Book Review: ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’
When the writing falters but the nostalgia hits.
What It’s About (In My Own Words)
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Fear spreads across Panem as the 50th Hunger Games doubles the number of tributes. In District 12, a young Haymitch Abernathy clings to love and survival. But when he’s reaped, his world shatters. Thrust into the Capitol alongside three unlikely allies, Haymitch realizes the odds are rigged. Yet even in a game designed to break him, something sparks inside—something that refuses to go quietly.
First off: I love this universe. I devoured the original trilogy, gasped through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes1, and read Sunrise on the Reaping on my Kobo while my daughter dozed on my chest like a very tiny, peaceful Capitol citizen. So, believe me when I say: this book gave me all the nostalgic fan serotonin I was hoping for. But also? It didn’t quite catch fire.
Don’t get me wrong — as a fan, I had a blast. The nods! The cameos! The backstories of characters we only knew in fragments! Watching the younger versions of District 12 legends felt like paging through a family album you didn’t know you had. Haymitch is both more and less than the man we meet through Katniss’s eyes, and his games? Brutal, clever, and deeply unfair. Classic Panem.
But as a critical reader? This one’s a little rough around the edges. The writing, at times, reads like a watered-down version of Collins’ earlier work — more exposition than immersion. And while the structure mirrors the emotional beats we’ve come to expect (Training! Interviews! Bloodbath!), it doesn’t offer much that’s truly new. We know how this ends. We know what the Capitol does. We’ve seen the cruelty, the cracks, the rebellion-in-the-making. So the question becomes: why this story, now?
The answer might be fan service, which, to be fair, isn’t inherently bad. But it does mean the emotional stakes feel a little lighter, the narrative a little thinner. This isn’t Katniss or Coriolanus Snow level character work. It’s more like a lore expansion pack.
That said, it’s still Panem. And Collins knows how to land a gut punch when she wants to. Haymitch’s quiet defiance, the way he earns (and loses) allies, the way the Capitol retaliates — it all echoes into the rebellion to come. It’s enough to make you ache. Just… maybe not Mockingjay-level ache.
MOM BRAIN FILTER
Haymitch’s story isn’t just brutal; it’s a reminder of how systems fail the young again and again. And while Sunrise on the Reaping doesn’t cut as deep as Katniss’s saga, it made me think about what it means to survive, and what it costs. I want Teresa to know that cruelty isn’t strength and that resistance doesn’t always come with a victory parade, but it matters anyway.
READ IF YOU:
Are a dyed-in-the-wool Hunger Games fan who knows your Districts by heart
Want to see Haymitch’s Games unfold in all their horrifying, strategic glory
Live for cameos, callbacks, and clever Easter eggs
Enjoy prequels that colour in the margins of beloved stories
SKIP IF YOU:
Expect Collins’ sharpest prose
Need fresh stakes and new revelations to stay hooked
Aren’t in the mood for a story where the outcome is already written in blood
⭐ RULING
A nostalgic return to the arena — less revolutionary, more reflective — but still hits you where it hurts.
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YOUR TURN
Whether you’re a full-blown Hunger Games fan or just Panem-curious… let’s chat:
What’s your relationship with The Hunger Games universe — first love, casual fling, or respectful distance?
Does a prequel about Haymitch pique your interest — or are you prequel-ed out? What prequel (from any universe) worked for you?
And just for fun: if you were reaped for the Quarter Quell (shudder), what would your strategy be?
👇 Tell me everything. I’m listening.
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I know there are a lot of Hunger Games fans who aren't interested in this prequel, or who have read it and didn't like it, but I think it's a misunderstood story. It's not an attempt to humanise Snow, or a redemption story, or even a love story. It's about how much of a character is innate and how much is shaped. It's about how authoritarian governments can come to power if not enough people question the system. It's about how there are people without an ounce of empathy, who always find excuses for their behaviour, and who don't measure means against ends. It's about how some people confuse love with self-interest and treat others as trophies and privileges to which they are entitled. And it's also about how you can't win every battle against evil, but it only takes an echo of rebellion to survive for the real war to begin. (Thanks for coming to my TED Talk!)