Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)

Suzanne Collins has been on a run now of adding in more and more backstory to the original Hunger Games novels. The first one, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” was a compelling addition to the series and gave us a backdrop that fleshed out the principal antagonist in great detail. It was foundational in many ways. In 2025, Collins introduced the next entry into the prequel series in “Sunrise on the Reaping.” To say I was eagerly anticipating this book would be an understatement. We fast forward a couple of decades from “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and are introduced to the backstory of two principal characters from the original trilogy in Haymitch Abernathy and Plutarch Heavensbee. Getting to know more about these two is compelling; the execution was a bit formulaic. Where I thought we had something refreshing in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” this one feels like Collins serving us more Hunger Games Core. While the ending and class contentions will have you doubling down on your hate of the Capitol and tapping into your spirit of revolution, I do not believe this book adds to the overall lore of the Hunger Games universe. I really do love the series and hope that Collins continues to extend it in many ways. I just hope that we move away from the games and maybe cover the resistance perspective during the war and maybe even the mysterious north.

Trigger warning: devastating ending. Not worth it for me.

I do love the series but this one fell flat to me. Character development was pretty weak. It felt like a cliff notes version of the book she wanted to write. Breezed through it.

Absolutely loved this book and series. This author did what most others fail to do. Not only were all loose ends sealed im still struggling to wrap my mind around everything making me feel like I need to read this book again. I read this book for 7 hours straight without moving. Amazing book! Cried from beginning to end. The book wrapped me in cloud of emotions. Rekindled the passion I thought I lost for books. Thank you Mrs.Collins!

suzanne collin’s’ good at portraying character’s feelings but some plots are just lazy writing and illogical, and some characters are written in a way that seems so very forced. and i rly don’t like how she connected everything with the other thg books, at the end of the day katniss somehow turned into a “chosen one.”

My family really liked this book! I now understand how he tragically became a drinker and was so protective of Katniss and a burning desire to take revenge on the Capital. Looking forward to the movie on this one! MD vista

We all know Haymitch’s tale was one of loss and sadness. But this book is so much more. A tale of love, friendship, and strength. A beautifully woven tribute to dear Haymitch.

I think it’s really cool how Suzanne shows us how small details came to from the hunger games like the origin of the Mockingjay pen it’s cool how she has mentioned past and present characters

By far my favorite in the entire Hunger Games franchise!! Cannot wait until the move next year.

This is now my second favorite hunger games book, after catching fire. It is the perfect blend between honoring the original trilogy, incorporating the ballad of songbirds and snakes prequel, and having new content. It has such a powerful meaning and is very emotional, however, the plot wasn’t only reliant on the emotion. I highly recommend this book, especially to adults.