After years of not being interested in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, simply because it did not pique my interest, I finally gave in to reading the entire series, start to finish, for the first time.
Now, how is it possible that I was able to go 16 years without reading The Hunger Games? Well, for starters, I went to elementary school in Mexico, where we only occasionally read Spanish books. When I moved to the US for middle school, I wasn’t much of a reader, either. I only started reading for fun at the end of 7th grade; however, the only genre I was interested in reading was chick lit or romance. I read the classic Dork Diaries and other YA books, but it wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I attempted, with little luck, to watch the first Hunger Games movie. I was not successful in my attempt because I was not fully paying attention, and also because I did not know anything about The Hunger Games.
As the years have gone by, I’ve unintentionally learned small details about the franchise that have piqued my interest in the world of Panem. Recently, I felt a little push to read Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins.
Why ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ first?
I do think it is ironic that SOTR was the first book from the franchise that I read, especially considering the widespread belief on social media that it will mark the last book in Collins’ acclaimed series. The only reason I started with this one is because of a summer book club I joined; one of the members suggested we read it since the other four had previous exposure to The Hunger Games. Although I was skeptical of reading something outside of my comfort zone (the romance genre), I decided to challenge myself and give it a try.
So, how did it go?
brief Review (Spoilers ahead):
The first few chapters of the book are a blur to me, but only because it took me a while to pick up the book. I would read 1-2 pages, and then not read again for two days. I also struggled at the beginning with understanding what a reaping was and the background information about Haymitch Abernathy, the book’s main character. I knew he was a mentor in the original trilogy, which meant he had survived the Games, but that was all. I didn’t know any other characters.
As I continued reading, I found myself entranced by what was going on. I even grew to love other characters, particularly Maysilee Donner, a District 12 tribute. Her sassiness and wit drew me to her from the beginning. Seeing as Haymitch might be an unreliable narrator, I ignored his comments about her being the “meanest girl in town.” My love only grew further for her during their training for the games when she fixed the tributes’ tokens.
I also enjoyed Wyatt’s relationship with Louella and, later, with Lou Lou. It seemed like an unexpected bond, but it tugged at my heart, particularly when Wyatt suddenly died while defending Lou Lou.
I have to admit, there were a few instances in which Haymitch acted questionably, which led me to have mixed feelings about him. However, I cannot judge, as being reaped in the Hunger Games would have anyone acting questionably.
The last couple of chapters were absolutely devastating. I am someone who does not cry easily, and I was bawling my eyes out at 1:00 a.m., trying and failing to finish the book because my eyes were blurry from tears.
From chapter 25 to the epilogue, I truly engrossed myself in Haymitch’s character and felt his helplessness, despair, and isolation. The last few chapters allowed me to make sense of how Haymitch became the way he is in the original Hunger Games trilogy.
Final ‘Hunger Games’ Reflection
I expected that I was going to have a hard time understanding the novel and that the writing would force me to slow down my reading. But to my surprise (apart from the beginning), the beautiful writing made the story and characters easy to understand.
I enjoyed Sunrise on the Reaping more than I thought I would. It was just what I needed to catapult me into reading the rest of the Hunger Games series. With the screen adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping coming out in November of 2026, I have enough time to read The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, watch the film adaptations of each, and reread Sunrise on the Reaping in the hope that I will be able to understand all of the references and spoilers like a true Hunger Games fan.