“Sunrise on the Reaping,” the newest edition of “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, was released on March 18, 2025.

The prequel follows Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor in the original three books, at 16 years old. The story tells the tale of his experience in the Second Quarter Quell of the games. 

Haymitch is picked to participate in a match to the death against 48 kids, double the typical amount, for the Capitol’s entertainment.  Forced to leave his girlfriend, mother, and younger brother behind, Haymitch promises he won’t let the Capitol use him as propaganda. He forms a team of unlikely allies and, with the help of some recognizable characters, embarks on a journey to blow up the arena. With a possible rebellion at foot, Haymitch is targeted by President Snow, a man who doesn’t like outbursts of revolution. With the government against him, will he make it out of the game alive or die knowing his family is safe?

Haymitch parallels Katniss. He takes the lead on caring for his family. He takes on illegal odd jobs, such as making liquor with another woman in the town to provide for his family. He only wanted to save his love, Lenore Dove, a fiery, brave, reckless girl, but ended up being the next victim of the games.

His competitors within District 12 are Wyatt Callow, Maysilee Donner, and Louella McCoy. He first develops an alliance with Louella, his childhood (platonic) sweetheart, and shuns the other two competitors. Haymitch soon learns Wyatt, the son of a crook, is good at balancing odds and is more trustworthy than he seems. He also realizes Maysilee, one of the richest and cruelest girls in town, isn’t what she seems and won’t be so easily broken.

This puts Haymitch into a difficult situation. He can’t just worry about his task when the people he cares for are in danger. When push comes to shove, the likelihood of them dying is high.

Maysilee is mentioned in earlier books by Katniss’ mother, but she’s not the only character we’ve seen before.

“‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ gives more backstory and insight on other characters in the earlier books,” Pointed out Sophie Best, ’26. “It is overall an amazing trilogy and connects more to our world now more than you might think.”

Characters like Wiress, Mags, Plutarch Heavenbee, Effie Trinket, and Beetee Lavier all make an appearance, and the context added only makes the original series all the more heartbreaking.

With Haymitch being the target of the bitter President Snow, this book is arguably the darkest of them all. The original “Hunger Games” movies are rated PG-13, but the violence of this story will call for a higher rating when the screen adaptation is made. 

Ironically, the novel introduces Haymitch on July 4, the day of the reaping and his birthday. Throughout the first few chapters, symbolism and analogies are abundant, and I found myself annotating more than I ever have before.

There is no denying “The Hunger Games” is a political commentary. It was easy to relate the themes to current affairs in the world. For example, a strong, powerful leader who is intolerant of rebellion or speaking out against him. Punishment for people who had no direct involvement with the “crime” of revolution. 

“I felt ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ was a great book, but tragic. It answered a lot of questions and showed how Haymitch developed over the years,” explains Shannon Murphy, ’26. “He has so much loss, which adds to his alcohol addiction in the original series.  I thought the book was very open about how the Capitol wants dictatorial control.”

For those who appreciate literary analysis, this novel is perfect. As a result, I found myself unable to put my pen down while reading. Collins’ symbolism of the characters and events demonstrates the complexities of her writing skills. I was able to make connections to all other novels in this series. This book also answered many questions that carried over from the other novels. 

Collins delves into Katniss’ past and her family connections with Haymitch. The book also answers many questions about Lucy Gray Baird, the female star of the other prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” President Snow expands more on his tragic connection with her and District 12. Lucy Gray’s family, the Coveys, remain part of the story and how they relate to Lenore Dove, further exploring Snow’s bias and cruelty towards District 12.

As a person who is not a big reader, “The Hunger Games” has captivated me because of the room for analysis and political discussion. For anyone wanting to learn more about politics, reading “The Hunger Games” is a good way to understand American politics through another story. 

It’s impossible to imagine the pain that Haymitch has gone through. With Collins’ impeccable writing and skill of drawing in readers, I found myself emotional at the end of this story.