Name: Ian Brakspear's review of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Item: Sunrise on the Reaping
Rating: 5
Author: Ian Brakspear

Suzanne Collins

When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

The Hunger Games 0.5

Sunrise on the Reaping

sofia mae

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping, and she is the most precious thing I’ve ever known

hessensitive

I shake off my tarp to repurpose it as a blanket & have almost dozed off again when I hear Wellie begin to cry. I reach to console her, but she's fast asleep. The weeping comes from far below at the base of the tree. Silka? Who else could it be? She isn't trying to hunt us, just huddled against the trunk. I didn't peg her for a crier. Of course, I've still probably got tearstains on my cheeks from Maysilee's passing. I'm sure Silka has plenty to cry about, too. Even if she's the clear front-runner in the Games, we've all of us got enough dead kids to mourn for a lifetime.

I become intensely aware of the three of us, huddled around this tree, the last trio of human heartbeats in the arena. Sad, desperate, but also a rare moment of district unity in the Games. You know what would make it even better? I drop a handful of chocolate balls into the night. A startled sound. The sobs soften to sniffles. A candy wrapper crackles. Quiet.

We lose the rest of our 11 allies & then a Peacekeeper opens the first door marked 12.

I hold out my arms. Without a word, Wyatt & Maysilee join in a group embrace. Lou Lou wiggles in the centre of the hug & we tighten our hold, feeling one another's pulses & sweat & skin. Ten minutes from now, who will even still have a heartbeat?

That's when I see Lenore Dove. She's up on a ridge, her red dress plastered to her body, one hand clutching the bag of gumdrops. As the train passes, she tilts her head back & wails her loss & rage into the wind. And even though it guts me, even though I smash my fists into the glass until they bruise, I'm grateful for her final gift. That she's denied Plutarch the chance to broadcast our farewell.

The moment our hearts shattered? It belonged to us.

Karen

I know one thing, though: The Capitol can never take Lenore Dove from me again. They never really did in the first place. Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping, and she is the most precious thing I’ve ever known.

We do want you. You shook up the Capitol, both figuratively and literally, with that earthquake. You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won't be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?

But what is that exactly? I think about our journey — everything from sniping with her in those early days after the reaping to battling those pink birds. I guess that's my answer. A sister is someone you fight with and fight for. Tooth and nail. 

jean

The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us.

roro :)

I think of the moment with the knives in training, of the country as a whole, and how we just keep submitting to the Capitol's rule. Why? 

(Bre)anne✨

Emilia Vulliamy

“We will be together always. I don’t know how, and I don’t know where, I don’t know anything, but I feel that in my heart. You and me, we will find each other, as many times as it takes.”

Alyssa Weaver

Silka stands there, her hand against her gushing eye socket. Her good eye squints at my gut, estimating the arrival time of my death. Then there's the return of the whistle, her moment of confusion as the spinning ax catches the sunlight, and the dull sickening sound as it lodges in her head.

Anna Oeltjenbruns

I dismount the chariot and lay Louella down, taking a step back so Snow can't pretend he doesn't see her broken little bird body. Then I gesture to him and begin to applaud, giving credit where credit is due. Spin this, Plutarch, I think. Suddenly, the president's expression changes. He turns his attention to the screen to my right, which features a shot of me from the waist up, clapping. 

 that bicycle bell from the Training Center would be in the Arena!

Jacob Edmonds

My ears have picked up a strange sound behind me, out of sync with the nighttime background noise of the woods. I stand still, listening hard.

No . . . Not the pinky promise. 😭😭😭

In the last moments, she releases her grip enough to lock her pinkie around mine. Looking, I think, for a final confirmation of the promise we made to cach other. I nod so she knows I understand and that I will try my best to bring the Capitol down, although I have never felt so powerless in my entire life.

And then she’s gone to wherever people go when they die.

Ampert . . . And those squirrels were all for him.

Ampert’s been swallowed up by the Capitol, and his coffin will hold only these pearly white bones.

Sadie Hoffman

I hold out my arms. Without a word, Wyatt and Maysilee join in a group embrace. Lou Lou wiggles into the center of the hug and we tighten our hold, feeling one another’s pulses and sweat and skin. Ten minutes from now, who will even still have a heartbeat?

After a minute, a Peacekeeper says, “Let’s go.”

