Reading it from his point of view was interesting. You could see how he changed with time and it was really funny to read his thoughts. Lucy Grey was also a really interesting character. She’s not like Katniss. Whereas Katniss is a hunter in a performance, Lucy Grey is a performer in a hunt. That aspect comes out in Lucy Grey and that’s what I love about her. Also, she had so many different versions of herself throughout the story that it made you wonder who she really was. I liked how they foreshadowed Katniss’ story of The Games. This was a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading. 4.5/5 stars.

Elle: I really enjoyed this book, it gave an interesting backstory to Coriolanus, and it added more complexity to his character. I would rate this a 5/5 stars because I could not stop turning the pages! The foreshadowing was amazing! I originally read this book after reading the Hunger Games series a couple of years ago, and it’s even better the third time through. Lucy Gray was such a unique character, and it was interesting to see the backstory of the games. The tie-ins from the original series were brilliant, we learned the origins of the Hanging Tree Song, and we really began to see why Coriolanus hated Katniss so much. I loved seeing a younger Tigress, and it was interesting to see how their relationship changed.
Summary of Movie: A movie adaptation of the book (see above for summary).

Movie Reviews:

Coco: I loved this movie! It was so good! I watched the movie before I got the book so I didn’t know what was going to happen. The plot was very similar to the book with a few exceptions. I honestly felt more for the tributes in the movie than I did in the book because we got to see the arena from Lucy Grey’s POV and also Coryo’s. We get to see the tributes as humans instead of lesser beings because that’s Coryo’s opinion of them. There were shots in the movie that were so beautiful that I almost cried. However, I wish that they could have focused on the Covey a bit more because I find them interesting and would love to see their story on the screen. I didn’t get as mad at the ending during the movie. The vibes are all different than in the book. I really felt for the characters more in the movie but only at the end. I also like how they left the end more mysterious than the book. This was my second favourite movie of the year, after Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. 4/5 stars.

Which one do you prefer, and why?

Coco: I preferred the book but I also liked the movie. I liked the plot of the movie more and the characters in the book more. The plot of the movie, especially the actual Games, felt more powerful in the movie than in the book. In the book, it was just straight-up sad, but in the movie, you got to see the characters more, and Lucy Grey seemed to have more compassion for them in the movie as well. However, in the book, we see more of Coryo’s friends and that part of the book was really interesting. Learning about the mentors and the roles they played in Coryo’s life and journey was intriguing. Having friends made him seem more human, especially at the beginning where we learn his backstory. Having the mentors as supporting characters and reading his thoughts about them actually made me like him more and infuriated me at the end. That also is the same for Sejanus. Seeing more of his character in the book allowed me to be ever angrier at the ending.

Elle: While I liked the movie, I always prefer the books. When you read the book, you really get to understand the characters better, and their thoughts too, which makes their decisions better to understand, and Coriolanus more likeable.

ELLE BOEHRINGER

Former Writer at The City Voice

Hello! My name is Elle, I am a current 9th grader, this is my first year at the City Voice. I am a member of Book Club, Global Citizens Club, and Coding Club. I also do ballet and contemporary.

COCO CROWLEY

Former Writer at The City Voice

Hi! I'm Coco Crowley and I'm in 8th grade at City. I love to read, listen to Olivia Rodrigo, and explore new bookstores!