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A review by lucybbookstuff
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I'm wrecked. I loved it. It was exactly what I expected and wanted it to be. And more, honestly. (Very vague spoilers ahead.)
I was expecting a Haymitch prequel, going into detail with his backstory. I was not expecting just how different his story was compared to what we think we know from the trilogy. Suzanne Collins really went hard with the propaganda theme.
Both prequels I think lean way more heavy-handed (to the point of maybe being slightly contrived) with their specific commentary than the trilogy. That may be part of why I can't bring myself to give either of them 5 stars. But even so, I don't mind the heavy-handedness nearly as much as I usually do. For a combination of reasons, I imagine: I already know and love the world and I want to know all the lore, plus Suzanne is just so good at exploring her themes. I can't possibly mind very much how she goes about conveying them.
All that to say. It really is amazing how thoroughly the propaganda machine wiped out Haymitch's true story. So much so that Katniss and us readers are completely clueless. We're all ready to believe Haymitch was just that cocky jackass, and he was punished just for using the forcefield.
Then, based on the Haymitch we know by the end of the trilogy, it's also very easy to believe that he was this loving, protective boy with so much to lose.
The easter eggs got slightly gratuitous and erred on the side of fanservice... but do I care? Nope. I ate them all up, and, for the most part, they made sense.
I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this. I just loved getting to know Haymitch better, and learning the truth. And getting another brilliant and VERY timely bit of theme exploration from Suzanne Collins.
I was expecting a Haymitch prequel, going into detail with his backstory. I was not expecting just how different his story was compared to what we think we know from the trilogy. Suzanne Collins really went hard with the propaganda theme.
Both prequels I think lean way more heavy-handed (to the point of maybe being slightly contrived) with their specific commentary than the trilogy. That may be part of why I can't bring myself to give either of them 5 stars. But even so, I don't mind the heavy-handedness nearly as much as I usually do. For a combination of reasons, I imagine: I already know and love the world and I want to know all the lore, plus Suzanne is just so good at exploring her themes. I can't possibly mind very much how she goes about conveying them.
All that to say. It really is amazing how thoroughly the propaganda machine wiped out Haymitch's true story. So much so that Katniss and us readers are completely clueless. We're all ready to believe Haymitch was just that cocky jackass, and he was punished just for using the forcefield.
Then, based on the Haymitch we know by the end of the trilogy, it's also very easy to believe that he was this loving, protective boy with so much to lose.
The easter eggs got slightly gratuitous and erred on the side of fanservice... but do I care? Nope. I ate them all up, and, for the most part, they made sense.
I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this. I just loved getting to know Haymitch better, and learning the truth. And getting another brilliant and VERY timely bit of theme exploration from Suzanne Collins.