On March 18, an exciting new addition to the iconic book series, The Hunger Games, was released after months of anticipation following author Suzanne Collins’ announcement back in June. This installment, titled Sunrise on the Reaping, marked the fifth in the series, serving as the second prequel, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. While the latter was compelling, as it provided the audience with context about President Snow’s backstory before his era of leadership, I knew even before reading that the recent release would become a new favorite. Sunrise on the Reaping follows one of the most beloved characters of the original trilogy, Haymitch, as he is thrown into The Games himself at age 16. While there is never a good year to be reaped for The Games, Haymitch was unlucky enough to be chosen for the 50th anniversary, known as the Second Quarter Quell. To spice things up this year, the Capitol required that twice the usual number of kids would be reaped from each district, resulting in a total of 48 tributes, rather than the usual 24.
I loved being able to learn so much about Haymitch’s backstory; getting the full picture of his experience during and after The Games has made me appreciate his character even more, while simultaneously heightening my disgust for President Snow and the actions of The Capitol. What made the book next level was all the references to characters and plotlines from the rest of the series. Filling in some of the gaps between the conclusion of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the start of Katniss’s story in the original book, Haymitch’s connections within District 12 tie together many loose ends within this timeline of Panem. Here are some of my favorite character reveals from Sunrise on the Reaping (spoilers ahead!).
burdock everdeen and asterid march
To start, I was thrilled that we got such a strong connection to Katniss in this book, with the reveal that Haymitch had been friendly with both of her parents before his time in The Games. Through Haymitch’s first-person point of view, we learn that his good friend Burdock had always had a crush on Asterid March, who came from one of the richer families in town. Haymitch thought that Burdock never stood a chance with her, given he was from The Seam, the poorest part of District 12, and didn’t have much to offer a wealthier girl like her. Of course, we later learn that Haymitch was wrong to assume so, as Burdock and Asterid are mentioned as being with one another at the end of the book. While Haymitch had distanced himself from the pair by this point, we are able to piece together from the original trilogy that the couple had Katniss just a few years later, given that she was 16 at the time of the 74th Hunger Games.
I really enjoyed discovering this old tie Haymitch had with the Everdeen family, though I was surprised this was never mentioned to Katniss in the original trilogy. Still, I think it adds depth to the story, given that Katniss lost her father at a young age and Haymitch’s role as her mentor led them to form a familial-like bond. Perhaps he was able to warm up to her spitfire spirit due to the old friendship that he had shared with Burdock before his tragic passing, making him keener to provide guidance to her, specifically, among all of the mentees he had been forced to work with over the years.
lenore dove and the covey
After multiple rewatches of the film adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, as well as finishing the book version just a couple of months prior, the tale of the Covey was fresh in my mind going into this novel. For those who are unfamiliar with the first prequel, which explains this part of the town’s history much more in depth, the Covey are a prominent group of people in the area, known for being travelers and performers forced by the Capitol to permanently reside in District 12. One of their own, Lucy Gray Baird, was forced into the 10th annual Hunger Games. She was mentored by a young Coriolanus Snow, which consequently spearheaded his descent into villainy upon her disappearance.
Beyond Lucy Gray, a number of other Covey characters were integral in the tale of Snow’s backstory; many of these names made their way into Haymitch’s book, too. Much of Haymitch’s storyline revolves around his love for Lenore Dove, a fellow member of the Covey. As an orphan, Lenore was taken in by her adoptive uncles, Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber, both of whom had performed with Lucy Gray following her survival of The Games. Lucy Gray’s cousin, Maude Ivory, is also referenced when Haymitch stumbles across her headstone in the Covey’s graveyard. Even Lucy Gray herself gets some indirect references, though her story was much less accessible to Haymitch, given Snow did everything in his power to wipe Panem’s memory of her. Because she fled and nobody ever found out for sure what her fate was, her memory is robbed even for existing Covey members such as Lenore Dove.
I thought that Lenore Dove being part of the Covey added much-needed depth to her storyline, given that she is an entirely new character that the audience lacked connection with going into the novel. She emulates many traits like those of Lucy Gray, such as her confidence and desire for freedom, which has led fans to theorize that there is some potential connection between the two in their family tree. I do wish that Katniss’s books had highlighted this group, though it makes sense that they were less prominent for her, given how disconnected she likely would have been from discovering all this information, as she was more removed from their community and forced to focus on providing for her immediate family.
