Rating: 9/10
It’s hard to put into words how beautifully devastating “Sunrise on the Reaping” is. The gut-wrenching story of 50th Hunger Games victor Haymitch Abernathy is packed from cover to cover with love, loss and all the gritty emotions in between.
For those who grew up drinking in the words of Suzanne Collins’ original trilogy, Haymitch’s story feels like the final piece of the puzzle that is one of the series’ most pivotal characters.
Until the release of “Sunrise on the Reaping,” Haymitch was a depressed drunk, hardened from years of pain that was only ever alluded to in the original trilogy.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Collins gave his character new life through the eyes of an innocent 16-year-old who sees horrors that follow him all the way to Katniss Everdeen.
Haymitch lost like he never had before while in the arena, and President Snow ripped everything and everyone from him when he returned to District 12.
Waking up the morning after finishing this novel felt like being eaten alive from the inside out, starting viciously with the heart.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is Collins’ fifth installment in the Hunger Games series, finally letting readers know exactly what went down inside the arena during the Second Quarter Quell.
Haymitch became the second victor from District 12 to win the Hunger Games, succeeding Lucy Gray Baird, whose story is told in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
Twice as many tributes from each district meant a total of 48 children reaped, and Collins leapt at the opportunity to create new, loveable characters — only to kill most of them in the end.
Collins strategically appeals to the reader’s empathy, building complex characters with emotional and intellectual depth. Her words hold extra weight as they add to the pre-existing world of Panem, and many characters in “Sunrise on the Reaping” are related to those in the original trilogy.
The girl Haymitch loves, Lenore Dove, bears a striking resemblance to her Covey ancestor Lucy Gray, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her right alongside him.
She refuses to be silenced by the oppressive government and her acts of rebellion bring the reader in close as her whimsy and passion battle for her beliefs.
Maysilee Donner, the meanest girl in the village, transforms into a fiercely loyal competitor and friend. Their bond runs strong, offering Haymitch a fleeting chosen family after being torn from his mother and brother in District 12.
Beloved District 3 victor Beetee Latier watches from afar as his son, Ampert fights in the arena before even reaching his 13th birthday.
Ampert’s wit and childlike wonder dance throughout his characterization. Collins writes about a beautifully determined young boy while expertly providing insight to what the readers already know about Beetee.
Beyond the array of new characters remain those that readers already knew. The treacherous Snow continues to live up to his ruthless reputation, and Mags Flanagan from District 4 welcomes the District 12 tributes into her arms as their mentor. A glimpse behind the scenes shows just how far back Plutarch Heavensbee’s rebellious tendencies ran.
With over 4.7 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, readers’ praise for “Sunrise on the Reaping” spans worldwide. The novel sold over 1.5 million copies in its first week of release, doubling that of “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and tripling “Mockingjay.”
If loss is a major theme in the novel, resistance is the other. Haymitch watches the Capitol manipulate his words and actions into propaganda, cut any rebellious acts from the historical narrative and realizes just how much of a pawn he is in Snow’s elaborate, sadistic chess game.
Haymitch built the foundation or lit the fire per se, that Katniss would eventually catch onto and use to burn down the Capitol by the end of “Mockingjay.”
Details that felt small or unexplainable in the trilogy come to life in “Sunrise on the Reaping” through Haymitch’s eyes.
His calling Katniss “sweetheart” gains a whole new meaning when District 12 tribute Louella McCoy is realized and the epilogue reveals the devastating truth about who Burdock Everdeen really was.
Above all, Collins graces her readers with yet another layer of significance to the symbol of the future rebellion, the mockingjay. Lenore Dove’s uncle crafted the pin Katniss wears, and it was first made for Maysilee.
Collins once again proves the depth of her world-building, and fans are loving all the new tidbits of information. It arguably calls for a reread of the books from the beginning.
Despite the heartbreaking nature of “Sunrise on the Reaping,” it is a masterful piece of writing that should remind everyone just how talented Collins is.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” was announced as a book-film duo, with the movie set to premiere on Nov. 20, 2026. Until then, rewetting tear-stained pages of old copies of the original books will have to suffice.