The bell rings and Caesar gives me a slap on the back. “This one’s a real rascal, ladies and gentlemen! Haymitch Abernathy from District Twelve! May the odds be EVER in his favor!”

“Ladies and Gentlemnen, welcome to the Fiftieth Hunger Games Night of Interviews. And here’s everybody’s  favorite host, Caesar Flickerman!”

Caesar descends from the ceiling perched on a crescent moon, stars shooting behind him. He’s a young guy wearing a suit so dark blue it's almost black, embedded with tiny light bulbs that make it twinkle. The suit never changes, but every year he dyes his hair a different color, tonight a deep pine-forest green, and paints his eyelids and lips the same color.

“Effie!” cries Proserpina, flinging herself into the newcomer’s arms.

Fabian

I have made it to the end of The Hunger Games Books! What a journey it has been and it’s clear that the most emotional was left to the very end, things will never the be the same again. Having got to know Haymitch over the course of the original trilogy I have been waiting to learn more about him, but I was not expecting what was to come at all.

Twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping details sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy’s fateful experience during the 50th Hunger Games (the second Quarter Quell).

It’s always unique to have a prequel where you know the “Ending” of someone’s story before you have really learned about the past and what they have gone through, but this one was done in such a unique way. Haymitch is completely unrecognizable here versus when we first meet him. In this novel, he is just a sixteen boy. Sober. Happy at home with a girlfriend and side job. I half expect the epilogue to be how it was, just to show the development. But things are quickly turned on their head when Haymitch is selected to take part in the Quarter Quell.

This book is torture of the worst kind because no matter how miserable it makes you feel you just can’t stop reading it. I wish I could say it ended happily, but if you’ve read catching fire, then you know that it is simply impossible. Haymitch may have been crowned victor, but Snow is the real winner of his games.

Understanding Haymitch’s backstory through this book brought so much depth to his character traits and actions we see in the original trilogy. Everything, even his simple mannerisms, had been shaped through his time in the arena and through those he had lost. In my mind, Haymitch is no longer the crazy, drunk victor from twelve; but rather a normal guy who's experience with the abnormal changed him for the worse. Now, I know that every time a reread the original books, he will seem like a completely different person to me. Through Katniss' pov, we saw Haymitch from the perspective of an outsider; or someone who didn't truly understand his story. But through this book, we see Haymitch for who he truly is, and I believe that has made all the difference.

Ian Brakspear

I have made it to the end of The Hunger Games Books! What a journey it has been and it’s clear that the most emotional was left to the very end, things will never the be the same again. Having got to know Haymitch over the course of the original trilogy I have been waiting to learn more about him, but I was not expecting what was to come at all.

 

Twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping details sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy’s fateful experience during the 50th Hunger Games (the second Quarter Quell).

 

It’s always unique to have a prequel where you know the “Ending” of someone’s story before you have really learned about the past and what they have gone through, but this one was done in such a unique way. Haymitch is completely unrecognizable here versus when we first meet him. In this novel, he is just a sixteen boy. Sober. Happy at home with a girlfriend and side job. I half expect the epilogue to be how it was, just to show the development. But things are quickly turned on their head when Haymitch is selected to take part in the Quarter Quell.

 

This book is torture of the worst kind because no matter how miserable it makes you feel you just can’t stop reading it. I wish I could say it ended happily, but if you’ve read catching fire, then you know that it is simply impossible. Haymitch may have been crowned victor, but Snow is the real winner of his games.

 

Understanding Haymitch’s backstory through this book brought so much depth to his character traits and actions we see in the original trilogy. Everything, even his simple mannerisms, had been shaped through his time in the arena and through those he had lost. In my mind, Haymitch is no longer the crazy, drunk victor from twelve; but rather a normal guy who's experience with the abnormal changed him for the worse. Now, I know that every time a reread the original books, he will seem like a completely different person to me. Through Katniss' pov, we saw Haymitch from the perspective of an outsider; or someone who didn't truly understand his story. But through this book, we see Haymitch for who he truly is, and I believe that has made all the difference.

this book was fantastic. taking bits and pieces of a story that’s been hinted at in the future and fully fleshing it out and giving a wider scope to the existing narrative. knowing Haymitch wins his games doesn’t prepare you or diminish the impact of reading it at all. the political commentary particularly focused on propaganda was done extremely well. 

james cao

What a fabulous backstory to Haymitch and as always adds to the evil that is Coriolanus Snow!!!

