Sunrise on the Reaping ( Hunger Games book 5)

[AITAH10]

Anyone else looking forward to this? Focusing on Haymitch hunger games? Just starting to reason Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and I'm looking forward to the new book coming out on the 18th.

A new origin story of a main character at a quarter quell. And I like the first two books and the ballad of songbirds and snakes the third not so much.

The only downside to reading the books before hand is that you already know Haymitch wins ( duh) but how and some of the consequences after.

I read the original three books in my youth and really enjoyed them, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes I thought was an excellent prequel story with a lot of context provided, so I took an looking forward to Sunrise in the Reaping!

It will be interesting to understand what made Haymitch into the man he becomes.

Haymitch is a great character, but I struggle with the unremitting grimness of the events in the plot.

Mines on preorder, but not due to arrive until the 21st. I’m sad about that!

I can’t wait, tbh. Love the whole series. Too often I’m sucked into reading a book which is compared to THG and it’s nothing like as good.
I always enjoy books where we sort of know the ending and then it’s the journey to get there which draws me in. Knowing that Haymitch will become a cynical alcoholic and then his redemption just makes me want to find out all that went before.
I would also love Finnick to have a prequel. That would be a wild ride!

I wouldn't mind some THG esque recommendations.

Read the first 3 chapters i won't spoil anything but I will say if you have an issue with grimness then its not a good start for you.

Looking forward to continuing it tomorrow I feel like the tone is a heavier version of the first two books and already an intriguing insight to how the games have changed since the other prequel.

Im on chapter 18, and fully traumatised.

I love the hunger games, its my fav ever series, ive read them all 20+ times. I wasnt keen on the ballad of songbirds and snakes, but this is Suzanne Collins back at her best. It has everything i wanted for haymich's story and more. Id go as far as to say its my favourite one in the series even though i still have about 1/3 to go.

I've finished it. Its the best of the 5, definitely.

I have no one to talk to about it though, and i need to talk about it.

I finished it earlier today too.
It was so sad. You knew what would happen, it was inevitable but still traumatic. Looking forward to the film next year.

Is the film next year? I feel im going to need more than a year to emotionally recover from it.

Yep! Autumn I think.

I've not read any where near what I thought i would have and trying not to spoil myself so i havent read comments on here yet. I will read some more in bed as I did when it was released and I was too tired last night. I'm only on chapter 5 I think but I like it so far! I guess the one benefit of being so slow is that most who are interested enough to read straight away will have probably finished so can talk more openly!

Well....that was a jolly read!

Mean you sort of knew through hints here and there through the original 3 but even so... :( be interesting how they make it film wise

I agree that it’s so sad, and even as an adult having read the other books I was genuinely shocked in parts! My DS read it too and we both had a real “poor Haymitch” moment. Although we also now call him Hamwich.

was so happy to find this thread because i had no idea it was out. Will start tonight and come back with my thoughts.
(also looking forward to the film - there will be a film, right?)

I think I'll treat myself to this on kindle!

I read a kind of similar book recently - Red Rising. It has a hierarchical society with Reds at the bottom and Golds at the top. It has a hunger games style tournament for most of the book. It did go on a bit too long though.

DD14’s copy arrived today and she is utterly beside herself with excitement, it’s very lovely to see.

Well I’m finished, not going to spoil anything but yup, sobbing like a baby there. Even though you know how it’s going to end, it was fascinating to see all the familiar characters connecting and then linking to the future rebellion.
If I had a criticism, it’s that it loses some of the tension because you know what’s going to happen in another 25 years. I would have maybe liked more story focusing after the games, rather than the big build up where you’re meeting all these tributes that you know won’t be around for long. There’s not really an ‘oh my god’ moment.
I do feel like I need to work out a timeline of ages and events though. I thought Beetee was the same age as Haymitch and Effie but he’s obviously a good bit older.
I will not be able to look at a squirrel in the same way ever again.

Finally finished, I liked it but I wouldn’t class it as the best or even second best for me. I felt a lot pre reaping was a bit too heavy handed with painting Haymitch as he was, I found the arena plot interesting but felt there was not so much hunger games content and was solely focused on his priority in the games rather than the games themselves and perhaps because it’s a prequel and we knew the outcome it felt a little lacklustre.

with all that being said there were some abhorrent moments which shocked me and I did feel for Haymitch and understand his character a bit more which was nice (in an awful way). The repetition in the end I wasn’t a fan of it felt like there was a word count she wanted to reach. Found the epilogue endearing

I was busy this week but found it took me until yesterday to reach halfway and then plowed through the end In a day

Did find the constant mention of Leonore Dove bit grating after a bit

I found it dull and formulaic, except seeing lots of the familiar characters and some good new ones like Maysilee.

Plutarch pissed me off!

I listened to the audiobook as I needed to use a credit. I really enjoyed the book (despite the grimness), but found the many, many verses of the poem at the end so tedious. It completely spoilt the end of the book because I missed a section but can't face listening to all those verses read with such slow doom-and-gloom... if I'd had a paper copy I could have skimmed that.

I loved Effie's role - unexpected but it didn't feel forced.

I loved it. Binged it in one sitting.

It was a good read and, as ever, clever and thoughtful about abuses of humans by humans. Just not quite as good as the originals, for me.

all in all i enjoyed it, i loved how she fleshed out Haymitch's character. all the Leonora Dove stuff grated a bit, but i guess that was to reflect Snow's relationship in the Songbird & Snakes? Doesn't paint the travelling singers clan (can't remember their name) in a good light, tbh. They are opportunists who are only out for their own benefit, which i guess i can't blame them for.

I wondered in this, as i wondered in all the others, how on earth building alliances really works, since in the end you have to kill your mates.

What i didn't like about this one, and it is an issue in the Star Wars franchise if you bother to watch those 3 "prequel" films: whichever order you read them in - original 3 Hunger Games, then Sunrise, or Sunrise then the original 3 - there is a massive spoiler regarding one character. Annoying.

We thought that it got a bit improbable/felt strained that every single character who survived was already a key part of the series - on one hand it did make sense in terms of filling their backstories in a little and explaining how they came to know/trust each other, but it felt as if the whole world only has about a dozen people in it. Also not as thrilled by the Covey as the author is - I felt Lenore Dove was far too similar to Lucy Gray.

Overall, however, I think the prequel books have been some of the best in the series and well worth buying on the day of issue and reading asap.

The poster who said they are getting slightly darker - I think Mockingjay is still the most ‘unpleasant’ as it has the war backdrop so atrocities are universal rather than only personal - but I did notice that the word “raped” (though not the act) appears in SooR whereas outright sexual violence has been very very noticeably absent from the first books (though increasingly creeping in with allusions to offcamera/from desperation coercion) even though I would expect it to occur frequently in the arena and in the rebellion “irl”.

Also not as thrilled by the Covey as the author is - I felt Lenore Dove was far too similar to Lucy Gray.

gosh, yes, exactly this. I think she feels we ought to love how free spirited they are, but i just find them selfish and self-serving. They don't mind playing gigs for peacekeepers and citizens of the districts, they don't care. I found them utterly unlikeable, and not the type of people, if i knew them, that I'd count as a close friend.