Sunrise on the Reaping
Ratings193
Average rating4.3
Nothing but respect for a story where everyone’s screwed from the start, but they still force you to care anyway. Loved it. Devastated. Would do it again.
Contains spoilers
It's a prequel, right? You know some details already, you know the fate of the characters, you pretty much know how it's going to end. You shouldn't care THIS much, and yet Suzanne Collins makes you care anyway. Makes you root for them, as if it made any sense. As you read and know things are about to go very, very badly, a part of you stupidly hopes things will go differently. Which is ironic, for a book that talks about how hope can be dangerous.
I loved this story with all my being. I never thought the world of The Hunger Games and its characters could still pique my interest so much, and hit me so hard, after fifteen years since I read the original trilogy. Haymitch's story is so tragic, starting from the reaping itself. I am glad he stayed alive to witness and participate in the rebellion with Katniss and the rest, even if it hurts to think it took another 25 years (25 years of him having to mentor - to their death, as he says - kids reaped on his birthday).
Snow, I hate you like all-fucking-fire.
When you look at the book for the first time, you think to yoursel "it's a prequel and many details were already shared in Catching Fire. It will be fine. Can't be worse than the actual trilogy right?"
But you know nothing, Jon Snow. (and how ironic the last name is).
The book is beautiful, devastating, heartbreaking, hopeful, a horror and love story tangled all in one. It's something you can never predict and nothing you can forget. It's seared into our minds and hearts and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
This book is not only an important book in the series, it's also consistent. All those details from the trilogy we thought were irrelevant? They get a whole other meaning after reading this book. Nothing is accidental, everything has its purpose. All those important things from the trilogy and The Ballad? They're not only kept, but also expanded upon. Suzanne Collins knows her world in and out, there are no plot holes, no mistakes, nothing. Her writing is consistent, heartbreaking, beautiful, thought-provoking, coherent and fantastic. She never misses.
Rereading the scene from Mockingjay where Snow chokes to death on his own blood will be so satisfying - although I still wish he got a more painfull death. It's not enough, nothing will ever be enough, my only consolation is that he's dead.
And Haymitch will meet Lenore Dove once again in the afterlife and they will be together forevermore.
Contains spoilers
I was so looking forward to reading this and I was not disappointed! It gave me everything I wanted and more I didn't even think of. I knew the bones of Haymitch's story from reading the original trilogy of course, yet reading it was still engaging, emotional, and surprisingly surprising. It was fun seeing people we know in District 12, and later in the Capitol, though I do wonder if maybe there were too many once we got into the games. Spoilers on who they are here, but seeing how involved Beetee, Wiress, and Mags were in Haymitch's games makes me wonder if most of the reaping done in Catching Fire was completely rigged, since Haymitch would have gone in if Peeta hadn't volunteered, or if their inclusion here was mostly fanservice. If it was rigged, that's pretty cool. If it's fanservice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, I want to read an entire book on Mags' life please.
I only knocked down half a star because of the overuse of "The Raven" throughout. At first, it was cool to see where Lenore Dove got her name and she symbolism of the lost Lenore who would haunt Haymitch forever, but by the end (where it was used A LOT) I completely skipped reading the poem parts in the middle. I think it would have been fine to maybe throw in a short quote in there once or twice, but we didn't need as much of the poem as we got, and I say that as someone who LOVES "The Raven."
Bring on any more sequels Suzanne! I would read 71 more books of each Hunger Games we haven't seen.
Wow. This book completely puts Haymitch in a new light. The story stands well on its own, returning to the Arena and Hunger Games in a big way with a character I can get behind. Like Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it is a slow-motion tragedy that builds up momentum to a terribly heart-wrenching climax that leaves the reader ready for the arrival of a Mockingjay. While telling Haymitch's story, the book connects well with the prequel and sets up characters and stories for the later trilogy. Satisfying in its own right, I'd call Sunrise on the Reaping an essential part of the story of the Hunger Games.
