On March 18, 2025, the fifth “Hunger Games” novel by Suzanne Collins dropped. “Sunrise on the Reaping” followed Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta’s mentor. Set 24 years before the first book, it showed Haymitch’s game, where he had to fight against twice as many tributes.
While acting as a prequel for the main “Hunger Games” trilogy, “Sunrise On the Reaping” also referenced plot threads from the 2020 prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” making it a sequel to that novel. “Sunrise on the Reaping” already has a film in development.
Highs
In a statement through her publisher, Scholastic, Collins said, “the story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative.” Propaganda has always been a major part of “The Hunger Games” world building. In the original trilogy, Katniss and Peeta battled against the Capitol over the media narrative, and in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” we saw the games morph from punishment to spectacle.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” took this theme to a new level, showing how propaganda destroyed Haymitch’s life. The parts of the book leading up to the games and during were similar to the first two books in structure and plotting. After the game ended, the book took a dark turn (well, darker than it had already been).
As a prequel, the ending of Haymitch’s story was set in stone; he had to end up an alcoholic loner and secret rebel. After winning his game, the book revealed the full scope of how the Capitol broke Haymitch, and it was the most brutal storytelling “The Hunger Games” has ever done. He deviated from Katniss in how his rebellion was less immediately successful than hers.
It was the darkest book in the series. While “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” showed the beginning sparks of rebellion and “The Hunger Games” trilogy showed the revolution, “Sunrise on the Reaping” existed in the awkward inbetween where rebellion existed but wasn’t ready for a successful revolution. But while the revolution waited, Haymitch and his loved ones suffered. Collins held back no emotional punches in telling Haymitch’s story, each loss and twist hitting hard.
Moving outside of just the story, Collins has improved her prose. “Sunrise on the Reaping’s” writing was less clunky and awkward than the prose in the main trilogy. Not that those books were badly written, but rather “Sunrise on the Reaping” flowed more smoothly.
Lows
While “Sunrise on the Reaping” expanded on what was already in the books, it didn’t bring anything to expand the horizon of its world. The book had such a similar plot to the first two books it felt like it was retreading the same ground. This didn’t make the plot bad, those were great books after all and Collins got creative with Haymitch’s game, but it did make the prequel feel less worthwhile until the insane ending. Compare this to “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which shed a new light on Panem as a whole by showing a much older, rougher version of the games and a new perspective.
The retreading was made worse in how interconnected “Sunrise on the Reaping” was with the other books. Much of the cast came from the other novels and there were several references to characters who couldn’t show up. Even Katniss got a reference in her father having a cameo. Although this fanservice could be fun, it didn’t expand the world.
Like “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Collins decided to include songs in the book. Music usually doesn’t work well on page as they often break the pacing and are difficult to imagine. It was distracting in “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and it was distracting in “Sunrise on the Reaping.” Hopefully, like the former book, the songs will be better handled in the film adaptation.
Verdict
“Sunrise on the Reaping” was the most brutal and depressing “The Hunger Games” has ever been.It was simultaneously gripping and sickening, showing a new side to Haymitch and giving him more depth. Although it tread a little too closely to the first two books for most of its pages, it had a shocking, tragic ending. It was layered in commentary on propaganda, showing how dictators maintain control and how twisted stories destroy lives.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Frank Remski is a review columnist for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces. He was named Columnist of the Year by The Echo for his writing in the 2024-2025 school year.
