There has never been a book series that stuck with me quite like The Hunger Games trilogy. Years after reading them, I can still remember vivid details from the novels and specific lines from the movies. This series inspired a generation of kids, now young adults, to fight back against oppression and taught young girls that they can be just as powerful as their male counterparts. This series truly shaped me in a way that no other series has, which is why I am so excited by the new Hunger Games renaissance we are currently seeing all across social media.
I recently rewatched all the movies with my friend, Gabby, and ever since then, we have been talking nonstop about rereading the books and the little things we have noticed in the movies. We even decided to finally read the most recent installment in the series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The novel came out in 2020, and the accompanying movie is set to release on November 17, 2023. When the novel first came out, I was incredibly excited to get a new point of view on the story. I thought it would most likely be Haymitch’s story or even Finnicks, but I was incredibly underwhelmed to find out that the lead character in this novel would be the character I couldn’t care less about: President Snow.
When the novel came out, I didn’t read it because my hatred for his character ran so deep that I knew 13-year-old me would be disappointed if she saw 19-year-old me with the book in my hands. However, with the recent resurgence, I decided it was finally time to put my feelings aside and read the book before the film came out. While I am nowhere near done with the book yet, the chapters that I have read have been nothing short of eye-grabbing. I find myself flipping through pages and reading as fast as I can, unable to put the book down. Truth be told, Snow will never be a character I like, for obvious reasons, but this book has so far provided me with more insight into his character, and it’s truly interesting to see where he started out and how he develops into the character we know in the original series. I guess I made mistake number one as a reader–I judged a book by its cover, and I was proved incredibly wrong for doing so.
Nonetheless, You will see me in theaters on November 17th, Mockingjay pin on, accompanied by my friend and my eyes glued to the screen, but for now, you can find me with my nose stuffed in a book, furiously turning pages.