He tardado en leerme los dos últimos capítulos media hora porque de tanto llorar no podía físicamente leer, no veía con las lágrimas.
i expected to like this more :( it felt kinda dumbed down (?) compared to tbosas which i enjoyed more. i thought it didn't flow as well like don't get me wrong i was gripped but i didn't feel particularly affected by the book the way others have described, i didn't care for lenore dove at all (sorry) but i Fucking LOVED maysilee donner. i thought some of the language choices were a little cringe? “my doves” being an example that didn't land with me but hey maybe im mean.
i did feel sad when haymitch's family died, and yes a lot of cameos but i rlly enjoyed mags' character and effie was v sweet too, so a bit of indulgence. also im a marvel fan so u know i love a cameo (if done well dpmo some of the recent movies...)
im excited to see this on the big screen, but i find myself disappointed w the book. i gave it 3 stars bc i did race through it and i was invested and Maysilee <3 but maybe im being too nice idk?
Sunrise on the Reaping is the first Hunger Games book I read. I thought it would be fun to read it in parallel of re-watching the Hunger Games movies, which I liked but cannot say I'm fond of.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, Suzanne Collins style convey the stress, despair and dramatic intensity of the protagonist tribulations perfectly. The overall atmosphere is both one of absurdity and fatality, and it's not hard to be moved by the tragic stories of the characters.
The path of Haymitch is… quite weird. Its hard to understand some choices he made in the novel, given what is at stakes and his anticipation of the outcome.
The last part of the book is moving, but somehow left me with an insatisfaction of some sort, and not a good one. I found this part quite precipitated and more rushed than the game part. I actually expected more refinement in poor ol' Haymitch inflicted suffering.
The problem is, this is, well, it's the same old Hunger Games book recipee, and it's quite conservative. I think I would have appreciated more something in the same setting, but covering others things than the Hunger Games from the perspective of the tributes, or at least giving us a little something in this matter, as the Ballad do.
How is the live of those people in the Capitol ? What happened during the first rebellion ? Why not the POV of a gamemaker ? Is there something, maybe some other nations outside of Panem ?
First off: I love this universe. I devoured the original trilogy, gasped through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes1, and read Sunrise on the Reaping on my Kobo while my daughter dozed on my chest like a very tiny, peaceful Capitol citizen. So, believe me when I say: this book gave me all the nostalgic fan serotonin I was hoping for. But also? It didn't quite catch fire.
My complete book review here: https://open.substack.com/pub/bingeread/p/book-review-sunrise-on-the-reaping
“The snow may fall, but the sun also rises.”
“Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained.”
beginning was a little slow, but the middle and the ending section made up for it. i loved this book sm, and it's a great fit in the hunger games series
I was utterly bored reading all 382 pages. I get that it’s a YA book.
However… it doesn’t excuse how surface level everything felt and how lackluster it was. The relationship and how it was going to end was a predictable wannabe Romeo and Juliet situation. Every single character, both main and side lacked depth and personality.
The games doesn’t happen until page 211. Everything before that was just nonstop monologuing. When we finally get to the games and everything starts happening the whole thing just fails to invoke any sort of emotions. I felt no panic, pain, turmoil, anger, etc. I was just like “oh. Okay”.
After the games the tour happens, some deaths occur that were easily predictable since the first few chapters.
It’s okay… I guess.
Entertaining as always. Slower pace which generally worked. But the last few chapters dragged. By the end of the hunger games in this one, I was done, with about 50 pages to go. Still fine to read.
Much more similar in structure to the first two books of the original trilogy. Possibly the most tragic one. tbh I don't love Collins's writing - it's very basic. But I like the Hunger Games world so welcome any additions to the lore.
Everything about this book is heartbreaking and appalling. It's going to haunt me for awhile now.
😭😭 the whole thing was gut wrenching but being able to see further into haymitch and his story was soooo incredibly done. Gahh do i hate president snow even more in this book. Such a vile @$$hole
This one continues to flesh out the world of Panem and introduces some of the characters we meet in the main series.
Its less impactful as. Ballad of song birds and snakes but is wonderfully written and heart wrenching
Contains spoilers
We've already had a Hunger Games book about a quarter quell where Beetee, Wyris, Haymitch, and Plutarch try to blow up the arena to stick it to President Snow... it's called Catching Fire. This book just does that story over again and in doing so makes it highly unbelievable that Snow would ever let that group of people together again 25 years later to do the same thing a second time.
Was an entertaining read at the least but makes no sense in context of the original trilogy.
It didn't stab me in the heart like I wanted it to, but it did still hit. I think there was a little bit of a pacing issue in the middle but I've honestly felt that way about all the hunger games books. I do love all the Easter eggs here though, Ik there are some haters about that but I loved it so