Sunrise On The Reaping, by Suzanne Collins (Book Review)

“When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?”

It’s the morning of Panem’s fiftieth annual Hunger Games, marking the second Quarter Quell. This year, twice as many tributes will be sent to the compete in the games.
On Haymitch Abernathy’s sixteenth birthday, all he wants is to spend his day with his family and the girl he loves—until Haymitch’s name is called, and he’s torn from his life as he knows it. He, along with the three other tributes reaped, are taken to the Captiol to be groomed for the arena. Haymitch quickly learns that it was no coincidence he was reaped to begin with, and chances making it home to the people he loves are thinner than ever…

“I love you like all-fire.”

I really truly hope that Suzanne Collins never stops writing her novels. I just adore her writing style. It’s literally so immersive and easy understand, that half the time for forget you are reading, which is the best.  I loved her original trilogy of The Hunger Games series, and she then somehow made it better with The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, and by then, I was obsessed. This will forever be one of my favorite series, for sure. 

That being said, this book was one that I have really been having a hard time wrapping my thoughts around. Like I said, my first impulse was total excitement. Haymitch is one of my favorite characters in the original Hunger Games trilogy, and seeing his early life, his games, and a bit of history on his traumatic past, was really interesting and insightful. It explains a lot of why his is like how he is and why he does a lot of what he does in the original trilogy. But I just honestly don’t think this book was, quote on quote, “necessary” to the series. It being a prequel, most of the story’s plot is pretty much explained in the original books already—Suzanne Collins already explains in Catching Fire Haymitch’s games—there wasn’t really anything totally unexpected, until the very end.  There wasn’t a ton of super noticeable plot twists, and there wasn’t really anything that made the storyline super unique from the other books in the series. 

There was also a minor agenda in the mix of it, and being that it is a newer published book, I was concerned something like that would be in there. It wasn't a huge surprise, but I just didn’t really enjoy seeing the author sneak in her own agendas. It was only a one liner, it just wasn't even necessary to the book.

“Look at me. In every way you, you are a thousand times better than anybody in the Capitol. You are loved better, raised better, and a whole lot better company. You are the best ally I could ever hope for. Okay, sweetheart?”

“You and me to the end. Right, Hay?”

“You and me to the end.”

I think why I did like it though, is that I just loved Haymitch in the original trilogy, and although you did see the synopsis of his games earlier, in this book you get to see it from his perspective, see his feelings, and the backstory of his life, which made a lot of the things he does in the trilogy make all the more sense and make them so much more meaningful. His classic “sweetheart” lines I adored in the early books, and you see why he says that in this book, along with many other things, which was just so sweet and made you love him all the more in the original books.

The romance wasn't super good, maybe it was just cause I wasn't crazy about Lenore Dove’s character, but I do think Haymitch and her did well together. I think she was just to show another part of his traumatic past, and I did think they we super cute together more towards the end. 

If you are in the mood for a sad book, which I’m practically always, this one definitely fits the box. Anne Shirley’s classic, “I love a book that makes me cry” quote pretty much sums up this bitter sweet novel. 

So while this book wasnt “necessary”, if you are anything like me where I cant ever get enough of a story I love, then this book was definitely worth the read. I shows a lot of character’s true colors, and helps you understand things so much better from the series’s early books.

“The snow may fall, but the sun still rises.”

I’d recommend this book for ages 14+ and would rate it a 8 out of 10. Let’s say “amen” to Suzanne Collins writing another Hunger Games novel soon! CLICK HERE to get the book for yourself.

“They will not use my tears for their entertainment.”

Tally ho,

Finlee