As we all know, TBOSAS is told from Coriolanus Snow’s point of view when he was eighteen years old, during his first ever experience in mentorship for the Games. Several people may perceive it through the wrong lens; some disapprove its existence lest his actions are being justified by the readers, while others do humanize his misdeeds. Here is what I can tell my fellow readers, you can try to understand what drives people to do evil while not normalizing them. Do not romanticize them.

Suzanne Collins did a splendid job at portraying Coriolanus Snow as a pitiful boy who was striving to let his family legacy live on. He did everything by all means to keep the name Snow secure, pure, and untainted. He was surrounded by good friends; putting that into account, it's as if he was being offered opportunities to be good, yet he wasted it every time by regarding them nuisances. I find it amusing that Tigris and Snow grew up to be so different from each other despite being raised in the same circumstances.

One of Coryo's good friends, Sejanus, definitely deserved better treatment from him. With every conversation they both shared, it was evidently clear that he did not once think they are equal by social rank. In Coryo's field of vision, Sejanus had always been the ungrateful district boy that failed to use his father's influence to his advantage. Something that was out of Coryo's grasp despite him badly yearning for it.

Moving on to Coryo’s “relationship” with Lucy, it was never, never, based on love. I could argue about it for hours with no one able to convince me otherwise. Coryo liked asserting dominance over Lucy Gray, his walking trophy, his key to success. If you paid a close attention, it would be apparent that he referred her as an adornment of himself. It mattered less that she survived the Games, only that she brought a lasting impact on people. I’d also like to believe that Lucy was not so drunk in love, she was simply finding ways to survive.

So, I wondered, when I came across a comment from someone a few days back expressing their disappointment of Lucy Gray’s betrayal toward Coryo. It baffled me so much that I was unsure if we even read the same book. How could they call it “betrayal” when Coryo only thought of her as a pretty little bird, meant to be caged and controlled? He was even tempted to switch Lucy Gray with Sejanus’ tribute, though in the end he decided to keep her due to her fame.

I’ve seen theories about Lucy Gray’s identity in the later years. While I don’t know for certain, I think what matters the most is she is finally free. Snow, on the other hand, is haunted for the rest of his life.

Full review can be accessed here