By Suzanne Collins
CW: Murder, gore, blood, violence, drinking.
After taking a few tries to become interested in this book, I closed it being only moderately interested. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good book. There were too many similarities to the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes for me personally.
I did appreciate the opportunity to get another glance into the world of the coveys, and what it’s like falling in love with one of these eccentric musicians. In my opinion, the coveys were fleshed out more intriguingly in Snow’s story. Sure, Snow and Haymitch both fell in love with a covey girl and ended up heartbroken. And?
Wanna know what really motivated me to finish this book? Lou-Lou. That’s right. Collins set up such a devastatingly sinister situation with Louella’s ‘clone’. I have SO many follow-up questions. I thought the story around her was fantastic. I imagine that Lou-Lou was taken down to Dr. Gaul’s lab, where she was likely tortured with the new hijacking poison she was perfecting: tracker jacker venom. She had an earpiece that occasionally rang at painfully high pitches – now what was the purpose of that? To allow the Capitol, or Dr. Gaul specifically, to listen to what others were saying, or what Lou-Lou was saying, or both? Did they give her instructions through it? And what about that drug they attached through a pump to her chest? What was the purpose of that? To subdue her when she started to act out? Or to keep her at a level of highness that she couldn’t freak out about her new life?
You know, after loving Medea and Snow’s story, I’m starting to realize I enjoy reading, what would you call them? Body horror? Psychological horror? Whatever it is, sign me up. I had a conversation with a close friend recently who recommended I read the original Frankenstein. My first follow-up question asked how detailed they get into the building of the body and the resurrection. To my surprise, he said not at all. Well, I immediately scratched that one off my list.
…if you have any books to recommend in this genre, please do let me know š
Back to the book at hand. I thought the love between Haymitch and Lenore was beautiful. I want to be sensitive that the story was absolutely crushing, and I know others have closed the book crying, but it didn’t hit me as hard as Lucy Gray and Snow’s story. His Ma and Sid’s death, though…ouch.
Something else I really enjoyed was the epilogue. It was wonderful to see Haymitch talking about Katniss before and after her games. How she finally fulfilled Haymitch’s promise to Lenore as she lay dying in his arms. Oof. My heart.
I think Collins did a tremendous job detailing the breakdown of Haymitch after everyone’s death when he returned home, how he threw himself into alcohol and cut out everyone he loved because he knew he had to keep them safe from Snow’s never-ending wrath. I had a beautiful moment realizing that Burdock was Katniss’s father. Did anyone else catch that as he was mentioned throughout the book? What a great surprise!
I wish I had more detailed thoughts to say about this book, but, honestly, nothing much comes to mind. When I think of some of my favourite books, my heart explodes with passion, and I want to shake everyone I know and ramble about the magnificence of the story…with this one, though, I simply appreciate the story. And I think that’s perfectly okay. I would absolutely read it again.
Should I start giving ratings? If so, I’d give this one. 4 out of 5 stars. Great book, but not shaking-your-friends-with-passion great.
Please keep writing Hunger Games books, Suzanne Collins! I adore the world you built. Major props to a well-detailed world.
December's Quill 
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