May Book Club Pick: Sunrise on the Reaping

When I first heard that Suzanne Collins was releasing a new book, Sunrise on the Reaping, I felt that familiar flicker of excitement. Another glimpse into the world of The Hunger Games? Yes, please! But what I wasn’t expecting was just how quickly it would pull me back in and how much it would make me want to reread everything with fresh eyes.

Closing the Loop on Haymitch’s Story

If you’ve read the original trilogy, you probably remember Haymitch as the gruff, sarcastic, deeply damaged mentor who drank too much and cared too little (or so it seemed). But Sunrise on the Reaping changes all that. By centering the story on Haymitch's own Games, the Second Quarter Quell, we finally get the full picture of who he was before the trauma, before the scars, and before the Capitol broke him.

It doesn’t just deepen his character, it contextualizes everything. The decisions he made, the way he mentored Katniss and Peeta, even the way he interacted with Effie and the Capitol elite, it all makes more sense now. This book doesn’t just tell a backstory, it completes it. It makes me want to go back and reread The Hunger Games trilogy with this new lens, knowing now how much of an unreliable narrator Katniss is.

The Games Were Always Nuanced But This Book Shows Just How Much

Sunrise on the Reaping reminds us that the Games weren’t just brutal, they were political. Strategic. Psychological. And deeply manipulative. What Haymitch experiences in the arena is less about survival and more about how the Capitol uses fear and spectacle to maintain control. It’s the kind of nuance that feels particularly relevant now, as we grapple with systems of power, public distraction, and the consequences of resistance.

The book also introduces a cast of characters who feel morally layered and emotionally complex. Tributes, mentors, Capitol citizens, none of them purely good or evil, just people trying to survive a system designed to dehumanize them. It adds richness to a world we thought we already knew inside and out.

Fiction That Feels Uncomfortably Timely

There’s no getting around it that Sunrise on the Reaping hits different in today’s political climate. When we see how media, fear, and spectacle are used to manipulate public opinion and divide people, the parallels feel eerily close. This isn’t just a dystopian tale anymore. It’s a mirror.

Suzanne Collins has always used Panem to hold a mirror to our own world. But this time, it feels more poignant and maybe even urgent. It’s a reminder of how power protects itself, how rebellion is shaped by history, and how even small acts of defiance can change the course of everything.

Casting News That’s Giving Me Life

We knew there would be a movie but to have casting announcements so early! They’ve been spot-on so far. The production design, the costumes, the haunting tone, I can’t wait to see how they translate this story to the big screen.

Sunrise on the Reaping isn’t just another prequel. It made me nostalgic, yes but it also made me think. About resistance, trauma, media, and the price of survival. About how one person’s story can echo through generations.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just getting back into the world of Panem, this book is worth your time. And trust me—you’ll want to reread the original trilogy after you finish.