When the first installment of The Hunger Games trilogy was released in 2008, no one expected it to take over pop culture. While the young adult dystopian era of reading peaked in the early 2000s, The Hunger Games seems to be one of the only series that has stuck around for decades. While other series like Divergent and Maze Runner have been widely forgotten (except by their hardcore fans and we love them), the frenzy over The Hunger Games world continues. It’s not only because of its captivating characters and thrilling storylines, but for the political themes it represents and the relevance to our evolving society today. Seventeen years later, the saga continues with the recent release of Sunrise on the Reaping, which follows Haymitch’s story. For fans of The Hunger Games, they will remember that Haymitch was Katniss and Peeta’s mentor in their games, but this book brings us back twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games to tell us how Haymitch won his games.Â
The book begins as the sun rises on the day of the reaping for the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, where children from the Districts are chosen to fight to the death in the games for the amusement of the Capitol citizens. But this year’s games are different because it’s a “Quarter Quell”. This year, double the number of children are reaped. This means that four children (two boys and two girls) from each district will be sent into the Hunger Games to die. Well, except for the one child that “wins”. However, as we find out through Haymitch’s story, no one ever wins the games. Haymitch is torn away from his family and the love of his life in District Twelve to compete in the games, forced to comply with the capitol’s deliberate misrepresentation of what the tributes go through, spinning video footage of them into propaganda that reinforces President Snow’s controlling political agenda. Haymitch and his allies know their odds of survival are extremely low, especially in a rigged game. Haymitch finds a way to fight back, even if the fight ends ugly…
Following in the footsteps of the original Hunger Games trilogy and the other prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Sunrise on the Reaping had high expectations from Hunger Games fans and the book community. To no surprise, it met those expectations and delivered a soul-wrenching tale of resistance, love, and heartbreak. If you have read the previous books, this next installment is a must-read. It is so rewarding to read this book with the background given in the original trilogy and Songbirds (some familiar names show up too!). Plus, it’s really fun to see the resurgence of The Hunger Games era online, with discussions and theories being shared and people being able to talk about the books (and films) again. So, if you’re reading this, be sure to pick up Sunrise on the Reaping the next time you are looking for something to do. Don’t miss the film adaptation of the novel, coming to screens on November 20, 2026!
