Book Reviews

Book Review: Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins (spoilers!!)

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. I am bringing you my review for the latest Hunger Games novel, Sunrise On The Reaping. By the way this review might have spoilers in it so if you haven’t read this book yet, go read it then come back and see my review.

Blurb/Synopsis:

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

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.

My Review:

I was unsure whether I wanted to read this book or not, because I read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and to be honest I didn’t love the book, I did enjoy the film thought, but the book was hard for me to follow. However, I adored Sunrise on the Reaping. It was everything I wanted for Haymitch’s story – and it made me tear up which is a feat from books, I don’t usually cry at them. I loved getting to experience everything that Haymitch had been through and understanding why he became the way he did, it made me like him even more than I did before. For me the most emotional parts were Louella and Lou Lou. That was absolutely heartbreaking both times.
I have seen a lot about the sadness surrounding Lenore Dove, and yes I agree that scene at the end was awful, and it is the moment that destroyed Haymitch, but I didn’t like Lenore. So many of her actions had terrible consequences and I don’t think that she ever felt these consequences herself – not even Haymitch being forced into the games because of her. I didn’t feel her character was sorry about it, she didn’t deserve to die that way but I wish we had seen a bit more of her. I also wish we had seen more of the games and the training before the games.

Despite those few issues, this book was absolutely five stars and my favourite read of August.

Have you read this? What did you think of it?

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