krjones95 's review for:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

3.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense

Loveable characters: Yes

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Ok, so far we have three books focusing on the games themselves. First there’s Hunger Games, then Catching Fire, and then the prequel Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Do we need a fourth book with a main focus around the games? I don’t think so.

This book is mostly about the training prep, games, and a few chapters at the end once Haymitch has returned home. Since we’re already familiar with the former two, different characters obviously, I really feel this book lacked something else, something deeper.

To me, it would’ve been a whole lot better if the first half was about the games, his friendships and alliances, the points made about the Capitol twisting the parts of the filmed games they actually show to the viewers, and then the second half of the book focused on his life after. Including but not limited to- how he handled telling or not telling the deceased’s families about what actually happened, him meeting the other tribute’s families in the other districts during the tour, mentoring other tributes throughout the next 23 years, his nightmares, etc. Essentially a deeper, more personal look into his life with a bit of “horror”, with what evil he experienced, how the Capitol still has their grip on him, and now has to deal with it the rest of his life. It would even further fuel his need to ensure Katniss (and Peeta) won since he saw how much potential she had to finish what he started. 

We’ve read and seen the immediate reactions to the games, to the brutality of it all- shock, grief, terror, fear. But we haven’t really gotten to experience what it’s like for the victors to process this, and more. We needed to see the lasting emotional and psychological trauma, where we can relate on a personal or at least an empathetic level. Give me something where I’ll be sobbing every other page lol.

Also, some characters made cameo appearances but I honesty wish she hadn’t mentioned so many… if maybe just Ampert and his father (not gonna name because it’s a spoiler sorta?) were mentioned that would’ve been enough.