Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Sunrise on the Reaping (a Hunger Games Novel)

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Sunrise on the Reaping (a Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins

131 reviews

chezler24's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It takes a pretty talented author to write a story where we all "know" the ending yet still be able to draw us in with excellent storytelling and world-building. It is our need to know the journey and the answer to "how did we get here" that trumps us already knowing the outcome of his games and of the rebellion to come. I don't want to say too much and get into spoiler territory, but I was hooked on everything from start to finish, and thank goodness for that epilogue. I can't wait to dive into all of the fan commentaries, and I will be seated and ready to see this adapted for the big screen. Suzanne Collins, you have done it again.

"Each book's as precious as a person, she says, as it preserves someone's thoughts and feelings long after they're gone." p. 121
"Make sure they don't use our blood to paint their posters." p. 290

"Their lack of discernment transforms the recap, validating it as truth. I hope those in the districts can still see it as the piece of propaganda it is, but no telling what they've been fed." p.345

Content Warnings

rnbhargava's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a fantastic prequel to the original Hunger Games Trilogy. Given its protagonist is Haymitch, the connections to the original books are very explicit. It’s basically the generation of Katniss’ parents with a few that are slightly older. This book even makes the other prequel “A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” a better book in retrospect. FANTASTIC

Content Warnings

and_theplotthickens's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was an incredible addition to the world of the hunger games giving depth to a District 12 tribute who is more than meet the eye at first glance when we met him in his drunken state in the Hunger Games.

Haymitch story is full of horror and tragedy but also love, family, and defiance.

Our boy lit the spark with his striker so our girl on fire could one day burn the capital down.

While he was not luck he was essential to the rebellion.

This hunger games was more gruesome in my mind then the other I still can't get the image of one of my favorite tributes' pearly white bones!

Suzanne once again only writing when she has something to say that is relevant to our own explores the dangers of propaganda, and the sinister tool it is for the powerful.

Content Warnings

elysianemily's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

libeau's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

fuck

Content Warnings

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

marahcrapser's review against another edition

3.25

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Not my favorite book in the Hunger Games world, all of the messages and metaphors were so glaringly obvious rather than leaving something to be desired or create suspense. However, still an emotional book and a heart wrenching story with an incredibly powerful message.

Content Warnings

hello_ned's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The Hunger Games: The Reaping – A Haunting and Thought-Provoking Addition

As a die-hard Hunger Games fan, I was ecstatic when I heard a new book was being released. I pre-ordered it a year in advance—before I even knew what it was about. When I finally learned that it would focus on Haymitch’s Games, I was a little confused. We already knew his story, at least in broad strokes. I also expected this book to be bleak, with little hope at the end (until, of course, the eventual rebellion and the fall of the Games). Still, I was eager to see what Suzanne Collins wanted to explore, as her books always tackle relevant, thought-provoking themes.

Massive Spoilers Ahead

I found the second half of the book far more engaging than the first. Several times in the beginning, I felt completely pulled out of the story. You know that feeling when you’re absorbed in a book, deep in its world, and then something just jolts you out of it? That happened a lot.

One glaring example was when Haymitch meets Beetee in the training center. This moment had the potential to be fascinating—Beetee’s son being reaped was a horrifying addition to the story—but his dialogue completely broke the immersion. Out of nowhere, he tells Haymitch:

"You're wondering why I'm here. I'm here because I'm being punished for coming up with a plan to sabotage the Capitol. I'm too valuable to kill, but my son is disposable."

Why would he unload this on a random 16-year-old? It felt rushed and unnatural. There’s also the unsettling implication that Beetee is disturbingly blasé about sacrificing his own child. Maybe that’s an intentional insight into his character rather than a writing flaw, but it left me with more questions than anything else.

I also struggled with understanding Haymitch’s values and motivations. At first, he seems convinced he won’t survive and just wants to go out on his own terms—quickly, without making his family suffer, but also refusing to be a pawn to the ganes. He keeps making bold moves against the Capitol despite knowing how ruthless Snow is. Snow literally poisons himself just to maintain control—surely, there are easier ways to kill off dissenters when you already control the narrative?—and even creates a hijacked replica of Louella to manipulate the Games. Snow makes it clear that he will stop at nothing.

So why does Haymitch seem surprised when the Capitol comes for his family? If his plan all along was to make a statement, shouldn’t he have expected the worst? He had some thoughts of killing himself whilst making a "poster" but then that quickly disintegrates when his final ally is killed (conveniently.) However, a week of starvation and constant adrenaline would fog anyones mind... So its hard to not have some understanding.

There’s an eerie parallel here with Katniss—except her rebellion was largely unintentional, while Haymitch’s was deliberate. The difference is that Katniss just so happened to fit into a decades-long, carefully crafted plan, while Haymitch was acting intentionally with less preperation and more knowledge. His reckless defiance didn’t fit with his apparent awareness of how the Capitol operates, and that contradiction stuck out to me.

One thing I’ve noticed across Collins’ books is that she doesn’t always trust the reader to pick up on subtext. A prime example:

"Magno resorts to calling me Hamwich. Which makes me sound like a ham sandwich."

We… could have figured that out.

Similarly, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is repeated throughout the book, culminating in the entire poem being quoted at the end, broken up by paragraphs. The symbolism was already clear (and foreshadowed)—Haymitch’s never-ending grief, the way trauma lingers—but Collins really hammered it in.

For a series that’s usually airtight with its worldbuilding, some aspects of the Games' mechanics felt bizarrely sloppy. The chariot debacle, the Louella interviews, and—somehow—three Gamemakers in the actual arena all stood out as strange oversights. These felt more like plot conveniences than logical consequences of how the Games should function.

Lenore’s character also felt painfully underdeveloped. She seemed to exist solely as a motivator for Haymitch and a lingering echo of Lucy Gray. It was a missed opportunity, especially considering that Mags—who won just before Haymitch—could have provided more insight into Lucy Gray’s fate. Mags and Wiress were very vocal about rebellion, so I was surprised that they played such minimal roles here.

Despite my critiques, I have to acknowledge how powerfully dark this book is. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I sat in grief for a solid 30 minutes when finishing it. It’s bleak. There is no hope. Watching Haymitch descend into alcoholism, forced to maintain the Capitol’s twisted version of his Games while keeping the real story alive in his mind, was haunting.

And that’s what hit me the most—only the Victor truly knows what happened in the arena. The rest is propaganda. It forces the reader to confront questions about fake news, controlled narratives, and the power of information. Collins has said she wanted this book to explore themes from David Hume and lead readers to him, and it absolutely succeeds in doing so.

The ending ties everything together, especially in how it memorializes the real stories of the Games. After all, what we saw in the original trilogy was only what the Capitol wanted us to see. Some elements feel like Collins had to force them in to align with pre-existing lore—she even admitted she had to work around the timeline of Haymitch’s family’s deaths—but the overall execution was compelling.

Final Thoughts

I can’t deny that nostalgia and love for the franchise cloud my judgment. As much as I’ve critiqued this book, I truly enjoyed it. It’s painful to confront the state of the world right now—relentless, overwhelming, often hopeless. And I’ll admit, I’m guilty of passive submission to it all. But this book, despite its flaws, forces us to look at things head-on.

I look forward to rereading it, hoping to uncover more hidden parallels—just like I did with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I initially disliked and then grew to love.

For Hunger Games fans, this is an unforgettable, if flawed, addition to the series.

Content Warnings