“Sunrise on the Reaping” Review

Suzanne Collins proves that The Hunger Games franchise has plenty left to offer, but should be wary of trying to make too many things fit. Ultimately, it is a solid 4/5.

Return to Panem

Sunrise on the Reaping, which was released on March 18th, is the latest in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games franchise and tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy and his journey through the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

In the original three Hunger Games novels, Haymitch is the only living District 12 Hunger Games victor when Katniss and Peeta are reaped for the games and mainly known as a boorish drunk but later becomes a key figure in both Katniss’s and Peeta’s lives. 

I think the first thing about Sunrise on the Reaping that I need to point out - other than I literally could not put it down and was utterly engrossed - was that it inspired me to give the first Hunger Games spinoff novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, another go. That book tells the story of Hunger Games villain Coriolanus Snow prior to his rise to power. The first time I read it, it just didn't click for me and it ended up on my DNF shelf. But after reading Sunrise on the Reaping, I gave it another go and I’m glad I did. 

Suzanne Collins hasn’t missed a beat with Sunrise on the Reaping. While I think it is an excellent novel, there were a few things that negatively stood out to me. And checking out Goodreads and Reddit, people are feeling very strongly about those same things.  Spoilers ahead.

Spoilers ahead.

Spoilers.

Last warning. 

Okay, here we go. 

So, first, the book was excellent. The writing was superb, and the plot was strong. I have zero complaints there. This book rocked - you really could leave it at that. It is difficult enough writing a successful series; I feel like it is really easy to lose your way, as a writer, trying to continue in that universe. How do you keep people engrossed, especially when they already know part of the story?

I really enjoyed the parallels we saw with Haymitch and Katniss as kids growing up in District 12 - dedicated to and providing for their families, protecting their younger siblings, gruff, gritty realism. I think in the first three Hunger Games novels it is obvious how much Katniss and Haymitch are alike but this kind of laid the groundwork. But I think the connections this novel made is both its strength and weakness.

I wish Haymitch would’ve been reaped “normally” and not as punishment for Lenore Dove’s actions. Yes, Katniss volunteered and wasn’t forced, but both came from acts of protection and I think that was laying it on a little thick in terms of similarities. I think you can still include Woodbine being shot - they still would’ve needed a second male tribute. Just pick another name. It didn’t have to be Haymitch; it could’ve been Wyatt. Just have them both picked. 

Inclusion Confusion

It is to be expected that connections to the other Hunger Games novels would pop up. I can’t see how anyone could expect otherwise. However, I think this is the one place Collins struggles with in this novel - and by struggle, I think it is overdone. This is being hotly debated on Reddit, so I’m going to assume it is also being debated on the likes of BookTok or whatever.

I loved that Lenore Dove was Covey, especially now that I’ve read Lucy Gray’s story. I think that we also see examples of Snow’s self-loathing when it comes to Lucy Gray and how that is still impacting him, 15 years later.  

Plutarch was, hands down in my opinion, the best connection to the trilogy novels. I loved seeing how he is already in place for the rebellion. This gives us a rough idea of how long the rebellion has been in the works at least 25 years. Talk about a slow burn.

I am amazed that Snow never suspected him - dude ended up Head Gamemaker. Is Snow that cocky? Does he judge Plutarch based on his experience with Hilarius Heavensbee, ultimately underestimating him? Ms. Collins, if you want to keep writing POV novels from periods throughout the Hunger Games, please write a Plutarch novel. Please, please, please. 

But when I was reading, I kept thinking the book was showing signs of what I call Skywalker Syndrome - everyone knows everyone in the Star Wars universe it seems like, or what people like to call fan service. In Rogue One, two characters from A New Hope show up randomly and for no reason other than being recognizable (Dr. Evazan and Ponda Barba) as the ones who bullied Luke Skywalker and then met Ben Kenobi’s lightsaber. I think it is kind of a stretch depending on the timeline but it adds nothing except to give me pause. A different example would be unused footage of Rebel pilots being used in Rogue One during the Battle of Scarif - those little connections make sense, in my opinion. Back to the Hunger Games Universe. 

We had a lot of insertions that I felt fit awkwardly. Like I said, Plutarch was a great addition. I think Beetee was a good fit and again helps lay the groundwork for the future. His involvement also added more layers to his character, like his son being reaped as punishment against him.  

Ampert’s reaping is one level of Snow’s cruelty - using genetically engineered mutts to laser focus on Ameprt and leave nothing but a cleaned skeleton is diabolical. I had to reread it when Haymitch found his skeleton. And finding out later that Beetee’s wife was pregnant! I wonder what happened to his family. But it is amazing that Beetee didn’t go off the deep end or find his way to morphling or in a bottle - I think that says a lot about him as a character and that there are more layers of Beetee to uncover. Did his rage keep him going? A thirst for justice? So, I think Plutarch and Beetee fit well into the story.

However, I think Mags and Wiress serving as the District 12 mentors was too much in terms of wink wink nudge nudge. As far as I recall, there aren’t any direct interactions of Haymitch and Mags or Wiress in the first three. He also doesn’t mention this connection to Katniss or Peeta. I have seen some arguments asking why would he because of his trauma or to protect Katniss and Peeta from the revolution but, facing the Third Quarter Quell, you’d think a mention would come up, especially since there were no District 12 victors to mentor Haymitch. And yes, Katniss and Peeta came to trust Mags and Wiress on their own but I feel like it just would’ve come up eventually, especially with Katniss and Peeta being thrown into the victor club. 

Also, how does no one ever mention that Haymitch was friends with Katniss’ father, Burdock? I wasn’t surprised at her mother’s role in the book because she tells Katniss and Prim she had a friend reaped during the 25th Hunger Games. I did like Burdock protecting Peeta’s father to get him out of the line of fire from Peacekeepers. 

I also wasn’t a fan that Wiress’s damage (for lack of a better word) came from her torture after Haymitch’s victory and not her own struggles with the Capitol. I think it kind of cheapens her story a little bit. (I’m assuming the torture didn’t render Mags mute as she acts as a mentor to Finnick, who is younger than Haymitch.) It is kind of a missed opportunity for Wiress’s story, in my opinion. I think it would've been better to include either Wiress or Mags, but not both. 

Effie’s inclusion was absolutely unnecessary. I don’t think it added much to the story.  Like that was the only time I rolled my eyes.

Haymitch is a conflicted soul. I think Sunrise on the Reaping demonstrated that very well. When he loses his family and Lenore Dove, everything reaches a boiling point and he finds his way into the bottle. It’s easy to understand why he wanted to stay detached. He won the Games, but Snow engineered it so that he couldn’t save anyone. I think it shows Snow’s sadism in that he keeps Haymitch alive. 

I enjoyed the epilogue. It wasn’t surprising that Haymitch initially resisted participating in the memorial book, but I think Katniss and Peeta helped him heal in ways he didn’t think he could. I loved that Katniss and Peeta helped him with the geese. I wish he would’ve mentioned their kids; I’ve wondered if he’s been the grumpy grandpa in their lives. 

Really, my only complaint about this novel is too many unnecessary insertions. It didn’t really lessen my enjoyment. If Suzanne Collins writes any more prequels about the Hunger Games period, I’ll be reading. Hell, I’d read sequels post-Mockingjay.