AceShowbiz - If fans' reaction to the newly-released excerpt of "The Hunger Games" prequel novel is any indication, the upcoming book is not going to be a hit like its predecessors. The book called "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" has received backlash after it's revealed that it will put the focus on the villainous President Snow.

According to the excerpt released via Entertainment Weekly, the novel which is set 64 years before the first "Hunger Games" novel will highlight Snow as "a teenager born to privilege but searching for something more, a far cry from the man we know he will become." In the prequel novel, the villain turns into a charming protagonist, who is described as "friendly" and "a hero," "for now anyway."

But this concept doesn't sit well the "Hunger Games" fans, who are shocked to find out that Snow will be the main character in the upcoming novel. "Literally who asked for this? Out of all the stories to tell Snow’s is one no one is interested in," a disappointed reader wrote.

Another reacted on Twitter, "the sheer nerve of the hunger games preque being about president snow when haymitch was RIGHT THERE … disappointed but not surprised." One other fan wrote, "was so hyped for the hunger games only to find out it's about that tyrannical president snow... imagine how tired we are."

YA author Aiden Thomas wasn't pleased either and he chimed in, "i couldn't be more disappointed by the next HUNGER GAMES being about f***ing President Snow and trying to paint him as a 'misunderstood hero' are you kidding me."

Collins and Scholastic Inc. have not responded to fans' reaction to the excerpt. The book is scheduled to hit the shelves on March 19.

Donald Sutherland portrays President Snow in all four installments of the movie adaptation of "The Hunger Games" novel trilogy.