A prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy has left fans of dystopian YA books excited. What can fans expected from the latest installment?Is it worth checking out?

Sunrise Reaping Book

Sunrise on the Reaping follows Haymitch prior to the events of the original trilogy. Specifically, the story is about 16-year-old Haymitch being reaped for the 50th annual Hunger Games. However, due to being a Quarter Quell year, new rules are introduced into the game. Specifically, each district requires twice the amount of tributes than before, with two boys and two girls being reaped.

Hunger Games Prequel

The book is the fifth installment and second prequel in the series. The other prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was favoured amongst fans. The story follows a young Coriolanus Snow before he became the series villain, detailing his growing romantic attraction to a District 12 girl, Lucy Gray Baird. The new addition to the series was popular enough to spawn a film, with pop icon Olivia Rodrigo even contributing to the soundtrack.

However, will Sunrise on the Reaping be as beloved?

The Hunger Games Sunrise Reaping

Suzanne Collins is a writer who rarely, if ever, disappoints.

On top of being a master at creating a suspenseful narrative, she’s also great at playing with lyricism to explore key themes in her books. The Hunger Games series has been critiqued for subjecting young readers to violent, even disturbing, situations. However, fans of Collins’s work know that this is balanced out with thoughtful messaging.

Sunrise of The Reaping Review

Similar to Katniss, the book details Haymitch being a contestant in the games only to be drawn into the prospect of revolution. While it’s obvious to fans that Haymitch survives, Collins’ writing is intriguing and suspenseful enough to keep readers engaged.

The reviews are in, and the popular consensus appears to be that Sunrise on the Reaping is a well-written but heavy look into the core themes of the series.

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Published by HOLR Magazine

Image Credit: @thehungergames Instagram