On Sep. 14, 2008, the dystopian novel “The Hunger Games” took the world by storm. Author Suzanne Collins quickly released two more books, creating an unforgettable trilogy. Only four years later in 2012, the movies were released.

As someone who has been obsessed with the Hunger Games franchise since I saw the first movie, I had to volunteer as tribute to write my review on the book, “The Sunrise on the Reaping”.

If you’ve been a fan for a while, you might notice one common theme between all of the “Hunger Games” books. The dystopian world these characters live in is split into 12 districts, and every book from Collins has followed tributes exclusive to District 12 that won the games–and Haymitch Abernathy’s story was the final story to tell.

The book follows teenage Haymitch Abernathy’s experience in the Hunger Games. Haymitch Abernathy was present in the original Hunger Games trilogy as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor for the games, but before he was a victor, he was a tribute.

The book takes place on the second quarter quell, which is the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games. On Haymitch’s 16th birthday, his name is drawn and read aloud, announcing his forced participation in the games.

Haymitch’s love interest is Lenore Dove Baird. The last name Baird relates to Lucy Grey Baird, Coriolanus Snow’s love interest from “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, another book in the Hunger Games series. The middle name Dove relates to the bird symbolism Collins uses in all her books, like the symbolism of the mockingjay from the original trilogy.

As with all the Hunger Games books, I absolutely loved this book. Collins uses symbolism and imagery in her writing to beautifully weave together a story that captivates the reader from the very first page. You can actually imagine the distress of being in the arena with your life at stake.

“The Sunrise on the Reaping” movie is set to be released in November of 2026.

Overall, this fantastic addition to the “Hunger Games” series is a solid 10/10.