Review by theirdarkmaterials - Sunrise on the Reaping

theirdarkmaterials 's review for:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

3.0

dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I ripped through this and very much enjoyed being back in the world of the Hunger Games. I particularly liked seeing younger versions of the victors we meet in Catching Fire.

My main complaint is that we do rehash a lot of The Hunger Games - the reaping and lead-up to the games especially - sometimes with not enough of a unique spin. Having read the original trilogy, it is interesting seeing historical gaps filled in, but I'm not sure this book distinguishes itself enough to justify its existence.

Surprisingly I found the beginning of the games the part that lagged the most, as Haymitch spends a great deal of time on his own and we miss most of the initial action between the Newcomers and Careers. This is a little baffling considering this Quarter Quell has double the number of tributes, which I never felt was used to its full potential - the arena feels almost deserted at times.

It's at its most interesting when Haymitch is with other characters, Maysilee being a standout. Haymitch himself is not really recognisable to the one we know in the original trilogy. Not enough of the other tributes are distinguishable - maybe it ought to have been a bit longer to flesh more characters out...?

Also - why didn't the gamemakers just kill Haymitch after all the shenanigans he got up to? As I was reading I grew more and more surprised that he's actually allowed to win the games - doesn't really track with what Snow is about. I kept waiting for the promised targeted mutts to appear. This isn't a Katniss/Peeta situation, it would have been very easy to bump Haymitch off without angering Capitol citizens.

I saw another review that said this book should have covered Haymitch's post-games years, when he's a victor and having to mentor year after year of tributes, delving into what life is like for victors in the Capitol. I think that would have made a lot more sense and addresses my main frustration over rehashing old ground. If we were going to do another book on the games themselves, maybe one from a careers perspective?

Sounds like I'm coming down quite hard on this, but overall I did have a good time reading it, just with some caveats. Certainly doesn't come close to the heights of the original trilogy.

Content Warnings