Sunrise on the Reaping

I’ve been struggling with writing a review for this novel. I’m not sure why as I eagerly anticipated it and read it in two days. Haymitch is a complex character and after the Hunger Games trilogy I was left with many questions: How did he win his games? Why was Katniss his bet when he liked Peeta? Did he recognize echoes of himself in Katniss? 

The story answered so many questions, provided background and insight into many of the things I liked in the original trilogy. I love how the past, present, and future are artfully woven together through characters rather than a timeline of events. However, I felt that the author’s quotations from Edgar Allan Poe, though seminal to the story (and a lovely reference to the time before Panem), interrupted the flow of the story. This could be due to the fact that I have read many of his works on my own, and had to use a different voice in my head to get through those parts, a gear shift so to speak, or it could be that the quotations seemed to be hammering home the reference with more force than was necessary. Perhaps the author employed this literary device for those who are not familiar with the works of Poe, giving them a base from which to build understanding.

The story had several twists and turns, some expected, some not and was overall a wonderful read. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy and/or The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, put this on your reading list. If you have not read those titles, I would recommend doing so before tackling this one, you'll not regret it.