By Cami Yee
Shattering records in its first week, the Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise On The Reaping (SOTR), has already sold a record-breaking 1.5 million copies in its first week. The day of its release, I swung by my local Target to pick up a copy for my sister, who is an avid reader and Hunger Games fan. As she read, eyes glued to the page, not putting the book down for dinner or homework, my curiosity grew about the novel. Was it really that good? As soon as she finished, I immediately picked up the book and was reminded of why I fell in love with the Hunger Games series in the first place.
Sunrise On The Reaping features Haymitch Abernathy, the drunken mentor featured in the original trilogy, and the story of how he won the 50th Hunger Games, or the Second Quarter Quell. Although we already know a decent amount of the plot from Catching Fire, which illustrated that there were double the amount of children reaped for the game that year, the book shocked me in ways I could not even imagine.
I cannot write a truthful review without giving away a lot of the plot, but I would undoubtedly recommend this book to any Hunger Games fan. Its fast pace, heartbreaking plotline, and memorable ending is sure to touch any reader’s heart, especially those who have grown up with Haymitch. Definitely read the original trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) and the latest prequel, A Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, before picking up Sunrise On The Reaping for the most context and emotional attachment. The movie adaptation comes out November 2026, so make sure to look out for its release!