"I never thought I’d be transported to my days of obsessing over YA dystopian novels, but here we are in 2025 with a new Hunger Games book. As a Hunger Games fan since the very beginning (I sported a Katniss side braid for literal years), I was so ready to fall back in love with the storylines and characters of District 12. I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on Sunrise on the Reaping since the ending credits of the film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes announced the new book and an accompanying movie release in late 2026.
As The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes took over the internet, the hype for The Hunger Games was officially reignited. (And let’s be honest—in part due to our collective, yet highly questionable, crush on the dashing young Coriolanus Snow, played by an icy-blond Tom Blythe.) Naturally, I wasted no time diving back in. So much so that when Sunrise on the Reaping was released on March 18th, I quite literally read the entire book in one day. And there I was, right back in Panem, with all too many familiar names to accompany me. So, without further ado, here’s my full review of the newest installment in the Hunger Games universe: Sunrise on the Reaping.
When Haymitch’s name is called for the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, he can feel all his dreams break. 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.
What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?
Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth book and second prequel to be released in The Hunger Games world. It takes place about 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 24 years before the first The Hunger Games novel. This story follows a young, 16-year-old Haymitch as he is reaped for the 50th annual Hunger Games, a Quarter Quell year. Each quarter quell has a unique set of rules (as we know, the 25th Hunger Games required the districts to choose their own tributes instead of the Reaping, and the 75th Hunger Games, which occurs in Catching Fire, required the tributes to be selected from previous victors), this quell calls for double the amount of tributes, two boys and two girls from each district. Leaving his friends, family, and the love of his life behind, Haymitch becomes a tribute and must fight for his life, and maybe even something deeper, in the games.
My Review of Sunrise on the Reaping
In my opinion, this book was quite literally the missing puzzle piece in the Hunger Games world. The story not only gave us a deep understanding of Haymitch as a person but also just really connected the dots for each character throughout all five books. The book is incredibly heavy, and I’ll admit that I’m still emotionally processing it.
A lot of the discourse around this book before its release was the worry that since we know the end via the first books, the story wasn’t going to be interesting or exciting enough. And I’ll cut straight to it—that’s absolutely not the case. In fact, knowing the outcome is what makes this story hit even harder. A few pages in, Haymitch says, “I’m not a drinker,” and, boy, I had to take a deep breath after that one. Reading about the hope and love he had as a teenager, knowing it was all going to be ripped away, was truly a kind of torture.
The other thing that made Sunrise on the Reaping such a compelling read was the many connections to previous books, like allusions to Lucy Gray Baird’s living relatives, learning more about Katniss’s father, and the origins of the iconic Mockingjay pin? I nearly started drawing up a family tree. I’m not kidding. The list goes on, from countless recognizable names on Haymitch’s stylist and mentor teams.
“I’ll end with a thanks to Suzanne Collins, although she owes me some kind of compensation for this deeply emotional rollercoaster.”
As exciting as it was to recognize all those names from the other books, what really hit home was how much of what we learn about Haymitch in the original books isn’t true—it was all Capital propaganda that even Katniss fell for. Prepare to have your heart broken because Haymitch’s story is so much more tragic than we’ve been led to believe. Snow didn’t destroy everyone Haymitch loved because he simply used the forcefield, as said in the early books. It goes oh so much deeper, and as the plot unfolds, we see that the spark of rebellion was set so much earlier than we thought. And now, we see that his selfish, careless attitude in the first book is not a true representation of his character but a coping mechanism he adopted after the trauma of his games.
Haymitch’s punishment extended to everyone around him, even after he left the arena, and Snow made sure he never forgot his fate. Haymitch truly had no other choice but to shut out every single person in his life. It really makes you think twice about every side character we encounter in other books, too. Everyone fell victim to the brutal torture of President Snow. It’s a harsh reminder that despite Snow’s beginnings in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, at this point, we know he is truly, wholly evil (RIP our crush on young Corio).
Should you read Sunrise on the Reaping?
I could truly write a ten-page paper about why you should read this novel, but I’ll keep it simple. Yes, you should absolutely read Sunrise on the Reaping. Whether you’re a longtime Hunger Games fan like me or just looking for a gripping book that will keep you hooked and break your heart, this is a must-read. I would recommend reading in release order because the emotional weight this novel holds hits more knowing the events of the first three books. And, if you haven’t read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I’d read that one as well. I’ll end with a thanks to Suzanne Collins, although she owes me some kind of compensation for this deeply emotional rollercoaster. Expect a therapy bill in the mail soon, Suz.
Jenna Piotrowicz, Editorial Assistant
Jenna began working as an Editorial Assistant for The Everygirl in 2024. With her eye for detail, she assists the team with content creation, sourcing products and images, and works behind the scenes to support The Everygirl in uploading and updating content.