WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

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.

MY THOUGHTS (spoiler-free):

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

Honestly, I was verrryy hesitant to pick up Sunrise on the Reaping. Yes, I did love the original Hunger Games trilogy, but I was also not a fan of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And while I was curious, I wasn’t sure whether or not I actually wanted to read this new prequel. I honestly only did because the first reviews that came in were so amazing and I felt like I might miss out if I chose not to read it.

But here we are: MY FIRST FIVE-STAR READ OF THE YEAR.

If you, like me, have any doubt or any hesitation that you might want to read this, I can only say to please give it a chance anyway. Here are a few of my thoughts before and after reading the book.

Before: Do we really need more Hunger Games? Haven’t we seen it all already?
After: Yes, we needed this book. It added so much and it makes you see so many things from the original story in a new light. All the connections, be they little or big, made me gasp, made me cry and made me immediately pick up the original trilogy again afterwards because so many things make even more sense now. Everything is connected. Suzanne Collins did not just pick a random game to highlight for our entertainment. She had something to say and that message came across clear as day.

“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?”

Before: Meh, do I really like Haymitch enough to read a whole book about him?
After: Haymitch is such an amazing and complex character. His story broke my heart into a tiny million little pieces – I love him so much and he deserves all the love. Knowing how his story started made me appreciate him so much more. He was an amazing protagonist and knowing what happened to turn him into the man he is in the original trilogy has opened my eyes so much.

“I didn’t want to let them in, her and Peeta, but the walls of a person’s heart are not impregnable, not if they have ever known love. That’s what Lenore Dove says, anyway.”

Before: I already know how it will end. So there’s no way I could feel as deeply about these characters as I did with the original trilogy.
After: Even if you know how it will end, you can’t help but fall in love with these characters and root for them. And not just Haymitch. I fell in love with so many of these wonderfully complex characters and yes, my heart still broke so much for each and every one of them. Lenore Dove, Maysilee, Louella, Wyatt, Ampert, … Each of them was written and developed beautifully. (Specifically though, I am now a certified Maysilee Donner fangirl.)

“I love you like all-fire.”

Overall, I can only recommend this book to any Hunger Games fan. It is (unfortunately) still relevant to today’s world, it is sad, it is heartbreaking and while I tend to stay away from sad books lately, I am glad I made an exception for this one. Reading this has transported me back to 2008 and I’m utterly obsessed again as I’m re-reading The Hunger Games and everything just hits even harder now. Spectactular. Brilliant. Heartwrenching. Eye-opening. Must-read.

“And that’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.”

Tell Me:
Have you read Sunrise on the Reaping or will you be reading it?