Past Victors
Both District Three tributes from the third Quarter Quell, which Catching Fire centers around, played a hand in preparing Haymitch for his games. Wiress, known for her quiet, odd behavior in Catching Fire, served as one of Haymitch’s mentors, as she had just won The Games the year prior by utilizing her intelligence to outsmart her competitors in a complicated arena. Unfortunately, due to Snow’s suspicions that she was involved in a rebel plan, Wiress gets tormented by the Capitol at the end of the novel, though our knowledge of the torture methods used is unknown due to the limited first-person point-of-view narration. Still, this offers an explanation for her disposition in Catching Fire, as it showcases how quickly she goes from a composed intellectual to a disturbed person.
Beetee, another District Three victor, played a more significant role in the book, especially combined with the introduction of his son, Ampert. As another highly intelligent citizen, Beetee is in hot water with President Snow due to an attempt to sabotage the Capitol’s communication system. As punishment, his young son Ampert is forced to participate in the second Quarter Quell. As you may expect, this does not end well, and Beetee is forced to watch Ampert, one of Haymitch’s allies, die in the arena. Still, we can see the early stages of his long-term plan for Capitol sabotage, as he works alongside Haymitch to provide logistics on how he can attempt to mess with the arena during The Games with the hopes of foiling the Capitol’s plans. Because we know The Games continue for over two decades after this, it is unsurprising that the plan fails; still, this plotline is necessary to outline Beetee’s intelligence, foreshadowing his role in the rebellion that plays out in Mockingjay.
Another favorite character of mine from the original trilogy, Mags from District Four, also had a role in mentoring Haymitch before his Games. Her bond with Haymitch in the book was heartwarming, as she was the only shoulder he had to cry on during preparation for The Games, breaking his hard exterior to be vulnerable with her. Mags sadly meets the same fate as Wiress at the end of the novel, due to her associations with Haymitch and Beetee; she becomes wheelchair bound because of the Capitol’s torture. While Mags, of course, never reached the happy ending she deserved, I was glad to see her provide comfort to Haymitch, mimicking the bond we later witness between her and one of the following District Four victors, Finnick Odair. This character arc makes the first introduction of Mags in the Catching Fire film even more sentimental. Linked below, Haymitch tells Katniss that he hopes Mags dies a quick death when she re-enters the arena, stating that she’s “actually a wonderful lady,” given all of the kindness that she had granted him (2:05).
the capitol
Besides the obvious recurring character of President Snow, there were a couple of unexpected Capitol characters that played a role in Sunrise on the Reaping. Plutarch Heavensbee, who was known as being the rebels’ spy on the inside during the uprising that took off during the Mockingjay book after the third Quarter Quell, played a significant role in Haymitch’s games as a cameraman for the Capitol. Similar to Katniss, Haymitch is skeptical of Heavensbee at first, given his position within the Capitol; by the time Katniss is thrown back into the arena, he has worked his way up to be the Head Gamemaker. Heavensbee helps Haymitch by providing helpful tidbits of information that reveal his connections with Beetee in carrying out the plan against the Capitol. Similar to Beetee, Heavensbee was integral in jumpstarting the plan that took off several years later.
Last but not least, my favorite character reveal of the book (that I did NOT see coming) was none other than lavish yet compassionate icon, Effie Trinket. Introduced as the sister of a Capitol student who was assigned to help District 12 tributes with their pre-Games makeover, Haymitch gives us a glimpse into how Effie rose in the ranks with District 12, eventually taking over former announcer Drusilla’s spot for being the face of the reaping in the district. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the two while Haymitch was still sober, given Effie’s constant efforts to make him cooperate with his mentor duties in the original trilogy. I love Effie in both the books and the movies, so I was thrilled to see that she was involved with the Games during Haymitch’s time, too.
panem today, panem tomorrow, panem forever
Sunrise on the Reaping is, in my opinion, a crucial addition to the world of Panem that Suzanne Collins has so carefully crafted over the past several years. While these references were some of my personal favorites, you can find an extended list of other book-related easter eggs here. I recommend reading this prequel even if you are not fully caught up with the past novels, as Collins yet again uses her writing abilities to craft a heart-wrenching tale that eerily mimics so many current issues our society faces today. If you’re not much of a reader, there is also a movie adaptation set to release in November of 2026 to look forward to as well.
May the odds be ever in your favor! Enjoy the book!