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Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

137 reviews

adventurous 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

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

THE PAIN AND THE HEARTBREAK AND THE BRAVERY AND THE ANGUISH… I have no real words for Haymitch’s story, another fitting though haunting puzzle piece of The Hunger Games saga. This one perhaps the most painful of all. It’s a Linkin Park anthem and a Phoebe Bridgers ballad. It’s hurt and humility, power and resistance, and burning rage. 

But there would be no true mockingjay without the clever songbird and the rebel rascal of before, district 12 forever in Snow’s blindside. 

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad 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: No

Oh. My. God. This book broke me. It’s just a perfect summation of Haymitch. I cried throughout the whole freaking story, and the narrator for the audiobook was absolutely fantastic!!!

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Even more depressed now 👍😭

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Hunger Games books get harder and harder to read the older I get. Suzanne Collins never fails to hit. I knew exactly what was going to happen since we get a recap in Catching Fire- you know that Haymitch is going to survive, but that made all those deaths so much harder. The writing/pacing of the book wasn’t amazing, but Collins brings out raw emotion and horror through the plot.

In terms of what this means for us as a society- Luigi Mangione read Hunger Games as a child is all I’m saying. 

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I think ballad of songbirds and snakes might still be my favourite in the series but barely. This one still has me sobbing at the end 

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

We know how this ends and we still get invested only to be devastated in the end. Haymitch has never caught a break since the day of his 17th birthday and now we can’t blame him for loving his alcohol. He had so many friends and loved ones taken from him in such a  short period of time by the people that proclaim they are keepers of peace and you can see how he blames himself for their deaths for the rest of his life. 
It was nice to see hints of the rebellion surging all throughout this book and really paving the path for Katniss and her rise of being the figurehead of the rebellion. Also, his best friend being Katniss’ dad? Had not been for the trauma he could have been Uncle Haymitch and that kills me. 
Love the tie ins to A ballad of songbirds and snakes- really cementing that Snows resentment of district 12 will never die as long as every citizen of 12 still holds that sense of community that keeps Lucy Grey alive in spirit. 
It was interesting to see the progression of the games and how the tributes are treated less like cattle and criminals to being treated like VIP’s in the 74th hunger games. Like katniss was never handcuffed as a tribute and the theatricality ramped up to 100 after 20 years of trying to make the games more entertaining and flashy. How they glorified the games not only on a televised level but on an almost religious level- like pampered sacrifices to the slaughter for the greater good. 
This series will always hold a place in my heart and it is because of how much the author loves the series and devours time to expanding the already rich and mysterious universe they originally created.. FOR CHILDREN TO READ. 
I digress… If you haven’t read the hunger games as a series- don’t read it chronologically please. Release order for the win every single time so that you can understand the devastation and suffering all the more. In the best way. 

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funny 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: N/A

Oooomf poor Haymitch. The entire time you're reading this book you know it's not going to end well, and even then, I still held out hope that it wasn't going to be a devastating ending (spoiler alert: it was) 

I wish they would've showed just a bit more to the fallout after the games, him returning to 12 and grappling with what happened to him. That part felt rushed. I would've even loved to read more about that first year after his games, the 51st games and how he coped.

I really enjoyed the characters, all the kids in the games were all very unique. It was nice to see characters we already knew and how they were connected to Haymitch/these games.

I honestly didn't feel a strong connection to Lenore Dove, and it may be for the fact that I love his little relationship with Effie so much that I didn't warm up towards Lenore. She was a recycled Lucy Gray. 

We didn't get to spend enough time with her character to feel invested. 

The most shocking bit though was the fact that Haymitch unknowingly gave her the gumdrop that leads to her death. It seemed extremely naïve on his part to think Snow would've killed his family but spared his girlfriend? He let his guard down too early, and I would've expected him to be a bit more cautious but, with the grief of the games and his family, seeing a glimpse of happiness and a life he could have with Lenore took over. It does make total sense as to why he becomes an alcoholic, and I don't even blame him.

Call me crazy but I do wish Haymitch would've had a last moment with his mother and brother. Even if it turned into a Cinna moment, I just wish he had that last goodbye.

Also, bringing it forward to Catching Fire, hella wild that they allowed Beete to be in the games AGAIN, knowing he was a genius and could possibly work with Katniss to highjack the games.


I actually haven't read all the Hunger Games books (as a teen I read The Hunger Games, and the beginning of Catching Fire, but for whatever reason never got invested all those years ago) but I obviously love the films and am excited for this one. I hope it's done justice.

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