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Ferz Hazzard's Reviews > Sunrise on the Reaping
Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
by
by
oh wow, I AM CRYING!
This book felt like a puzzle piece that had been missing for years, and we finally got it. OMG, Suzanne Collins, how do you do it? “…the truth is, what have I got to lose? Nothing, that’s what.� I was not emotionally prepared for how much this would HURT. The way it explores power, survival, manipulation and loss hit just as hard as ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes�, maybe even more. I thought I understood Haymitch before, I was so wrong. Oh. How. I. Love. Haymitch. ❤️🩹�
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5/5)
This prequel dives into Haymitch’s Hunger Games, and OMG, it’s BRUTAL. We get to see his life in District 12 before everything went down—the struggle, the love, the quiet moments of joy—and then BAM, the Quarter Quell rips it all away. 😭 It adds so much depth to his character, and the way Collins weaves in all these connections to the original trilogy? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! We uncovered so many new details that just� make everything click into place. Wow! 👏🏼
To me, this book’s central question is: How can we trust history when it’s always told by the victor—those in power? We think we know the truth, but what if our perception is completely wrong? Are we seeing reality, or only what others want us to see? And if that’s the case, how easily are we being manipulated? This story masterfully explores the role of propaganda in shaping public perception, controlling narratives, and manipulating entire societies. Honestly, terrifying. 😳
It also raises the question: How many other victors and tributes had their acts of rebellion covered up by the Capitol? It proves just how deeply Katniss had swallowed their propaganda—so much so that she wasn’t even aware of it. She was just lucky. The right girl, in the right circumstances, at the right time.
And now, I need to know more about the other victors. I would love to see Finnick’s Games, how he navigated the Capitol’s grip, and then how he mentored Annie. Wiress� Games, Mags, Johanna—so many others. I’m sure they all defied the Capitol in some way, and their stories were buried just like Haymitch’s. And I’d love to see their lives in the different districts�what survival looked like beyond District 12.
“They can’t destroy what really matters.� 🥹
“…Trying to forget is my full-time job now.� 🥲
“The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us.� 💔
“…she always says, “I love you like all-fire.� ❤️�
“I roam around the yard like a stray dog, curl up under her window, yearning for her ghost to find me.� 😭
⚠️⚠️⚠️—� SPOILERS ——⚠️—� SPOILERS ——⚠️⚠️⚠�
I thought I already knew so much about Haymitch’s Games just from the tape Katniss and Peeta watched in Catching Fire. But then you realize� the Capitol edited everything. And I always figured Haymitch must have known Katniss and Peeta’s families—District 12 isn’t that big, and they probably all went to the same school and crossed paths. But wow�
� Haymitch wasn’t even reaped—his name was never called. He was only sent to the Games because he tried to help Lenore.
� Louella, his sweetheart, died—then they replaced her with a tribute from another district and made her pretend to be Louella. And Haymitch still called her Lou Lou.
� Lucy Gray haunting Snow years after she disappeared� 👀
� Haymitch was best friends with Katniss� dad, and he probably died in the mines because of Haymitch.
� Lenore giving him a fire starter for his 16th birthday� and later, he mentors the Girl on Fire. 🔥
� Beetee?! 😭 He had to mentor his own son, Ampert, only for him to suffer the worst death in the book. And Beetee had a wife and another kid on the way?? We had no idea in the original trilogy—did they all die?
� Mags and Wiress. 🥺 Haymitch’s mentors…they were tortured because of Haymitch at the end 😧😰 and then later in the OG trilogy, Katniss picks them as allies for the 75th game... 💔
� His family dying in the fire 🔥😱 � and then Lenore Dove also gone 😵. Burdock (Katniss� father) singing after the coffins are lowered into the grave: “When I’m pure like a dove, When I’ve learned how to love, Right here in the old therebefore, When nothing is left anymore.� 😧😭
� The parallels between the gumdrop and the berries—I keep imagining Haymitch watching Katniss, knowing those berries were poisonous in time to save Peeta’s life, and thinking about how he couldn’t do the same for Lenore. She was so much luckier.
