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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
Sunrise on the Reaping (a Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins
448 reviews
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Vomit
I loved how Collins frames character development in this novel, how the characters grow within the text but also how their development sets up the greater narrative of the series. I especially loved the tidbit about the geese, which shows up in the end of Mockingjay.
I was also particularly interested in the theme of propaganda that was riddled throughout the book, from the repetition of "NO PEACEKEEPERS, NO PEACE", to Lenore Dove's mischievous acts of rebellion, to the startlingly beautiful arena where poison lurked beneath every surface.
Chef's kiss, Suzanne Collins!
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Vomit, Grief
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Never when I couldn’t see out. Never when I was being taken to die. No light, no air. Like they buried me already.”
This. Book!
This was the hardest I’ve ever sobbed in a book, I swear I was full on sobbing, ugly crying for a full half hour 😭 that end!!!
We already know Haymitch won the 50th anniversary games - the one that had double the tributes. This is the story of how it happened.
And what a story!! It had me gripped, the characters were so strong and the villains were so cruel.
If you enjoyed the hunger games, I’d definitely recommend this.
“The snow may fall, but the sun also rises.”
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Haymitch's journey from a resourceful teenager in District 12 to a haunted victor illuminates the personal costs of survival in a brutal regime. Collins portrays the Capitol's use of the Games as a tool for control, highlighting how spectacle and fear are wielded to suppress dissent. Plus, we finally get to see Haymitch's jarring origin story. I won't forget the first meeting him in the original trilogy, and I already sensed a profound sadness in him when I read The Hunger Games. This novel doesn't shy away from explaining that in a poignant commentary on the personal toll of political machinations.
What I Loved: I loved learning about Haymitch. His character in the original trilogy was moving, even though we never saw him. In this novel, we thankfully saw him emerge as a complex and compelling protagonist. This additional portrayal added more nuance and layers to his character, providing context for his behavior in the original series. Overall, he was a captivating character that I enjoyed reading about. Haymitch was witty, cheeky, and determined, yet he exuded sadness and indecision. He felt like a 16-year-old in dark and forboding times. In addition to Haymitch, I was also excited and moved to see the reintroduction of familiar characters such as Mags, Beetee, and Wiress, offering insights into their earlier lives and contributions to the burgeoning resistance.
Furthermore, while I must admit, I was getting slightly tired of poems and songs near the end of the novel, the inclusion of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and the character Lenore Dove as Haymitch's love enriched the narrative, drawing parallels between classic literature and the novel's themes of loss and mourning.
Lastly, and most certainly not least, this novel highlighted the insidious nature of propaganda, revealing how media manipulation distorts reality and perpetuates authoritarian power. The fact that Collins highlighted this in this most recent book during these times was not lost on me. It is a good reminder that sometimes everything we see on the news, social media, etc., is not always precisely the truth.
What Missed the Mark: I enjoyed this book, and I think that's because Collins knows what she's doing at this point when it comes to writing about the Hunger Games. That said, I can't help but feel that a lot happened to Haymitch. Similarly, yet slightly different from the typical YA trope of the Chosen One, I felt that Haymitch went through things without much information, strategy, or decision-making. While I think that's ok sometimes, it felt heavily used here as a plot device that didn't quite gel with me. I'm not sure if this led me to feel a bit detached from the characters. While this was emotionally jarring and devastating, I had a hard time feeling for Haymitch's character because simple things happened to him instead of him strategically figuring things out, or failing at things because he tried something. It's hard to describe, but this may be because Collins was spoon-feeding us too much. I find that when heavy-handed writers get into detail with the telling instead of showing, we end up feeling more detached from the characters. I think that happened here.
Near the end, with all the poems and songs, I just couldn't. We just witnessed some horrific things in this book, and then my brain had to try to compose a tune for some of these songs. Or, I just had to continue hearing about The Raven. I'm unsure why this got to me, but I was over it.
With all that said, I enjoyed this book. Haymitch was one of my favorite side characters from the original trilogy, and having his own catered book warmed my heart. Then, I read the book, and my heart was torn into pieces by what a society could do to humans. Please know, this is unflinching and not a light read, even if it reads a bit YA. Take care because there are some very tough moments.
**
The second Quarter Quell. Twice as many kids. No point in worrying, I tell myself, there's nothing you can do about it. Like two Hunger Games in one. No way to control the outcome of the reaping or what follows it. So don't feed the nightmares. Don't let yourself panic. Don't give the Capitol that. They've taken enough already.
Clerk Carmine said a job's a job, and music can be a bridge to better understanding between people because most everybody loves a good tune. Lenore Dove said most everybody loves breathing, too, and where did that get us? Some loves don't signify.
A fragile collection of muscles and bones, a few quarters of blood, wrapped up in a paper-thin package of skin. That's all I am. As I pass through the doors of this marble fortress, I have never felt more breakable.
After the Games comes the fallout of the Games. Spreading out like ripples in a pond when you toss in a rock. Concentric circles of damage, washing over the dead tributes' families, their friends, their neighbors, to the ends of the district. Those in closest get hit the worst. White liquor and depression, broken families and violence and suicide. We never really recover, just move on the best we can.
You're headed for heaven,
The sweet old hereafter,
And I've got one foot in the door.
But before I can fly up,
I've loose ends to tie up,
Right here in
The old therebefore.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, War
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail