Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest book in The Hunger Games franchise, exploded onto bookshelves earlier this month to finally tell a story fans have been begging to see for over a decade. Author Suzanne Collins returns to Panem during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell and the bloodiest Hunger Games in history. The victor of the 50th Games is none other than Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta’s alcoholic mentor, whose nightmares are so vivid he prefers to stay drugged and drunk rather than face the horrors of what he witnessed in his youth.
Sunrise on the Reaping is the second prequel novel written by Collins, coming on the heels of 2020s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. That book’s film adaptation released in November 2023 and a follow-up is already locked with a Sunrise on the Reaping movie dated for November 2026. The real question is, how does Reaping stack up to Songbirds and Snakes and the rest of the franchise as a whole?
While Collins is a supremely gifted and entertaining author, bringing Haymitch’s story to life in a twisted and sickening way, Sunrise on the Reaping falls a little flat. Songbirds and Snakes was a stunning prequel thanks to its unique perspective on President Snow, a character no one was clamoring for a book about, and its deeply specific exploration of power and human nature.
Reaping certainly has its moments, but stands out as the weakest of the Hunger Games pentology. This is thanks to its retreading of themes from earlier novels and an over-reliance on fan service that threatens to push the franchise into Harry Potter-esque territory.
[Warning: Major spoilers discussed below for Sunrise on the Reaping]
Why Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping feels like a cash grab
Addressing the elephant in the room right off the bat, Sunrise on the Reaping feels like the exact opposite of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in every way possible. No one asked for the backstory of President Snow, but everyone wanted to know what happened to Haymitch. Songbirds and Snakes stood out because it truly felt like Collins had some serious themes to analyze and the story she crafted beautifully wove those themes together. In contrast, Sunrise on the Reaping feels like it doesn’t have much to say and what it does have is drowned out by familiar stories and themes that come across as repetitive rather than cyclical.
That’s not to say Sunrise on the Reaping is a bad book! It’s still wildly entertaining and spending more time in Panem is something I will always welcome. I read this entire book in one sitting, reading non-stop from 11 PM until 5:30 AM because I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. But its flaws nearly pull you out of the story to remind you that this book probably exists because The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes only made around $350 million at the global box office and Lionsgate wants their top franchise to churn out another $600-800 million-grossing film.
It’s not only that Sunrise on the Reaping is exactly what fans expected from a prequel novel, but also that its themes don’t tread much new ground. We’ve seen up close and personal how the Capitol propaganda machine operates, from its beginnings in the time of the 10th Hunger Games to the well-oiled machine it is by the time of the 74th Games and second rebellion. We’ve also seen the opposite side, how District 13 uses Katniss in their own propaganda to combat the Capitol’s.
Censoring the Games to cover up Capitol mistakes and cutting out Haymitch’s small (and large) acts of rebellion are nothing new to this book series. We’ve seen the exact same things in the last prequel and the original novels. While the Capitol’s censorship during Haymitch’s Games is more extreme than what we’ve seen before, the propaganda theme was already effectively explored through Katniss.
That’s actually a point that stuck with me throughout Sunrise on the Reaping. Too often, it feels like a “greatest hits” rerun of what Suzanne Collins has written before. Many fans regard Catching Fire and the Third Quarter Quell as the peak of the Hunger Games franchise, and it’s like she wants us to feel right at home in the Second Quarter Quell.
You liked Beetee, Wiress, and Mags in Catching Fire? Well, they’re all involved with the Second Quarter Quell too! You know how Beetee planned to blow up the arena during the 75th Games? Actually, he tried to blow up the arena during the 50th Games first! Are you missing Effie? She’s actually the person who dressed Haymitch for his interviews, and that’s how her career started! Want to know what happened to Lucy Gray? You won’t get a straight answer, but you will dance around her history and her family the entire time! This all combines into a pervasive sense of overdone fan service that drags down the stronger points of the story.
Hunger Games fan service in Sunrise on the Reaping
I’m a fan and I love fan service. I was thrilled to learn that Lenore Dove was Covey and to see Lucy Gray’s music continue to be passed down through the citizens of District 12. But while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes excelled at developing subtle, natural connections to the original Hunger Games books, Sunrise on the Reaping whacks you over the head with it. It actually becomes unbelievable how seemingly everyone in both District 12 and the Capitol is connected through Haymitch alone.
My favorite references were to Katniss’s parents, getting to learn their names and seeing their relationship with each other and with Haymitch. Seeing the Covey again was wonderful, even when the veiled references to Lucy Gray became a bit gratuitous.
I really dislike the implication that the Covey found Lucy Gray’s body in the woods, since Tam Amber said “not again” when Lenore was poisoned, and she had a gravestone at the Covey graveyard. We learn that Maude Ivory died in childbirth, so Tam Amber could be referring to Lenore dying young like Maude rather than Lenore being murdered like Lucy Gray, but it’s these moments that take references over the edge. The mystery of Lucy Gray is a key aspect of why The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hits so hard. I would rather not be wondering whether the Covey ever found her body; the entire point of her ending was that she disappeared into thin air, never to be seen again.
