Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: Book Review
Beware! This post may contain spoilers!
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games, Prequel
Published March 18th, 2025
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins was my most anticipated book of the year. After an overall lukewarm reception to Collins’ previous prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I was both excited and a little trepidatious to hear about this prequel.
However, I need not have worried. Being transported back into The Hunger Games universe, this time to witness Haymitch’s games, was equal parts devastating as it was exhilarating.
When I first saw the announcement about Sunrise on the Reaping the first thought that crept into my head was, ‘Is this really needed?’ Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE The Hunger Games. But it was my love for the series that stirred concern in me. I didn’t want to see my absolute favorite series go through an unnecessarily and drawn-out death (like so many before it).
Luckily, if anything, Sunrise on the Reaping exceeded my most hopeful anticipations. Diving back into Panem, this time following Haymitch’s perspective, felt like a homecoming, but not without it’s own surprises.
This book worked well at building off of everything already established in it’s predecessors without feeling repetitive. If anything, Collins did a good job amping up the tension in this instalment. From the arena’s design, to the ever-present threat of President Snow’s attention, Sunrise on the Reaping had me feeling on edge right to the very end, despite knowing how things would turn out.
Collins managed to strike the perfect balance between familiarity and novelty here. All the familiar characters reintroduced were well countered with novel horrors and plot points. Getting to see more of the inner-workings of the rebellion teased in the original trilogy felt compelling and rewarding. Now, I’m waiting with baited breath for the movie adaptation!
Have you read Sunrise on the Reaping?
What did you think of it?
Let me know!
Liza
Liza is a twenty-something book blogger who spends way too much time with her nose in books and feels way too much. She loves cooking, baking, reality tv show watching and, of course, reading. She can be found most often with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. Her blog, Literary Liza, features bookish content like reviews, recommendations, and author interviews.
You May Also Like
Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney: ARC Book Review
You Are Your Own Fairy Tale by Amanda Lovelace: ARC & Series Review