� Haymitch didn’t even drink alcohol before the Games. And after everything? He becomes an alcoholic.
� And now, every time Haymitch calls Katniss “sweetheart� in the trilogy, it hurts so bad. 🥺 We finally understand why he was always closer to her, why he leaned toward protecting her over Peeta.
� Snow did not suffer enough 🥺 let me tell you� I had an ounce of compassion for him in TBOSAS and now� just rage.
� Suzanne Collins� social commentary is so valid and important. The fact that the book starts with a focus on propaganda as a lie, and how Haymitch had to sit back and watch all these false narratives unfold while pretending everything was okay, really hits hard. The whole book is basically a masterclass in how the Capitol controls the narrative and brainwashes people into believing whatever they want. No wonder Haymitch acts like he doesn’t care in the OG trilogy—what’s the alternative? He plays their game or gets crushed.
The layers it adds to Haymitch’s story, the way it connects to the trilogy—it all makes so much sense now. Absolutely devastating.
The movie based on this book is going to have to be R-rated.
Anyway, as you can tell, this book really spoke to me. My teenage self is screaming—I always wanted a Haymitch story, and we finally got it! I’d love to know more about Finnick, Annie, Plutarch, Beetee, Mags and Wiress too. 🥹
� I make no plans, have no hopes, keep no company, speak to no human being except old Bascom Pie when my nepenthe runs low. But I can’t say I have no future, because I know that every year for my birthday, I will get a new pair of tributes, one girl and one boy, to mentor to their deaths. Another sunrise on the reaping. And when I remember that, I hear Sid’s voice, waking me the morning that raven first tapped on my chamber door. “Happy birthday, Haymitch!”� 😭😭
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(5/5)
This prequel dives into Haymitch’s Hunger Games, and OMG, it’s BRUTAL. We get to see his life in District 12 before everything went down—the struggle, the love, the quiet moments of joy—and then BAM, the Quarter Quell rips it all away. 😭 It adds so much depth to his character, and the way Collins weaves in all these connections to the original trilogy? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! We uncovered so many new details that just� make everything click into place. Wow! 👏🏼
To me, this book’s central question is: How can we trust history when it’s always told by the victor—those in power? We think we know the truth, but what if our perception is completely wrong? Are we seeing reality, or only what others want us to see? And if that’s the case, how easily are we being manipulated? This story masterfully explores the role of propaganda in shaping public perception, controlling narratives, and manipulating entire societies. Honestly, terrifying. 😳
It also raises the question: How many other victors and tributes had their acts of rebellion covered up by the Capitol? It proves just how deeply Katniss had swallowed their propaganda—so much so that she wasn’t even aware of it. She was just lucky. The right girl, in the right circumstances, at the right time.
And now, I need to know more about the other victors. I would love to see Finnick’s Games, how he navigated the Capitol’s grip, and then how he mentored Annie. Wiress� Games, Mags, Johanna—so many others. I’m sure they all defied the Capitol in some way, and their stories were buried just like Haymitch’s. And I’d love to see their lives in the different districts�what survival looked like beyond District 12.
“They can’t destroy what really matters.� 🥹
“…Trying to forget is my full-time job now.� 🥲
“The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us.� 💔
“…she always says, “I love you like all-fire.� ❤️�
“I roam around the yard like a stray dog, curl up under her window, yearning for her ghost to find me.� 😭
⚠️⚠️⚠️—� SPOILERS ——⚠️—� SPOILERS ——⚠️⚠️⚠�
I thought I already knew so much about Haymitch’s Games just from the tape Katniss and Peeta watched in Catching Fire. But then you realize� the Capitol edited everything. And I always figured Haymitch must have known Katniss and Peeta’s families—District 12 isn’t that big, and they probably all went to the same school and crossed paths. But wow�
� Haymitch wasn’t even reaped—his name was never called. He was only sent to the Games because he tried to help Lenore.
