Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Book title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (*Amazon affiliate link)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Young Adult dystopian fiction
Published: May 19, 2020
517 pages
My rating: 4/5

“Coriolanus released a fistful of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and swore that one day it would never pass his lips again. He needed to eat a large bowl of the anemic stuff, and drink every drop of broth, to prevent his stomach from growling during the reaping ceremony.”

It is the year of the tenth Hunger Games, and eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is given a unique opportunity to win a scholarship to university – a much-needed money, as the once-great house of Snow has fallen into ruin. The problem: he must mentor a tribute from the lowest district, district 12, and a girl no less. But once he meets his tribute Lucy Gray Baird, a singer and a performer, he is certain he can win the audience to her (and his) side.

Preptober Week 4: Outlining Scenes to My Pride and Prejudice Retelling

Preptober is nearing the end! Last week, I continued to outline individual scenes to my Pride and Prejudice retelling. After the initial outline, I did some more brainstorming and research and came back to the outline with even more ideas. I'm excited to start writing this book on November 1st!

Check out more in the writing vlog below:

Besides preptobering, I've been hard at work making new reading journals. If you're in the market for a reading journal or a bookish gift idea, check them out (*Amazon affiliate links): Jane Austen Reading Journal: https://amzn.to/40kxz5G Reading Journal for Romance Readers: https://amzn.to/4e4v4aP Book Review Log: https://amzn.to/3NJlzmP You can find the rest of my reading journals here: https://www.susannakanto.com/reading-journals/

*As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Preptober Week 3: Researching and Outlining a Novel

Week three of Preptober is now behind us! Last week, I brainstormed names for the characters in my modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, delved into the world of 90s celebrity gossip, googled questions I needed to research, and started outlining scenes.

Check out the writing vlog below for more information. I'll show an in-depth look at how I outline the scenes and give you a sneak peek of what else I'm working on (hint: it's new reading journals!).

Preptober Week 2: Finishing Draft Four and Outlining a New Novel

Week two of Preptober was really productive! I finally finished draft four of Project Prehistory and can let it rest for a while until it's time to start draft five (some time early next year). I also outlined a new novel, a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling. It's the perfect shorter writing project for November, as I'm aiming for somewhere between 50-60K words. Last week, I worked on the outline and started sketching out the scenes.

If you want to see what else I get up to last week, check out the writing vlog below.

Preptober Week 1: Reading Project Prehistory and Planning My New Novel

It's preptober! Although I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo, I still want to write a new novel in November, so it's time to start planning and outlining the book. I'm simultaneously finishing the edits for Project Prehistory, a coming-of-age story set in a prehistoric society. The fourth draft is almost done, and then I can concentrate on the new project, which is a modern romance and a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (one of my favorite novels of all time). You can read more about my plans for Preptober in this blog post.

And if you're interested in how week one of Preptober went for me, you can watch the video below!

September Wrap-Up and October Goals

September reads

 

September Wrap-Up

• Finished: 5
• Continued but not finished: 2
• DNF: 1
• Total pages read: 2,205
• Average rating: 3.666

September was a great reading month! The photo does not show it, though, as three of the five books I read were e-books. There weren’t any five star reads, but September wasn’t a bad month (although I did DNF one book after just one chapter - the writing could have been edited better, and the story didn't interest me enough to keep reading).

Book Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Book title: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (* Amazon affiliate link)
Author: Axie Oh
Genre: Young adult fantasy
Published: February 22, 2022
321 pages
My rating: 4/5

“The myths of my people say only a true bride of the Sea God can bring an end to his insatiable wrath. When the otherworldly storms rise from the East Sea, lightning breaking the sky and water ripping up the shore, a bride is chosen and given to the Sea God. Or sacrificed, depending on the measure of your faith.”

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for a century. People believe that they are cursed by the Sea God, their former protector, and to appease his wrath, they sacrifice a young maiden to him every year. To save her brother’s beloved Shim Cheong from being sacrificed, Mina throws herself in the sea and ends up in the spirit realm. She meets the Sea God, who is sleeping an enchanted sleep, and a mysterious young man Shin, who promises to help her break the curse. But her time is running out, as a human cannot live long in the land of the spirits.