Selena Rivera

Although the ending wasn’t as I would’ve wanted it was inevitable and whoever read the books before would agree.I’d say it was written perfectly and matched perfectly with the description of him in the books before so it was a great book overall 

This was the book series that radicalized me as a teenager. Not that I needed a book series to radicalize me, but if there was a series that did that, it would be this. This book was a depressing, necessary reminder of that, almost like a new wave of radicalization. 

The Capitol did him dirty way more than what I’ve seen in the other books. The windows into deep love and devotion reminded me of the love I have. But at the end, it was all pain. The epilogue almost feels like it wasn’t earned. But as someone who’s Been There for the series since childhood, of course I knew it was well fought for. Just can’t believe how much he lost.

A part of this Cinematic Universe felt too predictable and safe with the number of recurring characters that played deeper roles in this particular timeline. Some felt like cop outs, some helped with the deeper contextualization of the community that is District 12. These things have been passed down from generations. Haymitch lived that, and this book is our only window into that reality.

I’ll definitely still sleep on this. But tldr; this was an important prequel to write. 

Here’s to the Capitols we try to fight every single day.

Raya Barreiro

This was the book series that radicalized me as a teenager. Not that I needed a book series to radicalize me, but if there was a series that did that, it would be this. This book was a depressing, necessary reminder of that, almost like a new wave of radicalization. 

The Capitol did him dirty way more than what I’ve seen in the other books. The windows into deep love and devotion reminded me of the love I have. But at the end, it was all pain. The epilogue almost feels like it wasn’t earned. But as someone who’s Been There for the series since childhood, of course I knew it was well fought for. Just can’t believe how much he lost.

A part of this Cinematic Universe felt too predictable and safe with the number of recurring characters that played deeper roles in this particular timeline. Some felt like cop outs, some helped with the deeper contextualization of the community that is District 12. These things have been passed down from generations. Haymitch lived that, and this book is our only window into that reality.

I’ll definitely still sleep on this. But tldr; this was an important prequel to write. 

Here’s to the Capitols we try to fight every single day.

Suzanne Collins is reusing tropes, plot points, and character archetypes, but if it ain’t broke 

Zachary Roberts

Alexa play « I bet on loosing dogs » by mitski 

Claire Maguet

Esse livro tem muitas camadas, algumas boas, alguns nem tanto. Engraçado dizer mas achei esse o livro mais mal escrito de toda a obra de jogos vorazes, e defendo que ele foi escrito do jeito que ele precisava ter sido: aditivo, rápido, falando de coisas horríveis e profundas mas ao mesmo tempo raso, confuso e em certos momentos até trivial. Um livro extremamente cultuado por seu comentário político, onde 48 crianças são obrigadas a lutar até a morte como forma de entretenimento pra alimentar a propaganda de um governo autoritário e garantir a subjugação de toda a sua população ser chamado de “trivial” parece ser no mínimo antônimo, mas ao meu ver é exatamente aí que está a genialidade desse livro. Manipulação midiática, sistemas autoritários, crimes de guerra impensáveis >contra crianças< são realidades diárias no mundo, em que seriam julgadas horrendas em qualquer outro contexto, mas assim como a narrativa desse livro, são tidas simplesmente fomo triviais. Vejo esse livro como um chamado pra olhar através do que a mídia como um todo apresenta, e um convite a pensar por si mesmo sobre o que realmente se passa no mundo, e como você verdadeiramente se sente em relação a isso.

Pedro Rodarte

snow??? I’m sorry haymitch for continuing to watch that one snow edit iykyk

Katie Roberts

Sunrise on the Reaping is heavy. Devastating. Angry. And honestly, it shook me. It’s not just “another Hunger Games,” as some early critiques have claimed. This particular Games—the 50th, Haymitch’s Games—was a turning point in the series’ lore, and Suzanne Collins treats it with the weight it deserves. I didn't see it as fan service; it’s contextual depth.

Yes, there are connections to the original trilogy—familiar characters like Mags, Beetee, and Wiress, backstories that intersect with Katniss’s eventual path. But to me, these threads made the world richer, not cheaper. 

