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Reviews tagging 'Bullying'
Sunrise on the Reaping (a Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins
250 reviews
which, of course, is the saving grace of the hunger games. it really might be the best story in YA lit of all time. i called for her to write a new book centering on haymitch's games not too long before it was actually announced, and i'm very pleased that i was so right for that. i don't think it was absolutely brilliant or anything, and though i've rated it a half star higher than TBOSAS i might still actually like that book better, but i think it was a very satisfying return to panem and re-contextualization of haymitch's character all the same. so i simply don't really get many of the criticisms i've seen of the book, to be honest. personally i'm happy to see suzanne keep writing new stories in panem for as long as she sees fit, though at this point i'd have no clue where she would set another full-scale novel now that we've run out of district 12 victors to use. i've said this before too, but maybe she could do novellas of the games of the former victors we saw in the original trilogy? or something that explores the underground formation of the rebellion? (those things could probably be combined somehow as i think about it?) something explaining how panem came to be? although the ambiguity of that i think has always been intentional, so that might be too much to hope for.
anyways! point is, though full books might be difficult to execute at this point, i'd take anything she wanted to give. so i'm just continuing to put that energy out there đ
finally. sending all my forever love and adoration to lucy gray baird, who i was not expecting to still haunt the narrative this much forty years later, and was so pleasantly surprised to find was still basically an active character in this book. she is still alive out there in the woods i just know it!
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Gore
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Police brutality, Alcohol
Suzanne Collins better sleep with one eye open tonight.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, War
To say this book is sad is putting it mildly. It isn't even that the deaths are more profound than any other death in Suzanne Collins repertoire of breaking our hearts, but rather it feels worse to us, the reader, because of the heavy dramatic irony. We know how each of those characters is going to end up 25 years from now, but what we didn't know was how everything could come together almost seamlessly for Catching Fire. It's unclear how much of Haymitch's story Collins knew of when writing the trilogy, but regardless it fits well together. It made me - as well as many others - itch to read the main series again to piece everything together with fresh eyes.
The theme from the book is propaganda, and it's very clear within the first five pages of the book. The use of media and how it is used to manipulate the masses whether it be for government control or as protest. As someone who majored in politics in university, I couldn't help but apply my studies to the material. Collins clearly does her research. From a sociological standpoint that book will surely be the subject material for many uni/high school students dissertations. From a literary standpoint it's also fascinating. I know many people will pour over those pages for the never-ending references to one of the most studied poems of all time, 'The Raven' by Poe. I feel like this would be even more important in my mind if i had read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as I know the Covey use music to pass down tradition and it's seen as the most dangerous form of protest (in Snow's eyes, I would argue).
Speaking of the Covey, I know everyone jokes that the people of Panem suffered because of Snow's failed not-much-of-a-situationship, but really it is absolutely fascinating how the reminder of his own obsession controls him. He is, as always, a terrible person but of a very interesting mind.
I can't imagine reading this as a standalone, but I'm curious to the effect it would have on the reader to read as that, or to read all books for the first time in chronological order. That would change the experience of the whole storyline because, again, dramatic irony. However, I don't believe they would find it as heart wrenching as those of us who read them in the order of publication. I wonder this book would just seem more pretentious that way, considering the times we are in as of Sunrise on the Reaping's release. I will also say, if you are expecting this to be YA... while it technically is YA... the first audience grew up, and Collins knows that. The book is mature in the sense that it is told by an adult to adults after several years of traumatic revolutionary events. Even though the characters in the story themselves are children, it is told exactly as it happened. When I read the word 'rape' in this book I was floored. I think it's the first time Collins explicitly said that was a torture option, even though we all knew it already, had been told of and seen the Capitol murdering and bio-engineering people and animals alike... to hear that explicitly said was indicative that Collins, while still mindful of the age group she primarily writes for, is done coddling us readers. That to me, was her own poster. (IYKYK.)
All in all, if anyone liked reading the main trilogy even a little, this book is HIGHLY recommended. And I feel that now I will have to read Snow's prequel, to further see how his psyche breaks everything down. Because if there's one thing Hunger Games fans know about Suzanne Collins works, is that the private thoughts of the characters are what make the book that much more rich, and the films simply cannot capture that.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Gun violence, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage
I wish they would've showed just a bit more to the fallout after the games, him returning to 12 and grappling with what happened to him. That part felt rushed. I would've even loved to read more about that first year after his games, the 51st games and how he coped.
I really enjoyed the characters, all the kids in the games were all very unique. It was nice to see characters we already knew and how they were connected to Haymitch/these games.
I honestly didn't feel a strong connection to Lenore Dove, and it may be for the fact that I love his little relationship with Effie so much that I didn't warm up towards Lenore. She was a recycled Lucy Gray.
The most shocking bit though was the fact that Haymitch unknowingly gave her the gumdrop that leads to her death. It seemed extremely naĂŻve on his part to think Snow would've killed his family but spared his girlfriend? He let his guard down too early, and I would've expected him to be a bit more cautious but, with the grief of the games and his family, seeing a glimpse of happiness and a life he could have with Lenore took over. It does make total sense as to why he becomes an alcoholic, and I don't even blame him.
Call me crazy but I do wish Haymitch would've had a last moment with his mother and brother. Even if it turned into a Cinna moment, I just wish he had that last goodbye.
Also, bringing it forward to Catching Fire, hella wild that they allowed Beete to be in the games AGAIN, knowing he was a genius and could possibly work with Katniss to highjack the games.
I actually haven't read all the Hunger Games books (as a teen I read The Hunger Games, and the beginning of Catching Fire, but for whatever reason never got invested all those years ago) but I obviously love the films and am excited for this one. I hope it's done justice.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism