By Suzanne Collins

“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.” (Goodreads).

Okay, I know this one came out a while ago and caused a HUGE stir for book lovers everywhere, but I didn’t even bother to pick it up because I had very low hopes. After the success of the last prequel, I honestly assumed this next one was just a throwaway money-maker (especially with how fast it got picked up as a movie). I didn’t even care to read any reviews, so nobody convinced me otherwise. Boy, was I wrong. Sunrise perfectly connected the first prequel to the trilogy and told a complete and riveting story on its own.

Sunrise started out just like Suzanne’s original trilogy and many other dystopian novels: on the morning everything changes. Here, it’s Reaping Day – and Haymitch’s birthday. While I felt like some of the plot was bogged down by unnecessary exposition or unnatural explanations for the reader, I did appreciate the classic opening and rising action. It was hard to get into at first – the characters spent a lot of time in the strategy/training stage – but I really enjoyed some of the humorous moments and nostalgic nods to future characters and events in those scenes. When Haymitch entered the arena, though, it really picked up. One thing after another goes wrong and the reader is left feeling as adrenaline-filled and breathless as the tributes. The finale, though less action filled and fast-paced, felt just as dramatic and entertaining as the rest of the book. Outside of the book’s abilities as a standalone, the nostalgia and nods to other events and people made returning to the Hunger Games universe feel so familiar and welcoming. Every time I made a connection to one of the other books, it felt so exciting and fun. There were so many parrallels and little details – everything from District 12 itself feeling like the perfect in-between of the 12 in Songbirds and the 12 in Hunger Games, to the reader discovering the origin and original connotations of the Mockingjay pin.

At first there were some parts of the style that annoyed me – Haymitch would end up with long, disjointed monologues when something crazy was happening, or characters would speak or move around differently than they seemed to in previous books. But then I realized how genius Suzanne Collins is. All of those quirks in her writing quickly made the book feel so unique to Haymitch. The reason she included those monologues, for example, is because Haymitch copes with problems in a different way than Snow or Katniss would. Where Snow and Katniss are cool and calculating, Haymitch is more chaotic and emotional. It made me realize that Suzanne Collins is just excellent at changing her voice and writing style to reflect the character of the person the story is about. Ever ytime I noticed an interesting writing decision, it made me so happy – yes, I’m a writing major nerd. Leave me alone.

To be honest, sometimes I’m not sure what kind of political statement Suzanne Collins is trying to make. Not every piece of media has to have one, but I’ve seen a lot of people comparing the Capitol and Panem in general to certain regimes or organizations. At the same time, I also see ways that it fits completely opposite. The way I wrote that is probably confusing but I’m just getting my thoughts out 🙂 you can really interpret it any way you like.

One of my favorite parts of reading this book was getting towards the end and seeing the parallels between the three “good guys” of each book in the timeline (by that I mean Lucy Gray, Haymitch, and Katniss). Lucy Gray sang that song “nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping,” but Haymitch finds out firsthand that that’s not necessarily true. Neither of their resistance against the Capitol works out, while Katniss is able to finally accomplish what they couldn’t. She lost a lot of the things she cared about in the process, however. Sunrise did so well at exploring the cost of standing up to an oppressive power. People often say they would jump in front of the gun to save the vulnerable or promise they wouldn’t give up the hiding Jews to the Nazis, but when faced with immeasurable loss, their answer might change. Lucy Gray tried to say the only things that mattered were things like her past, her history, her charm, her humor… but Haymitch knew the people he loved were way more important than that. When an oppressive regime has the power to take even those people away, it’s almost impossible to stop them. In Songbirds, Suzanne established a theme: as long as the rebels have their spirits, they can fight back. But in Sunrise, she refutes her own thesis and shows that the regime can take even their spirits. It was just a masterful work of twisting expectations that took two books to accomplish.

Haymitch’s story was explored here so deeply, and so much was revealed about him and how sad his trauma goes. He is so complex and represents the many “bystanders” in a conflict that have their own reasons for not wanting to participate. After the horrors he witnessed and felt, no one can blame him for the alcoholic cynic he was in the first Hunger Games.

The side characters also brought a lot to the story, though. Lenore Dove didn’t have much page time, but the way Haymitch thought about her and her similarities to Lucy Gray added a lot to her story. She also set up a parralel between Haymitch and Snow – one’s ruthlessness led to the loss of Lucy Gray, while the other’s caring heart led to the loss of Lenore Dove.

I loved the inclusion of a young Effie, of course. Her story brought even more depth to the duo’s relationship in the trilogy. The tributes, mentors, and everyone’s connections to each other were three-dimensional and complicated.

Though the book was focused on Haymitch, there was the feeling that it could’ve been anyone fighting for their district like him. Haymitch wasn’t necessarily special. He represented the courageous individuals who have plenty to lose but put it all on the line anyway for the sake of something bigger.

A rare five stars for this excellent installment in the Hunger Games universe! Sunrise On The Reaping was a rich and complex look at one of the Hunger Games’ most beloved characters, Haymitch. It bridges the gap between Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes and the first book in the trilogy by perfectly connecting concepts of rebellion and love. The complexity of Haymitch’s situation revealed the hard truths of fighting for freedom: is freedom worth losing the only things that matter? I really appreciated the depth from Suzanne Collins here that I did not expect from a second prequel to such a successful series. If you loved the original series, the movies, or you’re just a fan of dystopian YA, you’ll love Sunrise On The Reaping.