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challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Haymitch did not deserve all that đ This was gut wrenching, but like all books in the Hunger Games series, an important story about resistance, perseverance, and the power of community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Grief
Minor: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Violence, Murder, War
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
If youâre a Hunger Games fan, you will like this book. It covers the story of Haymitch and fills in a lot of details from the trilogy and some from Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Again another gruesome book based on the Quarter Quell anniversary of the Hunger Games. I hate to say I âenjoyedâ it, but Collins does a great job at making the storyline flow and connect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book wrecked me. I knew from the original Hunger Games trilogy that Haymitchâs story was traumatic, but I had no idea to what extent. Collins is an expert story-crafter, and this book explains everything about what Haymitch endured and how he ended up the way he did. We get to see exactly why he knows so much about Effie, Wiress, Mags, Beetee, and President Snow, and why heâs so glib and hopeless when Katniss and Peeta show up as tributes years after Haymitchâs own Games. I have a whole lot more respect for Haymitch, and wow do I have respect for Collins and the world sheâs woven with her words.
The writing is engaging, and the inner thoughts are unique to Haymitch and didnât feel at all like a copy/paste personality from Katnissâs or President Snowâs stories. And the moments of tension or high emotion were crafted so perfectly that Suzanne was basically wrenching my own heartstrings along with the charactersâ. It most definitely made me cry, and Iâll most definitely be reading it again one day.
A note: although this book is a prequel, Iâd recommend reading the Hunger Games series in the order they were published. That way, you can pick up on all the easter eggs from the previous books, and it makes the experience all the more engaging. With all the hype surrounding this book, it didnât disappoint!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Suicide, Torture, Medical content
challenging
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
adventurous
challenging
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
dark
tense
what else did we really expect from the backstory of a man who we know as a depressed, hopeless alcoholic in the original series? what else did we expect from an author with a history of writing tragic child deaths and elaborate torture schemes? right, right.
sunrise really pulled me back into the world of the Games, which i hadn't touched (aside from the films, okay mostly just the second film) since maybe middle school? there are so many details that i'd forgotten, but what's different about this book, compared to the originals and ballad is that we already know that haymitch is going to be the victor this time. you could argue that narrators don't die and that it was always going to be katniss who won her games, but suzanne could have pulled a veronica roth if she had a mind to. i wouldn't have put it past her.
for probably the first 80% of this book, i was planning on giving it five stars, but the ending did not do the rest of it justice. we all knew thatlenore dove (and probably haymitch's family) was going to die somehow, but i have a deep hatred for the way it all happened. it was cheapened by rushing and felt so flimsy next to the care taken in the rest of the book. i felt less gut-wrenched than just flat-out annoyed. i skipped a lot of the last 10% because of the poetry which slowed down the narrative and the borderline insane narrative pacing.
there were also many many times when haymitch's logical jumps/internal monologue felt stiff and lacked real depth. i liked him as a narrator, but i think suzanne wrote him in a way that swung wildly from uninformed impulsivity to frozen inaction. he makes unintentional mistake after unintentional mistake, and it results in the deaths of an astonishing number of people. it kind of got old by the end?
that said, suzanne's best work is done in the messages and themes of her novels, and boy does she deliver. her creativity in designing the arenas and the history of the Games has always been so impressive to me, but at the end of the day, this book (and the rest) is both a warning and an alarm.
and while i'm saying good things, maysilee donner, the woman that you are. as soon as she said that line "if you let them treat you like an animal, they will" i was so sat. i bet she would have loved johanna mason.
sunrise really pulled me back into the world of the Games, which i hadn't touched (aside from the films, okay mostly just the second film) since maybe middle school? there are so many details that i'd forgotten, but what's different about this book, compared to the originals and ballad is that we already know that haymitch is going to be the victor this time. you could argue that narrators don't die and that it was always going to be katniss who won her games, but suzanne could have pulled a veronica roth if she had a mind to. i wouldn't have put it past her.
for probably the first 80% of this book, i was planning on giving it five stars, but the ending did not do the rest of it justice. we all knew that
there were also many many times when haymitch's logical jumps/internal monologue felt stiff and lacked real depth. i liked him as a narrator, but i think suzanne wrote him in a way that swung wildly from uninformed impulsivity to frozen inaction. he makes unintentional mistake after unintentional mistake, and it results in the deaths of an astonishing number of people. it kind of got old by the end?
that said, suzanne's best work is done in the messages and themes of her novels, and boy does she deliver. her creativity in designing the arenas and the history of the Games has always been so impressive to me, but at the end of the day, this book (and the rest) is both a warning and an alarm.
and while i'm saying good things, maysilee donner, the woman that you are. as soon as she said that line "if you let them treat you like an animal, they will" i was so sat. i bet she would have loved johanna mason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really good book, I forgot what it was like reading a fast paced YA novel. A lot of the connections are kind of explained to the reader instead of letting us figure it out for ourselves but maybe itâs just a demographic thing. Overall it was very interesting to get this perspective and some more lore about the world. Would recommend !!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suzanne did a great job of making this so sad and important for fans of the trilogy but still incredibly interesting and well explained for those new to the series. If you
want to read this
book, but havenât because you havenât read the original go ahead and read this! Itâs such a great book and will explain everything to you
want to read this
book, but havenât because you havenât read the original go ahead and read this! Itâs such a great book and will explain everything to you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, War
Minor: Animal death, Suicide
All hunger games books involve detailed deaths of children. Please be careful reading.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suzanne Collins is great. I really enjoyed this retelling of Haymitchâs Hunger Games. I really enjoyed the elements that were tied in from A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the original The Hunger Games trilogy.
Katniss being the daughter of Haymitchâs old best friend was really special.
Haymitchâs games were brutal. He experienced so much loss. The theme of implied submission and his fight against that, the consequences of losing everyone he loved, and then giving up was really compelling. His friendship with Ampert, BeeTeeâs son from district 3, and the climax of that friendship, where Haymitch was unable to stop Ampert from being completely devoured by carnivorous squirrels was horrifying.
Mags and Wiress being his mentors was bittersweet, especially given the way they were clearly broken by the Capitol in response to the role they played in undermining the games.
Haymitchâs games were brutal. He experienced so much loss. The theme of implied submission and his fight against that, the consequences of losing everyone he loved, and then giving up was really compelling. His friendship with Ampert, BeeTeeâs son from district 3, and the climax of that friendship, where Haymitch was unable to stop Ampert from being completely devoured by carnivorous squirrels was horrifying.
Mags and Wiress being his mentors was bittersweet, especially given the way they were clearly broken by the Capitol in response to the role they played in undermining the games.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Death of parent, War