Beetee, on the other hand, was complete overkill. It’s a bit ridiculous that he masterminded an arena explosion in both the Second and Third Quarter Quells. His role in the story is what really pushed the fan service over the limit, in my opinion. What the Capitol is doing to his son is awful, but it’s not like the fallout of his son’s death is explored, nor was it addressed in the original books. Katniss already explained that victors’ children are reaped too often to be an accident. Seeing it up close and personal is sad, but the concept is not pushed to a place where it becomes absolutely devastating since we never see its impact on Beetee.
Effie is overkill as well. Her career did not need to be tied to Haymitch’s Games. It’s nice to see these characters, but their roles in the story don’t necessitate their reappearance. Mags and Wiress were natural connections that made sense to bring into the story. Their mentorship of Haymitch was a great surprise and does flesh out their characters more and adds layers to Haymitch’s behavior in Catching Fire.
On the other hand, Ampert’s death matters more for what it means to Haymitch than what it means to Beetee, which means Beetee specifically did not need to fill the role of the rebel supporting Haymitch. Similarly, anyone could have saved Haymitch’s wardrobe. In fact, it would have made more sense to have Tigris fill that role, since she was already a stylist in the Games and has a soft spot for District 12 because of Lucy Gray.
The gratuitous connections and references serve to make Panem feel smaller rather than bigger. Haymitch is suddenly the nexus connecting every single Hunger Games character. He becomes the bridge between Katniss and Peeta, their parents, Madge, Lucy Gray Baird and her entire family, Mags, Finnick, Wiress, Beetee, President Snow, Effie, Plutarch, and President Coin. The only major characters I can think of that are not somehow connected to Haymitch by the end of Sunrise on the Reaping are Gale, Johanna, Cinna, and Tigris (except Tigris is one character who would have naturally fit into this novel).
It actually reminds me of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The Last Jedi took an approach of “the galaxy is massive and full of untapped potential, and anyone can be a Jedi, regardless of who your parents are”. The Rise of Skywalker took the opposite approach, saying “you only have this great power because you’re descended from the most powerful villain in history”. By bending over backwards to make connections for fans, these stories break our suspension of disbelief. These worlds become smaller and smaller because every character has to play a key role in each other’s history.
Haymitch and other characters
Speaking of characters, they are absolutely the highlight of Sunrise on the Reaping. Haymitch’s story is heartbreakingly awful, and seeing the man he used to be when we know who he becomes makes it even sadder. His family dynamic is painfully well-constructed, particularly his relationship with his little brother.
I appreciated how unique Haymitch’s connection to Sid and Ampert felt despite the obvious parallels with Katniss, Prim, and Rue and Lucy Gray, Maude Ivory, and Wovey. Haymitch’s relationship with his mother is also the only positive protagonist/mother figure relationship we’ve seen in the Hunger Games series, which makes her and Sid’s loss all the more terrible.
His connections to the other tributes are also beautifully depressing. Haymitch used to be much more of a people person than Katniss or Lucy Gray or even Peeta ever were. The latter two knew how to work a crowd to their advantage, but both were lonely people at the end of the day. Haymitch is not. He forms strong bonds with Louella, Maysilee, Ampert, and the doves from District 9 that immediately shows how genuinely good and kind a person he is.
However, Haymitch also acts very impulsive and reckless. It makes sense to an extent because he has no plans to return home alive, but it’s kind of baffling that he continues to rebel so strongly against the Capitol when it’s clear his actions will not have an impact. He’s seen the lengths that the Capitol will go to to avoid taking responsibility for their mistakes when they replace Louella with a drugged-up body double. President Snow personally warns him not to step out of line and threatens his family. As a reader, it becomes frustrating since we know the Capitol will be showing none of it, which Haymitch also saw firsthand with the chaos at his reaping.
Haymitch is clearly extremely naive, which sets him apart from Katniss, Peeta, and Lucy Gray. He’s very different from our previous District 12 victors in the sense that he leads a fairly content life before the reaping; not an easy one, but not the kind of life led by the other victors. Haymitch has a loving family, a job, and a wonderful girlfriend, with only the shadow of the reaping and the ever-present threat of poverty hanging over him the same as it hangs over everyone from the Seam. He hasn’t had to engage in the same struggle for survival that Katniss and Lucy Gray found themselves in before their Games, despite experiencing his own hardships.
We’ve seen many District 12 couples at this point, but Haymitch’s relationship with Lenore is a breath of fresh air. They’re obsessed with each other (in a healthy way) and make the perfect pair. I love how Lenore’s rebellious streak contrasts with Haymitch’s quieter but equally passionate persona. The scene in which he leaves District 12, and she screams out for him, is easily one of the most vivid passages in Sunrise on the Reaping. Her death is also one of the most painful things President Snow has ever done. He really honed in on making things personal for Haymitch, between viciously punishing Ampert and Maysilee with personalized death by mutt in the arena, to burning Haymitch’s family alive and tricking him into killing his own girlfriend.
