The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Characters, themes & review
We’re about to throw it back to the Capitol’s darkest roots, deep into the early days of everyone's most despised tyrant, President Snow in A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
And the journey from charming (sort of) young man to power-hungry villain is a wild ride.
In this post, we’ll break down The Ballad of Songbirds characters, give you a heads-up on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trigger warnings and themes, plus I’ve included the synopsis and my own little review I posted on GoodReads.
Ready to revisit Panem's past? Let’s get into it!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0) by Suzanne Collins synopsis:
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-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 outcharm, 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.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes characters.
Main characters.
The main characters in TBOSAS are Coriolanus Snow, or as most of us know him future President of Panem, as well as Lucy Gray Baird, the enigmatic songstress from District 12.
Here is the full list of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes characters, major and minor, including a full table and list of the tributes and mentors in the 10th Annual Hunger Games.
Full list of TBOSAS characters.
Coriolanus Snow
Lucy Gray Baird
Sejanus Plinth
Tigris Snow
Grand M’aam
Professor Satyria Click
Professor Crispus Demigloss
Dr. Volumnia Gaul
Dean Casca Highbottom
Professor Agrippina Sickle
Dr. Wane
Lucretius ‘Lucky’ Flickerman
Mayfair Lipp
Strabo Plinth
Mrs. Plinth, aka “Ma”
Smiley
Beanpole
Bug
President Ravinstill
Mayor Lipp
Maude Ivory Baird
Fabricia
Pluribus Bell
Lepidus Malmsey
Billy Taupe
Spruce
Dr. Kay
Arlo Chance
Lil
Nero Price
Tam Amber
Clerk Carmine
Barb Azure
Cookie
Commander Hoff
A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes mentor & tribute characters: 10th Hunger Games.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film differs significantly from the book, particularly in how it portrays the mentors and tributes. Many of their story arcs are either condensed or altered, and their deaths unfold quite differently on screen. Below is a handy table listing all the mentors and tributes from the TBOSAS book's canon.
| District | Gender | Tribute name | Mentor name |
| 1 | Boy | Facet | Livia Cardew |
| 1 | Girl | Velvereen | Palmyra Monty |
| 2 | Boy | Marcus | Sejanus Plinth |
| 2 | Girl | Sabyn | Florus Friend |
| 3 | Boy | Circ | Io Jasper |
| 3 | Girl | Teslee | Urban Canville |
| 4 | Boy | Mizzen | Persephone Price |
| 4 | Girl | Coral | Festus Creed |
| 5 | Boy | Hy | Dennis Fling |
| 5 | Girl | Sol | Iphigenia Moss |
| 6 | Boy | Otto | Apollo “Pollo” Ring |
| 6 | Girl | Ginee | Diana “Didi” Ring |
| 7 | Boy | Treech | Vipsania Sickle |
| 7 | Girl | Lamina | Pliny “Pup” Harrington |
| 8 | Boy | Bobbin | Juno Phipps |
| 8 | Girl | Wovey | Hilarius Heavensbee |
| 9 | Boy | Panlo | Gaius Breen |
| 9 | Girl | Sheaf | Androcles Anderson |
| 10 | Boy | Tanner | Domitia Whimsiwick |
| 10 | Girl | Brandy | Arachne Crane |
| 11 | Boy | Reaper | Clemensia Dovecote |
| 11 | Girl | Dill | Felix Ravinstill |
| 12 | Boy | Jessup | Lysistrata Vickers |
| 11 | Girl | Lucy Gray | Coriolanus Snow |
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins book FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
Some answers will spoil TBOSAS if you haven’t read it already.
Proceed with caution.
What are the content & trigger warnings for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins?
Child death
Blood
Violence
Murder and death
Bigotry
Classism
Hate crimes
Death of loved ones
Death of parent (mentioned)
Police brutality
Confinement
Forced instituitionalisation
Colonisation
Medical trauma
Injury detail
Vomit
Grief
Alcohol
Drug use
Animal abuse
Animal death
Body horror
Cannibalism
Gun violence
Hanging
Heart attack (mentioned)
Loss of limbs
Poverty
Prostitution (mentioned)
Rabies
Snakes
Starvation (mentioned)
Suicide ideation
Torture
What are the themes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
You can find some of these themes in TBOSAS:
Survival
Self-preservation
Loyalty
Trust
Control
Sacrifice
Power
Ambition
Guilt and innocence
Love
Integrity
War
Is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a prequel?
Yes, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy and should be read after reading the original trilogy.
What happened to Lucy Gray?
Read all the Lucy Gray theories here including what happened to her, why she left Snow, speculation on if she’s an ancestor of Katniss or President Coin & more.
When is Sunrise on the Reaping out?
It’s out! And I’ve blogged about it, so read the book and then read all my Sunrise on the Reaping spoilers and Easter eggs here.
Enjoyed reading The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes? You may also enjoy reading:
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
The Serpent & the Wings of Night | Six Scorched Roses | The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King | The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent
A Court of Thorns & Roses | A Court of Mist & Fury | A Court of Wings & Ruin | A Court of Frost & Starlight | A Court of Silver Flames
