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adventurous
challenging
dark
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
Ouch
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt
“Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Incompetence. You can’t ignore it or it spreads.”
As a fan of the original series, I felt myself slightly let down by this.
The narrative of the strength that propaganda has, is important and very relevant within both the Hunger Games Universe and ours. My favourite scenes are Haymitch's direct interactions with President Snow – showcasing his fearful charm that he is well known for.
As a fan of the original series, I felt myself slightly let down by this.
The narrative of the strength that propaganda has, is important and very relevant within both the Hunger Games Universe and ours. My favourite scenes are Haymitch's direct interactions with President Snow – showcasing his fearful charm that he is well known for.
Snow: Do you know much about doves, Haymitch?
Haymitch: They’re peaceful
Snow: If they are, they're outliers. All the birds I’ve encountered are vicious.”
Other than those interactions, I felt like a lot of the other characterisations left a lot to be desired. A lot of the relationships felt shallow when I know I was meant to feel more. Wyatt, Maysilee and Louella have a "found family" type of relationship which I didn't believe in. Haymitch's interactions with characters like Plutarch and Beetee just feel strange.
Haymitch's character to me, does not feel like Haymitch. I am aware I was not going to get the same character we have seen in the other books, as we see how he becomes so snarky and cynical in Sunrise on the Reaping. However, he felt way too bland to me. I didn't understand his thought process a lot of the time. Does he want to get back to Lenore Dove or does he want to spark a revolution? His focus would alternate and it didn't click well for me, and a lot of his decisions felt like he made them for the sake of the plot. (ie separating himself from
The games were extremely underwhelming to me. This is an arena with 48 kids in it, yet it feels the most empty. Most of the games Haymitch is alone,
That might link back to the Newcomers, which is described as this incredible alliance that has never been done before. It is basically all the tributes, except the Careers (1,2, and 4). Haymitch narratively says how its a really smart alliance, but to me it's more of an agreement not the target each other. They didn't really have a plan for the arena, and they never collect in groups either.
“The Careers have been edited to appear smarter, the Newcomers less unified.”
The plot to
So many characters are placed just to make references. Mags and Wireness being mentors was weird, did there need to be two of them? Effie's inclusion, although I love her, felt awkward.
I know I have complained, but I don't think I can rate it lower than a 3. I do appreciate what it went for, the ending was interesting, the Magno and the University stylists were entertaining and informative, and several things did shock me –
“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping, and she is the most precious thing I’ve ever known.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Police brutality
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Very touching and I enjoyed the young cameos of characters from other books in the series. It makes me want to go back and read them all again with the added context! Haymitch is a much more complex character than I gave him credit for. All of the character development is amazing and there are a lot of sometimes complicated inserts from old poems, but they add to the overall storytelling if you can decipher them. This takes place 40 years after the ballad of songbirds and snakes and 24 years before the OG hunger games trilogy. It’s amazingly consistent with all of the characters that came before it and after it, timeline wise, and gives great insight/fills in a lot of holes that I didn’t know were missing from the other books. It covers his reaping year and goes into the time before and after but doesn’t talk much about his experience mentoring Katniss and Peeta until the epilogue. Happy ending for him (or at least as happy as he can be).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
I wanted to love this book. Truly. I walked in ready to be swept away hoping for new perspectives, deeper character insight, and an emotional punch that would enrich the original trilogy. I grew up as the girl who wore her hair in braids, learned to shoot a bow, threw knives at tree trunks, and whispered “May the odds be ever in your favor” like a prayer. I am the target audience.
Instead, what I got was shallow storytelling, clumsy exposition, characters that felt like cardboard cutouts, and enough contradictions to unravel everything that made The Hunger Games universe so compelling in the first place.
1. Characterization? More Like Name-Dropping
• District 12 didn’t feel like a real place it felt like Suzanne Collins was checking names off a list to make fans nod, not care.
• Relationships were rushed or non-existent. We’re told people feel things, but never shown anything authentic.
• Haymitch’s alliance? The most paper-thin “found family” I’ve ever read. Instant trust, no real depth, no payoff.
• His bond with Maysilee goes from mild distrust to her calling him her “brother” in a way that gave me emotional whiplash.
2. Haymitch Is a Shell of His Future Self
• “He’s only 16” isn’t a valid excuse for him having no real personality or conviction.
• He’s torn between wanting to live for Lenore Dove and signing up for what’s basically a suicide mission against the Capitol. Make it make sense.
• His family—the people he’s supposedly trying to provide for feel like afterthoughts. Until suddenly… they’re not?
• By the end, he doesn’t feel like a young Haymitch. He feels like a placeholder any random teen could’ve filled.
3. Betee and Plutarch: Lazy Fan Service
• Betee meets Haymitch and immediately spills every detail like he’s reciting from a wiki page. Why? How does that make sense?
