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lirpa 's review for:
Sunrise on the Reaping
by Suzanne Collins
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.”
Sunrise on the Reaping pulled me right back into the world of the Hunger Games, and it did so with the emotional weight I was hoping for. We’ve always known Haymitch carried deep scars, but now we see the exact horrors that shaped him. This book doesn't just fill in the gaps—it deepens our understanding of him in a powerful way.
Sunrise on the Reaping pulled me right back into the world of the Hunger Games, and it did so with the emotional weight I was hoping for. We’ve always known Haymitch carried deep scars, but now we see the exact horrors that shaped him. This book doesn't just fill in the gaps—it deepens our understanding of him in a powerful way.
The buildup to the Games is slow, deliberate, and rich with characters who all play a role in shaping who Haymitch becomes. One of the most heartbreaking moments for me was Ampert’s death. What it reveals about Beetee’s backstory, and the way it emotionally breaks Haymitch, felt like a turning point. That quote—
“I want to kill them all, Snow, the Gamemakers, every person in the Capitol who has been party to this atrocity.”
—is raw and unfiltered pain. It’s the moment where Haymitch’s resistance to the Games shifts from passive to actively rebellious.
The symbolism of the gray rabbit really stuck with me too. That little creature was more than just an animal—it was hope. Innocence. Comfort. And when it’s brutally taken from him, so is that hope. From then on, Haymitch carries the belief that anyone he loves will eventually be lost. It’s painful but so telling of why he becomes who he is by the time Katniss meets him.
Some may see the references to the prequel and the original trilogy as fan service, but I found them meaningful. The way the story gently lays groundwork for characters like Effie and Plutarch makes it all feel more connected. District 12 has always felt small and tightly woven, and that feeling is reflected beautifully here.
In the end, the reason Haymitch doesn’t give up isn’t because he’s unbreakable—it’s because of the promises he made. These quotes from the end hit me hard:
“No, Haymitch, we need someone exactly like you.”
“Just luckier?” I say.
“Luckier, or with better timing. Having an army at their back wouldn’t hurt.”
and then being met in the epilogue with
"She’s not an easy person; she’s like me, Peeta always says. But she was smarter than me, or luckier. She’s the one who finally kept that sun from rising."
This was everything I wanted from a return to Panem. Brutal, heartbreaking, and ultimately powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, War