One of the most powerful aspects of this book is how it re-centres the Hunger Games as propaganda, as a state weapon meant to desensitize and subdue. Haymitch’s refusal to play by the Capitol’s rules, and the way it shatters every aspect of his life after, reveals just how deeply rigged the system is. His rebellion—quiet, tactical, and ultimately punished—is unforgettable.

And while I didn’t read Ballad before this, I now see that I probably will. Not because I want more of Snow, but because Collins is has built something broader here. The undercurrent of sabotage, of a rebel movement struggling to germinate decades before Katniss ever picks up a bow, adds layers to what I once saw as a contained trilogy.

Sunrise on the Reaping is about loss and resistance, yes, but it’s also about legacy—how the trauma of rebellion and survival is inherited, reshaped, and weaponized. I closed the book feeling gutted—like I’d been handed something quietly devastating and told, “here, sit with this.” The Games may be fiction, but the cost of defiance, of being seen and refusing to be used—there’s nothing fictional about that.

Aldrin B.

Sunrise on the Reaping is heavy. Devastating. Angry. And honestly, it shook me. It’s not just “another Hunger Games,” as some early critiques have claimed. This particular Games—the 50th, Haymitch’s Games—was a turning point in the series’ lore, and Suzanne Collins treats it with the weight it deserves. I didn't see it as fan service; it’s contextual depth.

Yes, there are connections to the original trilogy—familiar characters like Mags, Beetee, and Wiress, backstories that intersect with Katniss’s eventual path. But to me, these threads made the world richer, not cheaper. 

One of the most powerful aspects of this book is how it re-centres the Hunger Games as propaganda, as a state weapon meant to desensitize and subdue. Haymitch’s refusal to play by the Capitol’s rules, and the way it shatters every aspect of his life after, reveals just how deeply rigged the system is. His rebellion—quiet, tactical, and ultimately punished—is unforgettable.

And while I didn’t read Ballad before this, I now see that I probably will. Not because I want more of Snow, but because Collins is has built something broader here. The undercurrent of sabotage, of a rebel movement struggling to germinate decades before Katniss ever picks up a bow, adds layers to what I once saw as a contained trilogy.

Sunrise on the Reaping is about loss and resistance, yes, but it’s also about legacy—how the trauma of rebellion and survival is inherited, reshaped, and weaponized. I closed the book feeling gutted—like I’d been handed something quietly devastating and told, “here, sit with this.” The Games may be fiction, but the cost of defiance, of being seen and refusing to be used—there’s nothing fictional about that.

Carla Vargas 

What is it with this month and putting myself into these emotional situations with the books I’m reading? I knew I wasn’t going to be prepared for Haymitch’s book and I was right. It was emotional and makes the trilogy make so much more sense when it comes to Haymitch’s charcter. I also know the movie will also break me too even with a year of preparation. 

Priscilla Stanfield

4.5/5⭐️

What is it with this month and putting myself into these emotional situations with the books I’m reading? I knew I wasn’t going to be prepared for Haymitch’s book and I was right. It was emotional and makes the trilogy make so much more sense when it comes to Haymitch’s charcter. I also know the movie will also break me too even with a year of preparation. 

I knew this would a 5 star before I even started it 

Sílvia

Such an interesting, engaging and sad story. 

Yega

I devoured this book in under 20 hours. I thought I knew what was gonna happen, I thought I went into this book prepared. Let‘s just say, I wasn’t even close to being prepared for anything 

Joelina Schlabbach

Felt so nostalgic reading this. Absolutely adored this book. 

mia esme hsu

The crash out i had after every chapter was crazy 

The parallels in the original series are absolutely insane. HAYMITCH DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER 💋💋💋

Sumaiya 

The crash out i had after every chapter was crazy 

The parallels in the original series are absolutely insane. HAYMITCH DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER 💋💋💋

Hibana Nava

I loved getting to read haymitch’s story and understand how his character developed into the haymitch we know from the original hunger games series. Loved it. The epilogue was great as well. 

Hadley 

Stas

Suzanne always has something important to say about power and governance, and human conflict and compromise. This one is the most timely. 

Treyden Talbot

No, Suzanne, it’s okay. I didn’t want to feel happiness ever again anyway. 

Fabian &
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Fabian &Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Fabian &
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins