She did it again. Suzanne Collins cracked open the gates of Panem once more, and let me tell you, I didn’t walk in…I sprinted. Sunrise on the Reaping is the kind of book that makes you cancel plans (or in my case, head up to bed at 7pm), ignore texts, forget to eat, and possibly even cry in public. Which is totally fine. We get it. As a lifelong Hunger Games fan, I had sky high expectations for this one. Haymitch is my favorite character, after all. And despite my high expectations, Suzanne Collins somehow managed to exceed them. Like…seriously…did she install a Jabberjay in my brain and write the book of my dreams? I’m not saying yes, but I’m also not saying no.
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A Quick (Spoiler Free) Setup
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen ever volunteered as tribute…during the 50th Hunger Games. If that number is setting up bells for you, it should. The 50th Hunger Games that Haymitch was reaped was during the Second Quarter Quell. Meaning double the amount of tributes from each district are sent. Our main character, Haymitch Abernathy, the sharp tongued, whiskey loving mentor we all thought we knew. But we didn’t know anything. This book is his origin story. His trauma. His brilliance. His heartbreak. And his unraveling.
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Sunrise on the Reaping: Collector’s Edition (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games)
Why Sunrise on the Reaping Absolutely Wrecked Me (In the Best Way)
First, Collins still writes with a blade in her pen. Her prose is as razor sharp as ever, while also being elegant, and brutal. She doesn’t waste words. Instead, she punches you with them. Makes you feel exactly what she wants you to feel. Every single sentence feels deliberate, and she has this amazing ability to make you feel dread in a single paragraph.
Second, Haymitch is a revelation. If you thought, after reading the first book, that he was just a jaded drunk with a tragic past, buckle up. He is layered and complicated and absolutely brilliant. You root for him, you scream for him, you want to hug him and scream into the void…at the same time.
Third, the world building is even richer. We see more of District 12, more of the Capitol, and more of how the Games were evolving into the sick spectacle we saw by the time Katniss arrived.
And finally, the themes hit hard. Power, oppression, manipulation, rebellion…classic Collins. But she also has this way of weaving in subtle meditations on memory, trauma, and the price of survival.
Fan Service, But Make it Brilliant
Suzanne Collins didn’t just write Sunrise on the Reaping for the fans…she wrote it with a deep respect for them. There are Easter eggs (District 12 bread, anyone?), emotional callbacks, and even tiny moments that make you gasp out loud because you realize how perfectly this story fits into the larger narrative. Also, and I’m not kidding, there are lines in this book that gave me chills. You know the ones. The lines that remind you why this series became a cultural phenomenon. Many times I set the book down and just took a breath.
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My Final Thoughts (While Sobbing into My Mockingjay Pin)
Sunrise on the Reaping is everything I wanted it to be…and more! It’s heartbreaking, brilliant, and bold. It reaffirms Suzanne Collins’ status as one of the greatest dystopian writers of our time. If you’ve ever loved this series, even just a little, then read this book. Read it now. If you’ve never read the series…WHAT? Do it. Either way, welcome (back) to the arena!
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