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and_im_ash 's review for:

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
5.0
challenging dark emotional sad tense
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

This was incredible. 

So well-written, so impactful, so powerful. 

This is probably the best prequel I've ever read for any series - the way it builds on the story we already know, adds extra layers, details, meaning. 

And my god, Haymitch's love for Lenore Dove, and then his grief, is absolutely devastating. 

I knew everyone would die. We know this from THG. But I still was not prepared enough for how gutting it was. 

The exploration of propaganda, stories, control and power is poignant. I loved the insight into other characters we know - Plutarch, Mags, Wiress, Beattie, Effie - and now really want a book on Plutarch's story. He is such a fascinating character. 

I really appreciate how Collins creates characters who are so complicated, not simply good or evil, who are so diverse in their wants and needs. All of these characters, including the new tributes, feel so real. 

My favourite takeaway from this instalment in The Hunger Games world is how long the revolution was in the works for. They tried over and over and over again before Katniss' games, and the Capitol edited it all out and rewrote their stories so Katniss and Peeta have no idea what previous tributes have done before them. Katniss was the eventual Mockingjay, but she wasn't the first person who tried to be. And that makes this story so much more compelling, and real, and gritty, because we see now how revolution is not born overnight. It took decades of trying and failing and learning to finally make it stick.

No one does dystopia like Suzanne Collins.