Those murders were very on-brand for President Snow, but other than that he wasn’t acting like himself at all. It makes no sense that a man who painstakingly erased every aspect of Lucy Gray Baird’s existence would tip his hand to someone like Haymitch and reveal so much about himself, down to playing a clip from her Games while Haymitch was in solitude.
His conversation with Haymitch sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the excellently cold and calculating dialogues he has with Katniss. With Haymitch, he seems like a sickly man who’s giving up far too much information about his personal life, from his connection to the Covey, to the obvious poisoning he’s just pulled off. Snow’s characterization in Sunrise on the Reaping not only doesn’t fit his depiction in the original Hunger Games trilogy, it’s also in opposition to his depiction in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Maysilee is another unique character who stands out thanks to her extreme rage and attitude. I loved the dialogue that erupted every single time she opened her mouth, particularly in her spars with Drusilla. Like all of Collins’ characters, Maysilee feels very real and genuine in her actions and words. Her sisterly relationship with Ampert and Haymitch is another unique dynamic to Sunrise on the Reaping that deserved more focus.
Maysilee’s death came on very quickly and lacked some of the impact we’ve seen from other deaths in the series, but that’s a pattern Suzanne Collins loves to employ to really twist the knife into readers. Haymitch didn’t get much time to say goodbye to his allies and loved ones because they were ripped away from him in the blink of an eye; just like Finnick and Prim were here one second and gone the next in Mockingjay.
As for our other characters, they were great supporting players in Haymitch’s story. Wyatt was another unique take on a tribute. It was a shame to see him die off-page, especially since he went out protecting Lou-Lou after a cold start with the other tributes. Louella’s early death was shocking and Lou-Lou’s presence added a whole new disturbing layer to the Games, especially after they simply went forward without some tributes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The District 1 tributes were classic Careers, while the rest of the Newcomers didn’t get much focus, so they all kind of faded into the background. The same goes for the Capitol characters. Plutarch gets some interesting moments, but more focus on him would’ve been welcome.
The Games are as brutal as ever
The Games themselves have never been more brutal, a thought I had after Songbirds and Snakes, but we clearly hadn’t seen anything yet. The arena in the 50th Hunger Games might be the most disturbing of them all, simply because everything looks so beautiful yet will cause a horrendous death. Mutts have always been horrifying, but there’s something even more sinister about creatures that look benevolent only to have a really disturbing way of killing you.
Despite my feeling that Sunrise on the Reaping only exists to give us another Hunger Games movie, I am very excited to see how this arena is brought to life onscreen. I also wonder how much violence will carry over to the film, since Songbirds and Snakes cut out some brutal moments to get a PG-13 rating.
Wellie’s decapitation and Ampert’s devouring might be the most shocking kills seen in the Hunger Games books to date, but likely can’t be put to screen in a movie the way they’re described in the novel without an R-rating. That might be fine because I don’t need Wellie’s awful death imprinted on my mind the way it is on Haymitch’s.
Final thoughts on Sunrise on the Reaping
I love cyclical themes, so I want to enjoy the plot of Sunrise on the Reaping more than I do. I found the execution of the rebel-focused plot lacking because Haymitch is too similar to Katniss. That was always the case in terms of personality and worldview, but shouldn’t be the case in terms of plot. Haymitch’s rebel plan should’ve been something unique to him and introduced by a character who didn’t do the exact same thing with Katniss.
On the other hand, there’s so much good in this book. The way propaganda is used by the Capitol and the way it informs Plutarch’s actions in Mockingjay is interesting, and I really liked the idea that rebellions don’t form overnight. Katniss may have woken up one day to find a rebellion raging around her, but she did not see the decades of fighting and the loss of life it took to get to that point. Using Haymitch to explore that concept adds a lot of depth to his character.
The problem is that coming out of Sunrise on the Reaping, it feels like the only people who actively rebelled in Panem before Katniss are Plutarch, Beetee, and Haymitch. But a rebellion doesn’t rest on the shoulders of only three people and an opportunity to take that concept further was missed here.
There’s an intriguing idea in what Plutarch says at the end of the book, that Haymitch wasn’t the right person at the right time to bring down the Capitol and the Hunger Games, that someone luckier or smarter needs to come along to finish the job he started. Through that lens, the repetitive plot and overdone connections between characters begins to look better. But the execution of these ideas simply wasn’t taken far enough to make Sunrise on the Reaping a story as strong as its more tightly written siblings, an idea I will explore further in a separate article.
Sunrise on the Reaping is a decent addition to the Hunger Games pantheon, even if it never truly justifies its existence. It’s a dark, depressing glimpse into the most tortured life we’ve seen in Panem. Haymitch is a unique protagonist and has been through horrors even his fellow victors couldn’t comprehend. The themes explored in the book are more relevant than ever to the world we’re currently living in. Unfortunately, they’re undercut by the nagging feeling that this book only exists due to the everlasting desire for film executives to make more money. That doesn’t make Sunrise on the Reaping bad by any means, but it does make it feel less genuine than every other Hunger Games novel.
Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Coriolanus Snow’s Journey in Songbirds and Snakes Reframes Original Hunger Games
