2025 PopSugar Reading Challenge - A highly anticipated read of 2025

[baronessekat]

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Haymitch is my favorite of all the characters across the series. He has been such since the first book. The way Suzanne Collins wrote him - I instantly saw a broken human who has been through so much that being a total prick is the only defense mechanism he has left.

So when it was announced that we were going to get a book that focused on his games, I was thrilled. That being said, when I finished this book, like many who had read it, I was emotionally wrecked. There were so many points of sheer emotional trauma.

I saw a TikTok reel that asked for a synopsis of the book without spoilers - and the best one was "Worst Birthday Party Ever" as Haymitch's birthday is Reaping day and so on his 16th his was reaped.

By page 75 I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I read. When I finished the book my only statement was "I am not Okay."

That being said, there were so many easter eggs in this book where we see things that are prominent in the original trilogy. We see younger versions of characters from the trilogy like Wiress, Mags, Beettee, Effie, Plutarch. We meet Katniss' parents.

This book focuses so much on the political statements surrounding the use of propaganda and that you can never trust anything you do not fully witness with your own two eyes.

The best line in the book that best sums up Haymitch during and after his game - "They will not use my tears for their entertainment."

Despite the emotional damage of reading this book - I loved this book. I bought it on a Friday evening and finished it Monday night. I will eventually re-read this book to do a deeper study of the Easter Eggs, and the like.

I do say, that I do not agree with other reviewers (mostly on TikTok) that because of reading this book, we do not need the stories of Fennick's games or Joanna's games. Through extrapolating off what happened in this one, we do not need those stories. That would be too much. There are other stories in this world we could get without that kind of devastation.




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