Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Blurb

The phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series!

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

My Thoughts

A prequel novel for one of the best trilogies The Hunger Games.  If you haven’t read the hunger games skip this review as it will compare the books.

What could one expect from the first ever Quarter Quell.  Four tributes from each of the 12 sectors would be chosen instead of the two normally chosen.  Two males and two females would be chosen to represent their homes in a death games.

Haymitch as we saw in the original trilogy as the drunken advisor to the tributes of District 12.  He was a man full of issues and trauma from being a victor in his Hunger Games. 

You see a very different person in Haymitch one who was loved and loved others.  He was somewhat innocent when we meet him.  While he was no angel he certainly wasn’t the worst of the worst.  He like all those in his district have had to scrounge for survival or doing what is illegal by Capitol standard just to survive.

I do enjoy the story so far but too much time is spent on the stuff leading up to the Games instead of in the action.  Alliances being made can be a bit boring and that it drags a bit.  At 40% into this book and they haven’t even gotten to the time were the tributes are individuals showing off their talents.

The slower pace while not really my style does give it the taste of a slow burn which isn’t always a bad thing.  I just remember the first three books and they were very fast paced while this is slower and we aren’t seeing the same savageness in the tributes that I felt in the previous books.

Finally at 55% we are in the arena and the pace is picking up.  I want a fast paced for the rest of the book since this is what I have done to expect.

Seeing the real Haymitch and what pushed him to be as he was in the original trilogy.  It has changed my feelings about him where I like the character even more but I now feel sorry for him and wished he hasn’t went through his trauma.

Overall the story was good and this definitely rates as a 5 star read even with its very slow start. The final parts of the book made up for that and the action was a lot of fun.