• Plutarch revealing secrets that would realistically get him executed—for no reason—felt like bad exposition written just to name-drop characters from the OG books.
• These cameos weren’t exciting. They were clunky, unearned, and stripped of any impact. BORING
4. President Snow: From Strategic Genius to Cartoon Villain
• The subtle, calculating menace we feared in the original trilogy? Gone. Poof. Who tf is this guy ?
• This Snow just tells Haymitch everything, including his Lucy Gray connection, as if he’s trying to speed-run his villain arc. Where was the mischievousness of President Snow the speaking in riddles and rhymes. Boring as f***
• The gumdrop poisoning scene was the only moment that almost hit me emotionally—but it collapsed under the weight of weak logic and poor setup. And it was so rushed !
5. Worldbuilding Contradictions That Undermine the Trilogy
• Haymitch, Betee, Mags, Wiress… all act like they’ve never met in Catching Fire. Why?
• No one mentions Wiress’s mental state possibly being tied to this early rebellion? Wild!
• The Capitol has supposedly faced rebellion before—but acts shocked when Katniss sparks one?
• These aren’t small continuity errors. They’re canon-breaking problems that weaken the original story. Like wtf
6. Effie Trinket: Make It Make Sense
• In the trilogy, Effie is assigned to District 12 as punishment—because she’s not good enough.
• But in this book, Plutarch rewards her and puts in a good word?
• So… was she demoted or promoted? You can’t have it both ways.
7. Writing That Feels Like It Was Phoned In
• The prose lacks the nuance and haunting tone that made the original trilogy unforgettable.
• Clunky, repetitive lines like “We’re all just animals sent to slaughter” and “This is my poster” were so overused they became parodies of themselves. If I heard “this is my poster again” I was going to eat a poisonous berry myself
• Dialogue like “You’re probably wondering why I’m here…” reads like a rejected Dora the Explorer script.
• It feels like Collins no longer trusts her readers to feel or infer—she just explains everything. I loved having to think through things myself in the OG. this felt like I was being talked to the way I explain things to my toddler
8. Themes?
• The themes in this book are the same ones explored in the original trilogy—only shallower and more repetitive.
• Yes, the Capitol is manipulative. Yes, propaganda is dangerous. We know. We’ve known. I feel like there could have been more here.
• It doesn’t say anything new. And worse—it says the same things with less depth and far less impact.
Conclusion: The Gumdrop That almost Broke Me
The only moment that almost made ALMOST me cry was when Lenore Dove ate those gumdrops. And even that, while devastating in concept, made no sense within the narrative framework. It was a rare flicker of emotional weight buried in a story full of contradictions and missed opportunities.
This book didn’t expand the universe—it cracked its foundation. It didn’t deepen Haymitch—it erased him. And it didn’t honor the trilogy—it undermined it.
—
But what truly broke me? What could have been.
This book could’ve given us so much more.
Where were the flashbacks to the Games? Where was the Haymitch who couldn’t sleep, who saw Maysilee’s twin sister around every corner, who carried the crushing weight of trauma until it turned him into the bitter, snarky shell we meet in the Trilogy? That’s the story we deserved. The unraveling. The survivor’s guilt. The darkness that doesn’t show up all at once—but grows like rot.
Side note And Maysilee’s death? Blink and you miss it. No buildup. No gut punch. No soul. She was reduced to a plot point instead of the emotional catalyst she should have been.
This could have been a psychological masterpiece. Instead, it’s a Wikipedia summary wrapped in fan service.
Where was the power? Where was the grief? Where was the snarky asshole version of Haymitch we love not yet fully formed, but already there in the shadows?
2 stars. And I’m being generous.
The bow-wielding, braid-wearing, knife-throwing fan in me wanted to love this. But even she couldn’t overlook how hollow this victory truly was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it sm with all the references and hints at the other books
For all the emotional damage it's given me, I enjoyed every second if it with my personal highlight being Haymitch's and Maysilee's dynamic changing throughout the book.
Also: lou lou, my loved, I'll make Suzanne Collins pay for the therapy sessions I'll need
For all the emotional damage it's given me, I enjoyed every second if it with my personal highlight being Haymitch's and Maysilee's dynamic changing throughout the book.
Also: lou lou, my loved, I'll make Suzanne Collins pay for the therapy sessions I'll need
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Snow did not get his soon enough but it's okay because he finally did get his.
Suzanne girl, Suzanne mam, sis, girl!! My heart is so sore and heavy. Like how does someone have me stressed that a character is going to die like I don't know that he survives through the whole thing!?
Absolutely loved this! Adored it!
Suzanne girl, Suzanne mam, sis, girl!! My heart is so sore and heavy. Like how does someone have me stressed that a character is going to die like I don't know that he survives through the whole thing!?
Absolutely loved this! Adored it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Literally loved this franchise and Suzanne Collins has this talent for weaving these characters together beautifully. Will update with more thoughts as I collect myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism