REVIEW Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: March 18, 2025
Format: Audiobook (Libro.fm)
Publisher: Scholastic Press

While it's been 5 years since the last Hunger Games book release, the series is no less impactful. Suzanne Collins did not pull any punches with Sunrise on the Reaping, which follows Haymitch's origin story and features the fiftieth Hunger Games. Haymitch's history is impactful and heartbreaking, and the author puts a major highlight on the power and impact of propaganda with the aftermath of the games. 

The amount of cameos and previous characters that make an appearance in this book is astonishing. Many of them also make an appearance in Catching Fire, but this book gives a background on why they are the way they are and how they become part of the eventual rebellion. I didn't realize how on the nose Haymitch's statement of there being no true victors of the Hunger Games, just survivors was. It's also curious how Ms. Collins has told the story exclusively through the lens of the four District 12 victors. While I think she’s done writing books (for now), there are definitely other victors I’d like to learn more about (such as Mags, Beetee, and Finnick).

Witnessing the horrors of the different arenas on the page was particularly impactful. The tidbits we see of how Wiress won her games were shocking (though also vindicating). And while readers have gotten teasers of Haymitch's arena, there was nothing like reading about the real thing (especially since perspectives are skewed much later on). As a reader, it was also particularly heart wrenching to put faces to the tributes who fans of the series know are destined to die.

Overall, this was an emotional and gripping read. The movie was announced the same time as the book, and I'm curious to see what the cast and crew will do with the source material. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction reads that aren't afraid of social and political commentary.