I’m stuck. I’m undecided – Help me!?!?!
I can’t quite decided to DNF or stick it out with Suzanne Collins latest hunger game instalment! A book I was hugely looking forward too.
I’m only about a quarter of the way through the audiobook of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and I am thinking of DNFing it. Part of me wants to keep listening to it, but at the same time I don’t think I like it. ARRGGHHH!!!!
I really, really, really wanted to love it from page 1, but so far I don’t. It’s ok. DOES IT GET BETTER?????
I am bored following Snow. He’s a villain, but so far he is rather meek and not very interesting. I also have the feeling that the book is trying to make me sympathise with him and I’m not sure I do or that I want too! The majority of Snow’s hardships in life are cosmetic – no new clothes, not the latest trends, not the most expensive material, etc. Yes he has had to go with limited food but they lived through a war. They lived on rations.
On the one hand I want to find out what happens, but I also wonder if I care? Have you read it? Did you grow to get invested in the characters lives? Did you think it was a good read?
Book blurb for anyone that might not have read it…
Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price.
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 outmanoeuvre 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 favour 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.
The synopsis sounds good, right!?!?
My Prediction for the story – Snow is going to fall in love with his candidate for the games – the lovely girl from district 12 and then betray her, ultimately choosing his future career and status instead of her. And losing her/watching her die in the games will destroy his last bit of humanity and turn him into the monster he is from the original trilogy??? Kind of what the blurb hints at…
Has anyone read it? Should I just get on and finish it? Will I end up enjoying it?
As a side note – the audiobook natation is fantastic. It is just the story in the last 3 hours or so that has been a bit lacklustre.
Feel free to spoil the book for me just add a spoiler alert at the beginning of any comment so people know to look away!
One More Word 
First, understand I’ve only DNF’d one book in my lifetime…just giving you context for my opinion.
I think you do yourself a disservice until you’ve reached at least 1/3 of the book. Collins spends lots of time laying a foundation in her stories. Here, she’s got a tall task with a prequel where we already know how things turn out years later.
Push on a little bit.
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One book! Wow I’m impressed, i don’t DNF a lot but I do from time to time.
I think I’ve just been disappointed by this one so far and it’s probably partially my fault as I loved the original series when I read it years AGO and I think my expectations have been too high. I’m also a different reader than I was back then so maybe my tastes have changed too. It’s not bad, it’s just a bit dull.
I am still listening to it, I’ve now speeded up the narration 🤣😂
I do have my fingers crossed it grabs my attention soon!
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Good luck!
FYI, my DNF record is so low because my fear of missing out exceeds my need to abandon😏
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I listened to this book as well. Does it stand up to the original trilogy – NO. That being said I did find it interesting to learn more about the games from a different perspective and Snow himself. For me it was worth finishing. I had to change my perspective – it was more insightful than entertaining. I agree with you the audio really helps to lift this story. I am not so sure I would have finished it if I had read it.
Do you want me to tell you if your prediction is right? 🙂
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Tina I might take you up on that offer to tell me the ending but I am planning on continuing on a bit more for now – I LOVED the original I just think this is a tad boring in comparison.
I think if I had been reading I would have abandoned it as well thou.
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Jules, not many have liked it. So you can DNF.
Also I DNF books all the time as life is too short to waste time on books which don’t interest me. In fact, in this world crisis, why waste time which is so precious. You have only the now to enjoy life. Read a book which excites you.
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Thank you, Shalini. I stayed away from the reviews until recently because I didn’t want to get spoiled but there is certainly a very mixed bag of opinion on this book.
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Spoiler Alert:
I think DNF it.
The book is really slow, you will die of boredom.
If you want I can tell you the story in short. Just remember that what you think happens, doesn’t happen.
The ending is all you have to care about, it’s shocking.
It’s otherwise a waste of time
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Thank you Nehal – I’m going to give it another couple of chapters and then I might be back to take you up on that offer to just tell me what happens! I am slightly intrigued to find out what happens at the ending!
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Yeah, sure, and welcome😄
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I ended up really liking this book, and I didn’t think I would. It sucked me in much more than I expected! That said, I’m a believer in DNFing books if I’ve given them a fair try and they’re not working for me, so if you really hate this one, then put it aside!
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I’m so glad to read that Lisa! I am planning on giving it a few more chapters to see if it grabs my attention – I also think I have so much to read at the moment that I need everything to be good or it doesn’t get my attention.
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Oh no! I’ve heard a few readers say they didn’t enjoy this as much. So I don’t blame you for wanting to DNF. I would, if I wasn’t enjoying it. I still need to read The Hunger Games! 😜
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Thank you, I loved The original Hunger Games trilogy when I read it, but I did read it years ago!
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Ahhh, this is what I thought every fan was going to end up doing. The mere idea of creating this story just felt like the author was milking the success of the original series/movies… Hope you find out what you plan on doing with this book though. It must be such torture to keep on going hahahah 😛
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I’ve decided to keep on reading for a couple more chapters and a few people have intrigued me about the ending so I might just jump forward to it.
It’s got such a mixed review – I imagine it is going to be another film or TV series at some point.
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Ah I can’t say much cos I finished it the other day and don’t want to spoil it in case you do decide to finish- but for me it was just okay. I was also looking forward to it, but found parts pretty dull and predictable. For me, it didn’t improve- but it was a quick read and had enough to interest me that I don’t regret finishing it (I gave it 3* if that helps).
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Thank you for sharing – I am planning on reading a few more chapters but I kind of feel like it’s all only just OK – a bit Meh in places. I was expecting SO much more.
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I see you are still giving it a try, Jules! I am definitely not afraid to DNF if something isn’t clicking. I could always go back to it later. I only read the first book in this series. The mixed reviews for the other books made me pause, but my interest has been piqued again with this book.
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I’m usually not afraid of DNF either I think my biggest problem is I STILL really want to like it 😀 😀 The third book in the trilogy had some problems but I loved them when I read them years ago – I am going to stay away from re-reading them now thou! Thanks for stopping by 😀
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