When Suzanne Collins first announced another “Hunger Games” prequel, I had to mentally prepare myself for another 400 pages worth of pure, unadulterated sadness. Now having read the book, I can confidently say “Sunrise on the Reaping” definitely doesn’t disappoint. It’s exactly the brutal, emotionally charged story that I expected, stripping away with much finality any expectation for a happy ending that I might’ve harbored.

The story revolves around Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen’s mentor from the original series, only here, he’s just 16-years-old, thrown into the 50th Hunger Games under horrific circumstances. If you ever wondered what broke Haymitch into the man we meet in “The Hunger Games,” this book provides an answer. And it’s devastating.  

Unlike the previous prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which followed a young Coriolanus Snow, this book isn’t exactly about power, but more so the lack thereof. Haymitch doesn’t scheme his way to the top like Snow, in fact, he barely scrapes by. The Capitol warps everything, from the Games themselves to the way they’re presented on screen, ensuring that no tribute, victor or not, ever truly wins. For some, however, the book didn’t quite live up to its predecessor.

“’Sunrise on the Reaping was pretty good,’ but personally, I prefer ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’” said Lucas Liu (10). “There was a pretty sad allegory on modern propaganda in ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ but I feel like after four books, the games are just getting kind of repetitive. In ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ it was more different because it was one of the earlier games and wasn’t nearly as commercialized as it is during the 50th.”

And if nothing else, this book diminished any sympathy I had left for Snow. Admittedly, I was a Snow apologist because, well, it’s Tom Blyth. And I’m weak. But Collins really went straight for the jugular in this one, and I’ve finally been rewarded the ability to see past the thin disguise that is Tom Blyth’s face.

“’The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ movie really had me invested in the relationship between Coriolanus and Lucy Gray because they just had an interesting dynamic,” said Charlotte Gamage (10). “Because of that though, I did end up sympathizing with Coriolanus a tad bit. However, this book completely changed that. I hate him so much now.”

In one of the more unsettling moments, a tribute who dies in the parade is replaced by a drugged body double, which again, reminds that the Games aren’t just about entertainment, but the choke hold the Capitol has. Also, from the perspective of Plutarch Heavensbee, who appears here as a young cameraman, we see how the Capitol controls not just the tributes, but the very story being told. Similar to Katniss, Haymitch’s defiance makes him a threat, but the Capitol makes sure the world never sees him that way.  

“The ending hit me harder than I expected. It makes sense why Haymitch is the way he is, but it doesn’t make it any easier to read,” said Jeree Apan (10).

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is a heavy, character driven tragedy that, similar to its predecessors, explores the cost of survival under an oppressive regime. While it may not be as immediately gripping as the original trilogy to some, it’s still a strong addition to the “Hunger Games” universe, and an unforgettable one at that.