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A review by savage_book_review
Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
SPOILER FREE REVIEW, WITH A CAVEAT - For clarity, events from Haymitch's games that are mentioned in the original Hunger Games trilogy are fair game and may be mentioned herein. So look away now if you're late to the party and reading in chronological rather than release order!
We've seen the 'official' version of Haymitch's games through their abridged, edited, sanitised reel watched by Katniss and Peeta. We know what to expect from the Hunger Games generally, and some of the plot points from Haymitch's games, and so I thought I knew what to expect. Now I've seen behind the curtain and know the truth of the second Quarter Quell, all I can say is that I might have expected it to hurt like hell, but the reality is even more devastating.
I firstly have to give props to Jefferson White for his narration. He manages to pitch every moment perfectly, emphasising without being overly-dramatic and giving us the deeply emotional resonance of every scene. He inhabits Haymitch throughout; the character was recognisable in the beginning as an 'innocent' version of the one we know and love, but just through the power of his voice you could hear his world-weariness and dissilusionment creep in as the story progresses. And it doesn't hurt that his voice is (at least to me) reminiscent of a younger Woody Harrelson!
Suzanne Collins has done an amazing job here at bridging the gap between 'Songbirds and Snakes' and the original trilogy, giving us plenty of nods to events past and future which make for a great serotonin boost for a person who rereads this series on an annual basis. Although it could be argued that President Snow is the element that links all together (and his spectre still looms large on this book, though in a way that feels somewhat different to the other books), to me this book says that all roads lead to Haymitch. There's a beautiful sense of inevitability that underlays the narrative, but it doesn't feel contrived or forced. Everything just flows and, when a new element/character/plot point is introduced that builds on this feeling, it gives the reader a sense of familiarity, without giving it the vibes of 'oh, what a small world!'. Even the elements we do already know about - Katniss' Mockingjay pin once having belonged to Maisylee Donner, the Tenth Games being essentially wiped from history etc. - are all woven in and given so much more meaning and emphasis here, meaning you'll go back to the other books with a whole new perspective.
It also giving a character that we've come to know and love a backstory that manages to give him character development that only enhances his actions, motives and outlook. Likewise, the story still manages to surprise, devastate and enthrall the reader, even with the outcome being something of a foregone conclusion. There is so much more to Haymitch's story and it's an absolute treat to get to read it.
The Edgar Allen Poe poem 'Nevermore' plays a starring role throughout this book, and while it makes perfect sense for the story, I'm not entirely convinced that the repeated and extended quotations of it don't distract a little from the author's own work. I can imagine that if I were the 'right' age for this book, I'd probably be skimming over these. Actually, let's be honest, I'd probably still have skimmed over them now if I wasn't listening to it! While I think it's a great way to get kids learning about classic poetry etc., I'm just not sure that the wording isn't a bit too 'heavy' for a casual reader of YA. (And given that I've recently picked up the Nevermore Bookshop series by Steffanie Holmes, my imagination was going in a whole different direction! 🤣 IYKYK).
The other reservation I have about this book is that there are some threads I was hoping to see picked up which weren't. Or they were, but not in a 'satisfying' way. I feel like there's been enough left dangling for more books to come in the series, which I absolutely would not object to, but this story has a satisfying conclusion nonetheless. I guess I'm just frustrated by the fact that my single biggest query was dealt with in one brief line. And it would have been beautiful, poetic and even more tragic if the timeline had worked out to make an element of this book an unforeseen consequence of the last book. Gah, trying to say what I want to say without spoilers here is HARD!
I'm so glad Suzanne Collins saw fit to grace us with this! And here's to many more books in the future!
We've seen the 'official' version of Haymitch's games through their abridged, edited, sanitised reel watched by Katniss and Peeta. We know what to expect from the Hunger Games generally, and some of the plot points from Haymitch's games, and so I thought I knew what to expect. Now I've seen behind the curtain and know the truth of the second Quarter Quell, all I can say is that I might have expected it to hurt like hell, but the reality is even more devastating.
I firstly have to give props to Jefferson White for his narration. He manages to pitch every moment perfectly, emphasising without being overly-dramatic and giving us the deeply emotional resonance of every scene. He inhabits Haymitch throughout; the character was recognisable in the beginning as an 'innocent' version of the one we know and love, but just through the power of his voice you could hear his world-weariness and dissilusionment creep in as the story progresses. And it doesn't hurt that his voice is (at least to me) reminiscent of a younger Woody Harrelson!
Suzanne Collins has done an amazing job here at bridging the gap between 'Songbirds and Snakes' and the original trilogy, giving us plenty of nods to events past and future which make for a great serotonin boost for a person who rereads this series on an annual basis. Although it could be argued that President Snow is the element that links all together (and his spectre still looms large on this book, though in a way that feels somewhat different to the other books), to me this book says that all roads lead to Haymitch. There's a beautiful sense of inevitability that underlays the narrative, but it doesn't feel contrived or forced. Everything just flows and, when a new element/character/plot point is introduced that builds on this feeling, it gives the reader a sense of familiarity, without giving it the vibes of 'oh, what a small world!'. Even the elements we do already know about - Katniss' Mockingjay pin once having belonged to Maisylee Donner, the Tenth Games being essentially wiped from history etc. - are all woven in and given so much more meaning and emphasis here, meaning you'll go back to the other books with a whole new perspective.
It also giving a character that we've come to know and love a backstory that manages to give him character development that only enhances his actions, motives and outlook. Likewise, the story still manages to surprise, devastate and enthrall the reader, even with the outcome being something of a foregone conclusion. There is so much more to Haymitch's story and it's an absolute treat to get to read it.
The Edgar Allen Poe poem 'Nevermore' plays a starring role throughout this book, and while it makes perfect sense for the story, I'm not entirely convinced that the repeated and extended quotations of it don't distract a little from the author's own work. I can imagine that if I were the 'right' age for this book, I'd probably be skimming over these. Actually, let's be honest, I'd probably still have skimmed over them now if I wasn't listening to it! While I think it's a great way to get kids learning about classic poetry etc., I'm just not sure that the wording isn't a bit too 'heavy' for a casual reader of YA. (And given that I've recently picked up the Nevermore Bookshop series by Steffanie Holmes, my imagination was going in a whole different direction! 🤣 IYKYK).
The other reservation I have about this book is that there are some threads I was hoping to see picked up which weren't. Or they were, but not in a 'satisfying' way. I feel like there's been enough left dangling for more books to come in the series, which I absolutely would not object to, but this story has a satisfying conclusion nonetheless. I guess I'm just frustrated by the fact that my single biggest query was dealt with in one brief line. And it would have been beautiful, poetic and even more tragic if the timeline had worked out to make an element of this book an unforeseen consequence of the last book. Gah, trying to say what I want to say without spoilers here is HARD!
I'm so glad Suzanne Collins saw fit to grace us with this! And here's to many more books in the future!