I took a much-needed break from my brief—yet frustrating—foray into the romantasy genre to return to my comfort zone: dystopia. And Sunrise on the Reaping did not disappoint.
The book begins back in the bleak, coal-dust-covered District 12, as Haymitch Abernathy prepares for the reaping of the Quarter Quell. It’s been 25 years since the Dark Days, and what better way to mark the anniversary of the end of slaughter than we MORE slaughter? Specifically, by sending double the number of children to their deaths in the Hunger Games arena?
Those familiar with The Hunger Games trilogy will barely recognise Haymitch in his youth. He’s not yet a jaded alcoholic or the lone victor from District 12. He’s just a kid—a big brother, a helpful son, a loving boyfriend to a free-spirited Covey girl. He spends his days scraping together a living after losing his father in the mines.
To make his situation all the more upsetting, his name is never actually drawn in the Hunger Games lottery. He ends up in the Quarter Quell mostly through bad luck and circumstance, whisked away on the train to Panem—on his birthday, no less.
From there, it’s the same gut-wrenching story we already know. But Haymitch, a sacrifice to the slaughter, is drawn into a group of secretive rebels who plan to take down the arena from the inside. He forms alliances, overcomes his prejudices, and does his best to serve the higher cause.
But we know what happens to Haymitch, and that sense of dread hangs over every chapter. For every ‘win’ he achieves in the arena, we know the end result remains unchanged.
Despite the foregone conclusion, I was rooting for Haymitch the whole time. Collins had done a masterful job of keeping his backstory vague until now, giving her plenty of room to craft a compelling stand-alone tale.
This book will smack you in the face and tear out your heart—but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
4 nevermores out of 5.