The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Did You Know?

• The audiobook was read by Tony Award-winning actor Santino Fontana.
• The film adaptation was directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Michael Arndt.
• The book's virtual launch was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plot

To revive declining interest for the 10th Hunger Games, 24 Capitol Academy students are chosen to mentor tributes, with the mentor of the winning tribute receiving the Plinth Prize. Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow, heir of a once-powerful but destitute Capitol family, hopes to win the prize to pay for higher education and restore his family's prestige. Fellow student Sejanus Plinth, heir to the family that funds the prize, is sympathetic to district citizens and considers Coriolanus his only friend.

Coriolanus is assigned by Dean Casca Highbottom to the District 12 female tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, a member of the Covey. During the reaping, she catches attention by singing and slipping a snake into the dress of Mayfair Lipp, the mayor's daughter. Coriolanus treats Lucy Gray with uncommon kindness, smuggling her food and forming a close bond. As part of a class assignment, he proposes betting and sponsored gifts, which are implemented by head gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

Dr. Gaul tests venomous snakes on a classmate, nearly killing her. Violence between tributes and mentors leaves several dead. Coriolanus urges Lucy Gray to use her musical abilities in the tribute interview. During a tour of the arena, rebel bombs explode, killing more tributes and mentors.

Lucy Gray saves Coriolanus from a fallen beam while the District 2 male tribute escapes, later captured and left to die.

Release

Scholastic announced a world record first printing of 2.5 million copies on January 22, 2020. Barnes & Noble released an exclusive edition with a reader's group guide and a Q&A with Collins and editor David Levithan. Walmart released an exclusive edition with a collectible bookmark. An audiobook narrated by Santino Fontana was released simultaneously, also as a pre-loaded digital audio player for libraries.

Translation rights had been sold in 28 territories as of October 2019. Scholastic CEO Dick Robinson stated the company wished to hold the May 19 publication date despite the COVID-19 pandemic, though sales were expected to be lower. On April 23, 2020, a clip of Collins reading the opening was released. Barnes & Noble announced a virtual book club on May 29.

On May 12, Scholastic Audio released an excerpt of the first 11 minutes of the audiobook. At 12:01 A.M. on release day, Collins gave a special reading revealing the identity of the girl from District 12. Scholastic also released The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Journal on the same day, featuring mockingjay designs and 192 lined pages.

Reception

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes received mixed reviews, with division over Collins's choice to make Snow the protagonist. Sarah Lyall of The New York Times gave a positive review but found the ending flat. Constance Grady of Vox described the book as an escape to a fictional dystopia. Karin Tanabe of The Washington Post praised the third portion for showing the gradual loss of Coriolanus's humanity.

The Guardian praised the themes of friendship, betrayal, and authority. Time noted Collins's skill in adding depth to the world. Kirkus Reviews gave a starred review, calling it a tense, character-driven cautionary tale. The Daily Telegraph criticized it as not the most promising opening and said Collins was out of her depth writing murky psychology.

Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly gave a grade of B−, noting desperate storytelling and too many folk music interludes but calling it a major work with major flaws. Annalisa Quinn of NPR panned the novel, finding Coriolanus a flat sociopath compared to Katniss Everdeen.