I had heard that! I'm not a fan of preemptively judging something before you've read it, so I'm with you. We haven't read it yet. Besides, can't you argue that no one is simply born a villain? I think it might actually be interesting to see how he became that sort of person.

I think I would have preferred a prequel that delved into how Panem became, or maybe even a companion novel that focused on another side of the clearly Lost World (assuming Panem wasn't the only place left), admittedly. I'm not as intrigued by this. But I wouldn't assume it will be apologist, unless there's something major I don't know. (I'm not really in THG fandom, I've read the series and liked it a lot, but that's really it.)