Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins (BOOK REVIEW)

 

“They will not use our tears for their entertainment.”

As the sun rises on the morning of the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear reigns in Panem. In honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be reaped. In district 12, 16 year old Haymitch tries to forget about the reaping and focuses on spending time with his girl, Lenore Dove. When Haymitch’s name is called, all of his hope is shattered. He’s taken from his family, his love and shuttled to the Capitol with three other tributes: a young girl who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive boy and the most stuck-up girl in all of 12. As the Games begin Haymitch must learn how to trust, survive and fight for a cause beyond himself; even when the odds are set-up to destroy him. 

“The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us.”

I love The Hunger Games. Whether I was going to read this book or not wasn’t a question. I could not wait to read it! In the span of two days, I absolutely devoured this book and my heart is forever wounded. Suzanne, you’ve done it; you’ve written the saddest, most heartbreaking book in the world. Let’s just say, I get it now-why Haymitch drinks. 

The beginning of this book wasn’t my favorite. It kind of felt like Suzanne was trying too hard to make it feel like all of the other books in the series. It felt forced and I found myself re-reading a lot of parts. Dare I say, the vibes weren’t vibing. But as the book progressed the nostalgia hit. The tension was high and I got so much secondhand fear. Haymitch, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. 

Another cool thing about this book was how a lot of the unanswered gaps in the other books were answered; learning more about Lucy Gray, Katniss’ parents and Betee etc. I loved how this book incorporated new and old characters!

I will say that reading about Snow in his prime age was really interesting. I think Suzanne did a really good job of portraying where he was in that time. Seeing all these different angles of his character from all these books has been super cool. His character has so many dynamics and levels. 

I was a little concerned as to how Suzanne was going to make Haymitch as a sixteen year old but all my worries were soon silenced. I think the balance of his youth, charm and humor was on point. I could see glimpses of him in the other books and also enjoyed getting to know his character better. 

The romance was adequate. I honestly don't know what Haymitch saw in Lenore Dove but, to each their own. She wasn't my favorite character. Some of the romantic lines were pretty cheesy but also sweet at the same time. 

Focusing on the negative; there was a paragraph talking about a gay couple. Obviously in this day and age it's hard to get away from the agenda. Thankfully that whole part wasn't critical in the story and was mentioned only once. And going back to what I was saying before, I found myself re-reading a lot of sentences. I don't remember any of that in the whole Hunger Games trilogy. Those books were really fast paced and my memory of reading them is just me going non-stop. 

I do think Suzanne needs to write another few books to fill in the gaps of this whole world she created. We need a book in between Ballads and Sunrise on the Reaping; more depth about Lucy Gray, Tigris and Effie. Also we need a book about the Dark Ages; I want to know why Panem was even created. 

"The snow may fall, but the sun also rises."

I give this book an 8 out of 10 and recommend it to ages 14+

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Happy Reading!

-Ariana :)