Audiobook - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games #0) - Suzanne Collins
Watching the movie before reading the book is a sacrilegious offence, and one I erroneously committed with this title. Luckily for me, both the movie and the book are fabulous.
This is the prequel to the original hunger games and follows Coriolanus Snow (yes, evil President Snow) as a relatable teenage boy.
In the main trilogy Katniss has her flaws but ultimately she's a "goodie". It's a story of good vs. evil where good ultimately mostly triumphs. While Katniss can rile people up the wrong way and can have a bit of a temper, her heart is always in the right place and she often puts others above herself.
Snow is a far more nuanced character and his motivations are explored in far more depth than ever happens with Katniss. There is less action but honestly I think that this makes for a far better book. The main trilogy has far too many arena scenes for my liking.