As an avid reader who has read every single Hunger Games book, I was ecstatic to learn that a new book was going to be released: Sunrise on the Reaping. Little did I know that it would be a severe letdown.
This book is a prequel to Katniss Everdeen’s story that follows her mentor Haymitch through the 50th Quarter Quell. The 50th Quarter Quell is an extra-special, extra-intense Hunger Games where twice the number of tributes were sent to fight to the death and only one of the 48 tributes will survive. The reader learns about Haymitch’s life before the Hunger Games, how he won, how he got his infamous booze addiction, and the ginormous mountain of challenges and tragedy he faced.
As mentioned before, I enjoyed all the previous Hunger Games books, but this one felt like it was written by someone who never learned to show and not just tell in their writing. Many scenes which could have evoked emotional tumult just led to the feeling of bitter disappointment. Important scenes felt short, chopped up, inconsistent, and lacked the depth and detail people expect from a Suzanne Collins book. For example, when one character dies, we learn very briefly how they died, then Haymitch feels bad for what feels like one sentence then he moves on to the next scene. If Collins had lingered on the moment and described Haymitch’s emotions and heartbreak more vividly, it would have made the readers feel attached. People also felt like the characters who died were underdeveloped, as they were superficial and hard to connect with.
Even with all the qualms I along with others had with three quarters of the book, the part that was the most frustrating to me was when Collins overused ballads near the end of the book. It felt as though the same songs and poems were injected randomly and repeatedly to the point where it felt annoying and meaningless. People felt like Collins could have laid off on the number of external media she added, and by doing that, we feel like more meaning could be restored to the pieces she chose.
The one thing I liked about the book was the plot. It had many twists, heartbreaks, and surprises which took me off guard. The plot alone will make an amazing movie, which is already in the works.
In the end, people believe that this book compared to previous Hunger Games books did not meet my expectations. This book lacked the details, depth and descriptions which makes the Hunger Games books so incredibly popular. I along with others feel that if Collins had spent more time writing the book, it would have been a fabulous read instead of a spectacular letdown.
