Published and released on March 18, 2025, the world was yet again delivered a wonderful gift from Suzanne Collins: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Her newly released book is a dystopian novel and is considered to be the second prequel for The Hunger Games trilogy. If you are familiar with the series, you certainly know Haymitch. Haymitch acts as Katniss and Peeta’s Mentor for the original Hunger Games book. He was assigned this position because of his previous victory in The Hunger Games. In the new release, Sunrise on the Reaping, the book takes readers back almost 25 years to tell Haymitch’s narrative. Haymitch was reaped for the 2nd Quarter Quell of the games. In honor of it being the 50th anniversary, the Capitol adds a special touch to the annual game. Rather than 24 tributes being reaped (2 from each district), a total of 48 tributes were chosen. Immediately, the odds that were already at an unfortunate advantage against them had increased tremendously.
On the day of the 50th reaping, Haymitch Abbernathy is celebrating his 16th birthday. Except there isn’t much of a celebration because this year, he has been reaped. The story takes you along his path leading up to the games. The days of heartbreak, fear, and slim hope. Readers can watch the beautiful relationships foster between the tributes even though they will soon be put in an arena to kill one another. While he is sure that he must be at his life’s end, he has a piece of him that refuses to give up without a fight. He will make his mark. Leave his legacy. Paint his poster.
The book was an incredible read. Providing an alternate storyline to the well-known and loved The Hunger Games. It is full of emotion and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. With a plot twist at the end that I never could have correctly predicted, I was in shambles. Collin’s brings the story to life, allowing readers to build connections and feel as if they are right there with the characters themselves. If I were forced to choose my favorite book from the whole collection, I must say I think I have a new winner.
If I had to choose my favorite thing about this book itself, it would certainly be the connections and ties back to previous releases. My jaw was continuously dropping as Collins brought in characters from the original books, providing bits of insight on their backstories, too. The subtle themes woven into the novel also require such critical thinking, while also providing such powerful messages. I have only had the chance to discuss the book with two others who have read it, but the conversations were both endless, full of the sharing of conspiracy theories, hidden meanings, and extreme emotions that we felt throughout the read.
If asked to give a rating out of 10 to the book, I would give it a 10, and I certainly do not say that lightly. If you are someone who enjoys reading dystopian-based novels or has read previous books from The Hunger Games series, I highly encourage you to check out Sunrise on the Reaping so that you, too, can learn to paint a poster of your own.
