Sunrise on the Reaping

Suzanne Collins still knows how to break our hearts and mirror our cultural failings at the same time

I knew this new book, which is a prequel about Haymitch’s participation in the 50th Hunger Games (the second Quarter Quell) was coming out sometime this year, but had completely lost track of when. I can’t express how delighted I was when I realized the day before we left for a long-anticipated childless trip to Mexico was also release day. I prioritized running out to grab a copy before we left.

Cue one of my favorite moments of the trip: cracking it open as I watched the sunrise over the Gulf on our first morning there:

Can you even? Perfection.

It feels so right to start my official journey here on Substack by discussing a Hunger Games book. Fun fact: I wrote my master’s thesis on the symbolism of food in the original series, which was exactly as much fun as it sounds.

The Story

The books are a familiar formula by this point. Suzanne Collins has set herself up well with 70+ potential iterations of the Games to write about. It would be easy to feel you’re consuming reheated nachos (as the kids say, I think) if a lesser author wrote this prequel. However, there is still so much to explore in Panem and I’m happy to return to the well with Collins.

No denying that this is a nostalgia ride, even if the story is set before the one we know. The middle of the book is practically a parade of beloved characters popping up decades younger. Collins gives us more than Haymitch’s backstory here; she sets up many of the older participants in Katniss’s story, lovingly giving them backstory and motivation that explains later action — or inaction.

What struck me most was how Collins still has the ability to break my heart.

I know how Haymitch’s story ends. I know who he becomes and can easily conclude what must have been stripped away from him to end up where he does. And, yet, I still found myself heartbroken and a bit reeling through the last third of the book as he, as is wildly predictable, loses everything and everyone he loves.

There is a bit of retconning if you look too closely. The idea that some of the lore surrounding Haymitch’s Games wouldn’t have made it to Katniss - particularly when her parents were his close friends - seems inconceivable. I can buy that Haymitch himself may not have shared his experiences because of his trauma, but even that’s a stretch if you look back at their relationship by the end of the original trilogy.

The Quarter Quell, by necessity, is a cumbersome thing for Collins to handle. There are 48 tributes, instead of the usual 24. It’s too many, and you can tell she knows it. She puts a chart with their names and districts right in the middle of the exposition at one point, clearly to help readers keep track. Between the abundance of tributes and the cadre of “returning” characters, the book felt a little overcrowded. Because of that, I found it difficult to connect strongly with some of the new characters, especially knowing they wouldn’t make it to the end of the book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I read it in one day — a rare treat for a mom on vacation — and my husband read it in under a week, which is its own testimony, as he is generally a much slower reader than I am.

The Movie

I am very excited to see who they cast in this movie. It’s due to come out in November 2026, so I imagine they'll be making some casting announcements soon. I’ll be watching those closely, as I think they have the power to make or break this story in particular.

The Bigger Picture

Care to join me on a soapbox for a minute?

There are several genres of literature that get a bad rap for being lightweight. Young Adult lit certainly is one. However, I believe firmly that every single genre of literature is equal opportunity for greatness and fluff. I’ve read some pretty terrible literary fiction that didn’t tell me much of anything about the world and some incredibly powerful YA fiction that explored powerfully important themes.

I literally wrote my thesis on this series, y’all. I can’t be chill when people act like it’s just an action thriller ride without bigger things to say.

I’ll spare you my diatribe on the original series and skip straight to what I think Collins is addressing at this moment: media manipulation. So much of this book is about how those in power can twist the narrative to serve their will. Haymitch talks about what kind of “poster” he wants to be for Panem — one that serves the interests of the Capitol or one that imagines overturning the system of oppression and violence under which the districts live. It’s a powerful statement for this current moment.

(Leah Marilla Thomas has a piece about this for Polygon if you want to explore that more)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention how much I still love Collins’s use of the senses in her writing. Food still carries a lot of meaning, though not as prominently as in the original books. I loved this tweet from Ally Louks about the use of scent, too. It made me want to go back and reread the other books with an eye out for how she’s using all the senses.

Don’t let anyone tell you these books are lightweight. Collins has much to say about this current moment in culture and politics. She’s practically painting it across every page, begging her reader to see these books as more than just another piece of sensational entertainment.

That’s been the work of the Hunger Games series all along: forcing us to confront how we consume stories about violence and oppression while simultaneously being entertained by them. Sunrise on the Reaping doesn't just give us Haymitch's backstory — it holds up a mirror to our own complicated relationship with media, power, and the narratives that shape our world.