Sunrise on the Reaping out now from Scholastic Press; 382 pages
Content Warning: Violence, gore
About the Author: Suzanne Collins is an American author and screenwriter, best known for her
incredibly successful young adult novel series, Hunger Games. She started her career writing for
children’s television and now is the author of books that have sold over 100 million copies
worldwide.
Find Suzanne Collins on the following platforms:
Welcome to the second Quarter Quell! Twenty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, Haymitch Abernathy was reaped. As the sun rises on Haymitch’s sixteenth birthday, he knows the odds are not in his favor. Not only is his name on twenty of the reaping slips, but instead of the usual two tributes, there will be four from each district. After several unlucky circumstances, Haymitch is swept to the Capitol of Panem, accompanied by the snobbiest person he knows, an oddsmaker, and a young girl he considers his sister. With double the competition, Haymitch is forced to sell himself as the rascal of District 12. Entering the killing field with unlikely alliances both in and out of the arena, Haymitch knows that the fight burning inside him extends beyond the arena borders.
Let’s be honest, you do not need me to tell you that Sunrise on the Reaping was fantastic, and if you aren’t already reading it, your copy is likely on the way. However, I will say that Suzanne Collins has once again managed to create a prequel that not only adds context to the previous novels but will leave you shocked and sobbing throughout. To start, the cameos in this novel are outstanding and provide some much-needed background for what will later become the rebellion. Seeing Haymitch begin to develop his alcohol addiction that we see in the original trilogy is devastating, but despite the neverending horrors he faces, Haymitch is a compelling strategist and capable of the win we know he will inevitably acquire. The pace of this novel is incredible. I could not stop turning the pages and every chapter there was something so heartbreaking that I had to keep reading. The atmosphere and tension are gripping, leaving the reader feeling almost as psychologically played as the tributes. Despite knowing how the novel will end, the twists and emotional blows hit like a truck. This book is a raw and candid analysis of the personal effects of war and political turmoil. Collins has once again delivered a novel that has thrust me back into the world of Panem and unapologetically ripped my heart out. You’d think that after two prequels this world would have grown stale, but now all I want is another entry into this brutal yet defiant world. This is a daring recontextualization of one of the series’ most beloved characters and a must-read for all Hunger Games fans.
Jenica Delaney, Pine Reads Review Writer