THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES

Narrator Santino Fontana enters the Hunger Games arena, capturing fans' attention and hearts with his impactful performance of this prequel to the popular trilogy. This action-packed audiobook reveals how the impoverished, sometimes sentimental teenage Coriolanus Snow morphed into the man who would become the merciless leader of Panem, overseeing the live reality event in which 24 teens are forced to battle it out until only one remains alive. Fontana's consistent characterizations and clear distinctions between dialogue, thoughts, and narrative text guide listeners through this multilayered story of sociopolitical maneuvering and friendship and betrayal, set in a land of unrest. With spot-on pacing, Fontana builds suspense and maximizes the excitement, all the while impressively signaling Coriolanus's maturation and self-acceptance by subtly toughening the teen's voice. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2020]