Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.00 for first 30 days
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Buy Now for £16.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-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 out charm, 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.
Featured article: The top trending BookTok audiobooks
For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession....
Featured article: Katniss Everdeen - a Hunger Games character guide
Sister, tribute, revolutionary, the Girl on Fire—Katniss Everdeen has been known as a lot of things, but there is truly no character quite like the heroine of the The Hunger Games series. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins is set in a future dystopian world where the Capitol keeps a tight hold on Panem, the country made up of what is left of North America, and its strictly divided 12 districts. The main trilogy follows Katniss Everdeen on her journey from an average, impoverished girl in a forgotten district to the symbol of resistance. Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Katniss.
What listeners say about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 13-02-21
found the lack of singing really off putting
loved the story and being back in the world of panem, but there is a fair bit of song lyrics in it which is relevant to the story but with no rhythm and it just makes it unbearable. when Tatiana maslany does the hunger games audiobooks she does the tune to the hanging tree and its brill- really feel like this is needed in this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- beau
- 07-02-21
LOVED
Only criticism is I want more! hope there is a sequel! just completely brilliant! love!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel Corcoran
- 29-01-21
loved it
loved the book and thought the narrator was brilliant. I'm really not sure why everyone is complaining about him. fab book highly recommend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- hollye
- 11-07-20
Loved it - including the narration!
Really gripping story - and so great to return to the world of The Hunger Games and see how it developed. As with the original novels, the plot twists and turns, and totally pulls you in.
Controversially (apparently!) I really liked the narrator. He was sedate and solemn, but not monotonous, and I think that perfectly suited the character. I listened on 1.15x speed for a while, so if you're getting a little fed up with the pace then that works well, but to be honest I still found it enjoyable even at the original speed. He doesn't sing the songs, but I don't think that detracts too much from the enjoyment of the lyrics.
Overall I'm so glad I wasn't put off by the negative reviews of the narrator, I thoroughly enjoyed the book - both the story and the performance of it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- CKobrak
- 13-05-21
4/5 stars
It takes a while to really get into it, but overall it was an enjoyable listen and a nice prequel to The Hunger Games. Some aspects where a little too far fetched and felt like they were pandering to fans but overall a solid and easy read/listen
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michael Paris
- 16-03-21
Surprisingly good
When an author writes a sequel or prequel to a completed story the dice is rolled, some are poor imitations and others are worthy additions.
I would place this in the later category although many fans of the original trilogy would disagree.
An interesting insight into a young Snow, the early days of the hunger games and the effects of the rebellion
The narration is good and as a whole is worth the time
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-06-20
You NEED to remember the Hunger Games story
It’s been years since I read the original HG books so of course I didn’t remember that Snow was a character in them. So, the entire time I was listening to the story I was thinking that why would S.Collins write a book like this about a characterless boy. Just why?
Having said that, the story was mediocre at best. Santino Fontana’s performance was very meh and there was a lot of cringe worthy stuff there that I just ended up skipping. Definitely couldn’t have finished the book had I listened it normal speed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ethan
- 30-05-20
Fantastic book, bad narration choice.
I really enjoyed listening to this book, except that the narrator is male. With an awful lot of singing in the book it sounded very weird as it’s a girl singing and the narrator just saying the words of the songs. It would have been much better with a female narrator who actually sang the songs and didn’t just speak the words. Other than that I really liked this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- m560
- 30-05-20
Like coming home
Listening to this book felt like coming home. Suzanne Collins has a writing style that translates very well into narration. Combine that with learning more about a very interesting world and a wonderful narrator, you have a recipe for success.
About the story (spoilers!):
I went into this only knowing this would be a prequel around president Snow set in the Hunger Games world.
On some level I wish the book were longer, and on some level I wished there was a grand event to explain how Coriolanus Snow turned out the way he did. But as most people in life, he slowly morphed into the person he eventually became. He didn't want to admit he might be wrong. He felt he was owed because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He killed the first person ever in self defense, the second one in self preservation. Condemning Sejanus and attempting to kill/killing Lucy Gray was definitely where he crossed the line Lucy Gray talked about.
I do feel there were some clues I picked up on that explained his obsession with Katniss in the trilogy specifically. Firstly of course her name, secondly the fact she was from district 12, thirdly all the songs she sang (including the hanging tree song) and fourthly her choice to make the mockingjay her symbol/alias. There might have been even more references that I missed here.
As for the title I feel the ballad refers to both Coriolanus and Lucy Gray as this book tells both their stories (although always from the perspective of Coriolanus). Coriolanus is a songbird singing the nation's song during a funeral. He is a snake because of his behaviour. Lucy Gray us obviously a songbird and she is linked with snakes throughout the book multiple times.
My favourite character hands down is Tigris. She is so caring, so loving. Even to her own down fall. I also loved Ma Plinth. What a character.
So a bit of a disorganized review, but these are some thoughts about the book I wanted to get on paper.
About the narration/audio quality:
The narrator was great throughout the novel. There were some things that could be improved upon though.
- I would have loved it if the narrator sang the actual songs instead of reciting them. There was one time he almost did and it was lovely.
- There could be more of a difference between the female voices. Though I understand this might be a challenge for a male narrator.
- There were some parts that were clearly re-recorded, where the audio was noticably different. This pulled me out of the illusion quite a few times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- amy g
- 10-07-20
Good Story...Annoying Narration
I really enjoyed the story and I did finish listening to the whole book, but the narrator didn't make it easy. There are a few songs in the book and the narrator doesn't add anything to them. Where as the narrator for the other 3 'hunger games' books sings the songs and it adds a lot more atmosphere when listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!