� Louella, his sweetheart, died—then they replaced her with a tribute from another district and made her pretend to be Louella. And Haymitch still called her Lou Lou.
� Lucy Gray haunting Snow years after she disappeared� 👀
� Haymitch was best friends with Katniss� dad, and he probably died in the mines because of Haymitch.
� Lenore giving him a fire starter for his 16th birthday� and later, he mentors the Girl on Fire. 🔥
� Beetee?! 😭 He had to mentor his own son, Ampert, only for him to suffer the worst death in the book. And Beetee had a wife and another kid on the way?? We had no idea in the original trilogy—did they all die?
� Mags and Wiress. 🥺 Haymitch’s mentors…they were tortured because of Haymitch at the end 😧😰 and then later in the OG trilogy, Katniss picks them as allies for the 75th game... 💔
� His family dying in the fire 🔥😱 � and then Lenore Dove also gone 😵. Burdock (Katniss� father) singing after the coffins are lowered into the grave: “When I’m pure like a dove, When I’ve learned how to love, Right here in the old therebefore, When nothing is left anymore.� 😧😭
� The parallels between the gumdrop and the berries—I keep imagining Haymitch watching Katniss, knowing those berries were poisonous in time to save Peeta’s life, and thinking about how he couldn’t do the same for Lenore. She was so much luckier.
� Haymitch didn’t even drink alcohol before the Games. And after everything? He becomes an alcoholic.
� And now, every time Haymitch calls Katniss “sweetheart� in the trilogy, it hurts so bad. 🥺 We finally understand why he was always closer to her, why he leaned toward protecting her over Peeta.
� Snow did not suffer enough 🥺 let me tell you� I had an ounce of compassion for him in TBOSAS and now� just rage.
� Suzanne Collins� social commentary is so valid and important. The fact that the book starts with a focus on propaganda as a lie, and how Haymitch had to sit back and watch all these false narratives unfold while pretending everything was okay, really hits hard. The whole book is basically a masterclass in how the Capitol controls the narrative and brainwashes people into believing whatever they want. No wonder Haymitch acts like he doesn’t care in the OG trilogy—what’s the alternative? He plays their game or gets crushed.
The layers it adds to Haymitch’s story, the way it connects to the trilogy—it all makes so much sense now. Absolutely devastating.
The movie based on this book is going to have to be R-rated.
Anyway, as you can tell, this book really spoke to me. My teenage self is screaming—I always wanted a Haymitch story, and we finally got it! I’d love to know more about Finnick, Annie, Plutarch, Beetee, Mags and Wiress too. 🥹
� I make no plans, have no hopes, keep no company, speak to no human being except old Bascom Pie when my nepenthe runs low. But I can’t say I have no future, because I know that every year for my birthday, I will get a new pair of tributes, one girl and one boy, to mentor to their deaths. Another sunrise on the reaping. And when I remember that, I hear Sid’s voice, waking me the morning that raven first tapped on my chamber door. “Happy birthday, Haymitch!”� 😭😭
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Reading Progress
January 1, 2025
– Shelved
January 1, 2025
– Shelved as:
to-read
March 18, 2025
–
Started Reading
March 18, 2025
–
20.0%
"“…That bird is who I want to be when I grow up. Someone who says whatever they think is right, no matter what.� � “No matter what. That’s the part I’m worried about. That she might be saying something rash. Or even doing something beyond dangerous words. Something the Capitol won’t warn but whip her for…� 🥺"
March 18, 2025
–
40.0%
"“I’m Haymitch Abernathy from District Twelve. I shouldn’t be here. I was reaped illegally, but no one cares.� 🥺"
March 18, 2025
–
65.0%
"“Oh, Lenore Dove, how did it all come to this? � Will she be haunted by me for the rest of her life?� 😭 “Nothing good awaits me. I’d rather hide in the dark…� 📖🥺"
March 18, 2025
–
80.0%
"“Oh, Lenore Dove. Oh, love of my life. I am with you before, now, and always. And I will find you. I will find you.� 🥹😭"
March 18, 2025
–
Finished Reading
