by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, 2025. 387 pages. Sci-Fi
Book #0.5 in the "Hunger Games" series
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.
It's not an understatement to say that I was a Hunger Games girlie when the dystopian series came out in 2008-2010. I was in high school, the target demographic, and it was exactly what I needed at the time. Flash forward to 2020, when Collins published The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the original trilogy. I thought it was alright, but it just wasn't up to the same caliber as the first three. I was apprehensive to read Sunrise on the Reaping, but that was quickly dismissed as I dove back into the familiar world of Panem. Some have criticized this book for pandering to fans with cameos and namedrops, but I say: let Collins pander. This is exactly the fanservice I wanted after so many years of fandom. That said, I do wish we had seen more development in the character of President Snow: he seemed to be too similar to the version of him we see with Katniss, and it would have been nice to see a midpoint between that and who he is in Songbirds and Snakes. Is this work some big, earthshattering revelation that changes how I see the whole series? No, and I think that that's okay.