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.
I don’t know what got into my brain, but I spent most of December re-reading the original Hunger Games trilogy. I hadn’t read it since it first came out, and I wanted to see if they held up. They TOTALLY did! Katniss is a great, compelling character (my favorite part is every time someone inappropriately professes love to her and she’s like “I AM JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE THIS IS NOT THE GODDAMN TIME”), the PTSD portrayals feel real, and it feels like an accurate take on a 17 year old rebellion leader- she’s just a figurehead being manipulated by more experienced grownups who have been planning this for years with only illusionary power.
With how good the trilogy was, I decided to read the two new(ish) prequels Collins wrote after. Well, best intentions. I BARELY made it through BOSAS. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good unreliable narrator who may or may not be a sociopathic narcissist. It’s why I read so many domestic thrillers. But this was just….not good. The romantic lead was a Romani (sorry Covey, totally not a lazy Romani stereotype) manic pixie dream girl who’s thing was….singing I guess?
And while Cornelius was a little interesting, he just seemed so one note and basic. Honestly I got bored. I never bought the love story, and while there was some interesting notes about how Cornelius never actually loved the female lead, just wanted to possess her, the book never fully explores it or digs into it, because they also want him to be conflicted and potentially good.
My reread has been derailed. Someone tell me if the Haymitch one is any better? I heard it involves another Covey girl and blond boy in tragic love which….pass.
