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adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
oh my god. insane. brutal. tense. gripping. thrilling. evil. shocking. jesus christ. i was locked the hell in from page one and it did not let up. just enough references to remind you of the rest of the series, but is still incredible fresh and some of the connections were still surprising like THE MOCKINGJAY PIN. it didnt clock in my mind until the end when they mention it again
incredibly written, amazing characters. just such a treat but also i am emotionally wrecked. THE HOUSE. HIS FAMILY. THE FUCKING GUM DROPS. the epilogue…..
suzanne collins has done it again folks. i liked this SO much more than songbirds and snakes.
THE ALLUSIONS …. RAAAHHH
incredibly written, amazing characters. just such a treat but also i am emotionally wrecked.
suzanne collins has done it again folks. i liked this SO much more than songbirds and snakes.
THE ALLUSIONS …. RAAAHHH
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book really was fantastic. I don’t really enjoy many prequels in a series but I really loved this one, it added more depth to the storyline as a whole and I got to learn so much more about characters that I’ve been wondering about for a long time. It’s really cool to learn about characters in their younger years and how everyone came to know each other. Very emotional and sad, I have so much more of a soft spot for Haymitch after reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew how this story was going to end but it still broke me anyway. Collin’s writing must contain some sort of drug because I couldn’t stop reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War
Minor: Torture
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes when I finish a book and I don't know what I'm feeling about it, I like to check out other reviews to see what opinions resonate with me. I finished this book having really enjoyed it but also feeling unsure and I gotta say, the negative reviews have really convinced me this time.
As a standalone, this book is pretty decent. The characters are a little blank and it just feels like one of those super easy, quickly digestible YA reads. But it also doesn't really work as a standalone, naturally, falling somewhere in the middle of a 5-part series. And it also does NOT work with the series.
It really overuses characters from previous books to give itself credibility but that doesn't hold the book up. It's kind of just a bad rewrite of the first Hunger Games book if I'm honest. Very formulaic and predictable. Suzanne Collins really lost the magic with this one. I mean, it was sputtering out pretty badly with the previous book but this one absolutely doused it.
I'll still watch the movie and I still love the original trilogy but the more she adds on to it, the sloppier it gets unfortunately. I don't regret reading it, I did still enjoy it. Let me be clear, Suzanne Collins' mediocrity is still better than a lot of people can ever hope to be. But it did not feel like a true Suzanne Collins masterpiece.
Read at your own discretion and temper your expectations. It'll still break your heart, just like 10% of the usual amount for this series.
As a standalone, this book is pretty decent. The characters are a little blank and it just feels like one of those super easy, quickly digestible YA reads. But it also doesn't really work as a standalone, naturally, falling somewhere in the middle of a 5-part series. And it also does NOT work with the series.
It really overuses characters from previous books to give itself credibility but that doesn't hold the book up. It's kind of just a bad rewrite of the first Hunger Games book if I'm honest. Very formulaic and predictable. Suzanne Collins really lost the magic with this one. I mean, it was sputtering out pretty badly with the previous book but this one absolutely doused it.
I'll still watch the movie and I still love the original trilogy but the more she adds on to it, the sloppier it gets unfortunately. I don't regret reading it, I did still enjoy it. Let me be clear, Suzanne Collins' mediocrity is still better than a lot of people can ever hope to be. But it did not feel like a true Suzanne Collins masterpiece.
Read at your own discretion and temper your expectations. It'll still break your heart, just like 10% of the usual amount for this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
reflective
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 took me a while to finish this book because it was making me depressed. The themes were hitting a little too close to home with our current political climate. But this is an amazing book. I loved all the callbacks and nods to the previous books, especially to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Sunrise on the Reaping perfectly shows how Haymitch went from a normal teen to the cold-hearted drunk we met in The Hunger Games.
It also perfectly shows the seeds being planted for the rebellion in Catching Fire and Mockingjay. You can tell how much they learned from Haymitch's attempts and planned better for when the time came. While reading I couldn't help but be in awe of how many parallels existed between Haymitch and Katniss. They both made money doing something illegal. They weren't actually reaped. They both received rare scores. Haymitch told Katniss and Peeta pretty much the exact advice that Wiress gave him for surviving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Torture
Minor: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
These games have some horrifying and heartbreaking deaths, probably because we actually know the characters better. I cried while reading this, prepare yourself accordingly.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Sunrise on the Reaping is set during the 50th Hunger Games - Haymitch Abernathy's games. This book dives into that brutal arena, exploring not just the games themselves, but the crumbling moral fabric of a society built on spectacle and control. Honestly? This book was traumatising -but in that kind of way that you can't put it down. I'd go so far as to say it's Collins' most emotionally intense and well-written book yet. It connects so cleverly to the original trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but not in a heavy-handed or obvious way. Instead, it weaves everything together into a fuller, darker picture of Panem's evolution. One of the best parts was getting to know Haymitch on a deeper level. His relationship with Louella was heartbreaking and beautiful - it mirrored the dynamic he later has with Katniss, but you could feel how much more raw and unfiltered this version of him was. That scene when Haymitch places Louella's dead body in front of Snow and CLAPS, absolutely gut-wrenching. It wasn't just powerful; it was poetic and deeply unsettling. That moment alone gives this book 5 stars. Would I recommend this book? Abso-f***ing-lutely... if you want to be traumatised and emotionally wrecked in the best, most Suzanne Collins way possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism
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:
Yes
I was close to tears constantly. Two chapters in and I was already devastated. Haymitch's story is a sad but important one that shows the power of propaganda and media manipulation. I loved Maysilee as well. We lost a queen too soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death
Moderate: Police brutality, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, War