Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games) Hardcover – March 18, 2025

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).Before proceeding please note that this review contains major spoilers for The Hunger Games Trilogy so if you haven’t read those books yet, and plan to, my advice is to give this review a wide berth until you have.Just like The Hunger Games this one also opens on the day of the reaping in District 12. And because it’s a Quarter Quell instead of two children, four will be reaped from each district (2 boys and 2 girls), 48 tributes across all districts. Just like the other two games we’ve read about, we get to know a selection of brave tributes that I grew to love and respect, all the while knowing that those characters weren’t long for their world.When we were first introduced to Haymitch in The Hunger Games he was damaged and broken with zero attachments to anyone or anything, and used alcohol to numb his pain and escape from reality. Having now finished Sunrise on the Reaping, and filling all the holes in his past, I now have a complete picture of the horrors, loss, despair, and betrayal he endured. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone that this is not a happy story. Haymitch’s story was heart-wrenching, bleak, appalling, frightening, and cruel. As a reader though it was immersive, addicting, fast-paced, and action-packed, and I loved learning all the new details relating to this universe.Aside from Haymitch several characters from The Hunger Games novels appeared in this book. And, if you are anything like me and have a bad memory, or if it’s been a hot minute since you’ve read The Hunger Games, listed below are a reminder of the roles those characters played in the trilogy, and if it’s not too much of a spoiler, their part in this one.Wiress – District 3 Victor of the 49th Hunger Games and tribute in the 75th Hunger Games.Beetee Latier – District 3 Victor of the 34th Hunger Games and tribute in the 75th Hunger Games.Mags Flanagan – District 4 Victor of the 11th Hunger Games and tribute in the 75th Hunger Games.Effie Trinket – Escort for the District 12 tributes for the 74th and 75th Hunger Games.Plutarch Heavensbee – Head Gamemaker of the 75th Hunger Games.President Snow – President of Panem in The Hunger Games and in this book.Caesar Flickerman – Presenter of the 50th, 74th and 75th Hunger Games.I was ecstatic to be given more backstories and insights and motivations regarding these returning characters. One in particular was so heartbreaking and horrific, and another’s answered a question I had from Catching Fire.I was lucky enough to get my hands on the audiobook for a very reasonable price of NZD $1.74, and Jefferson White completely and utterly captured Haymitch’s voice. My only slight irritation was with all the poems, which were more prominent in the audio, and if I had of been reading an e-book or physical copy, I would’ve likely skipped over them.Because I’m in the zone, and haven’t yet read The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes, I’m going to move straight onto that one. Although, word of warning, there is a massive spoiler for that novel in this one, so I did kind of ruin it for myself. Completely my fault for reading out of order. I’m still as excited to read Ballad as I was to read Sunrise on the Reaping, and if it’s as phenomenal and memorable as this instalment then I have nothing to complain about.

Haymitch Is a HeroHaymitch is a hero. He courageously never succumbed to the lure of the Games—to become a killer, to scrounge for life at the cost of principle and morality. In doing so, he thwarted the Capitol’s agenda to show the districts that they are no different from them. That it’s just survival of the fittest—and the Capitol happens to be stronger for now.This is the kind of courage the Jewish people showed during the Holocaust. My Rebbe used to say that Hitler wanted to reduce people to animals—strip them of their dignity by forcing them to scrap for food and disregard their humanity. But, as the vast Holocaust anthology of biographical and historical record shows, they continued to keep the Torah and mitzvos, and treated each other with kindness and altruism, even in the darkest conditions.President Snow is disproportionately disquieted by Haymitch’s defiance because he understands this is the seed of a true rebellion: the idea that one can make a statement—to oneself and to others—that they are not evil. That there is good in the world, and it’s worth the sacrifice.Haymitch had a different agenda: to destroy the evil—not those who were duped by that evil into playing its game.One of the clearest ways he showed this was by refusing to be bullied or blackmailed, even when Snow threatened to kill his family. It is not his fault that his family died—Snow is responsible. Had Haymitch given in, he would have become a shell of himself—a puppet, a kind of whore dancing to the Capitol’s will.The fact that he blames himself for their deaths is belied by his actions: he continues on his mission.His depression doesn’t come from failure, but from his predicament. As Victor Frankel in Man’s Search for Meaning asserts, in the midst of destruction, one still needs to be a hero. Evil can control your circumstances, but not your reaction to them.Even Yirmiyahu, who followed God’s command to the point of extreme danger to himself, wished that he was never born (Yirmiyahu 15:10)—not because he failed, but because of the crushing weight of his situation.Lenore Dove’s character wasn’t fully developed, making it hard to relate to her or be deeply affected by her death. However, the author connects her to Lucy Gray—buried in the same place—hinting that President Snow’s relationship with Haymitch may run far deeper than revealed.Even though Maysilee had a platonic relationship with Haymitch, their bond was transformative. Her character served as a tautological anchor for him—a living reminder of his resistance and values. Through her deeds, actions, formality, and presentation, she taught him that one can resist manipulation and avoid devolving into savagery. She modeled dignity, kindness, courage, and strength—even in her final breath. She wraps her pinky around his to remind him of their mission: to bring down the Capitol, even if it seems impossible.Lucy Gray seals this aspiration in her dying moment, pointing at the sun and telling Haymitch not to let it rise on the Reaping. Hence, the title of the book.In my opinion, the author’s intention is to give the reader insight into why Haymitch becomes an alcoholic. He is trapped in depression.Snow’s evil machinations have plunged him into a world of immense suffering, with all his family and loved ones lost. He refuses to take his own life because, deep down, he knows that would give Snow the ultimate victory. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to live. So, he escapes—until he is ultimately released by Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.I know this is a stylistic issue, but it would’ve been fascinating to see more from the Capitol’s and Snow’s perspectives. Clearly, this mini-rebellion caused major disruption, and it’s unclear how much damage control had to be done to smooth out the propaganda.