The ballad of songbirds and snakes -Suzanne Collins

The story is set in Panem, more than six decades before Katniss’ rebellion. The country is still recovering from the devastation of the first rebellion, and the districts are struggling under the weight of poverty and oppression. The Capitol, however, is trying to solidify its control and power. This is the backdrop for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow, who is 18 years old at the time.

Coriolanus is from a once-powerful family in the Capitol, but by the time of the novel, his family is in decline. His father is dead, his mother and relatives are struggling, and they are living in relative poverty, unable to maintain the privileges they once enjoyed. Snow is ambitious, driven, and desperate to secure his future and restore his family’s former status.

As part of his path to advancement, Snow is selected as a mentor for the 10th annual Hunger Games. This is a pivotal moment, as the Hunger Games are still in their early years, not yet the massive spectacle they become later. The Games are brutal, but they are not yet fully developed in their entertainment value for the Capitol’s citizens. Snow’s task is to mentor one of the tributes, a 12-year-old girl named Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, a poor and despised district.

Lucy Gray is unlike any other tribute Snow has seen. She is a charismatic and talented singer who captivates the Capitol audience with her performances. Unlike the other tributes, who are primarily fighting for survival, Lucy Gray is able to use her skills to gain attention and manipulate the Capitol’s views of her, turning the Games into more of a performance than a simple fight to the death.

As Snow forms an unlikely partnership with Lucy Gray, his ambition grows, and he begins to view her as a way to secure his place in the Capitol’s elite circles. However, the relationship between Snow and Lucy Gray becomes increasingly complex as they both face moral dilemmas and the dark realities of the Games. Snow must balance his growing admiration for her with his desire for power, and he begins to see the Games as a means to manipulate the Capitol’s perception of him.

At the same time, the novel explores the development of Snow’s character—his manipulation, ruthlessness, and his evolving views on power and control. As Lucy Gray becomes more of a symbol in the Games, Snow’s role as her mentor takes on deeper, more dangerous implications. He is faced with difficult choices that force him to grapple with his personal morals, the brutality of the Capitol, and the nature of the Games themselves.

While Snow’s relationship with Lucy Gray grows increasingly fraught, the political landscape of Panem also begins to shift. The story explores the early formation of the Capitol’s power structures, the Games’ evolution into the grand spectacle it becomes, and the cruelty of a system that exploits the poor for the entertainment of the elite.