A new dawn of

Graphic by Caitlin Orsino

As a competitive archer, I’ve lost count of how many times people have said, “Oh, you’re like Katniss!”

I used to roll my eyes, but eventually, curiosity got the better of me. Last summer, I finally picked up “The Hunger Games” trilogy and fell in love with it. What I expected to be a typical young adult dystopia turned out to be rich, thought-provoking, and thoroughly emotionally gripping.

Halfway through the second book, “Catching Fire,” I heard news about an upcoming prequel focused on one of my favorite characters, Haymitch Abernathy. Titled “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the book was set to be released on March 18, 2025. When the day rolled around, I made sure to be among the first to receive a copy from my local bookstore.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is set during the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, which occurs 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s Games. This special version of the Games is particularly brutal, requiring each of the fictional country of Panem’s twelve districts to send double the usual number of tributes: two boys and two girls.

The story focuses on 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy from District 12, whose life before the reaping involves bootlegging with a local home-brewer, assisting his mother and brother with chores, and sneaking away to spend time with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. However, everything changes on Reaping Day when tragedy strikes, thrusting Haymitch into the Games.

Once in the Capitol, Haymitch allies with a tribute from District 3 and eventually joins forces with many of the other districts as well. Behind the scenes, rebel leaders select Haymitch for a covert mission aimed at undermining the Games from within—an assignment that compels him to leave the alliance he helped build.

Inside the arena, Haymitch confronts numerous horrors: mutated creatures, deadly poisons, and ruthless competitors. He fights through it all and ends up on top, but his victory comes at a steep cost.

His clever defiance and resilience capture the attention of many Capitol leaders, including the sadistic President Snow. When Haymitch returns home to District 12, he discovers that surviving the Games does not equate to escaping the Capitol’s grasp, and the repercussions of his rebellious actions are far from over.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is one of those rare novels that can immediately suck you into its world. Suzanne Collins is truly an artist with the way she creates tangible imagery with her words. Her vivid descriptions made me feel like I was walking alongside Haymitch in the arena. The setting in this prequel feels so unique from the ones we’ve seen before but so well described that I could sketch a map of the arena from her words alone.

Collins also shines in character development. Though we meet many characters briefly, they each feel real. Lenore Dove, in particular, stood out. We don’t see her often, but her presence lingers—her freckles, her windblown hair, her fiery personality.

Even cameos from younger versions of familiar characters from the original trilogy were a treat. My only critique lies in a few action scenes. One especially intense battle felt so chaotic that I had to reread it to follow what was happening. It may have been an intentional choice to mirror Haymitch’s disorientation, but it slightly disrupted the flow for me.

Overall, “Sunrise on the Reaping” is a worthy addition to the “Hunger Games” universe. The novel expands on the world while keeping some of its mystery intact and offers deep insight into the haunted, sarcastic, and lovable mentor we meet in the original trilogy.

After finishing the novel, I felt a renewed desire to revisit the main series, eager to see it in a new perspective through Haymitch’s eyes.