The highly anticipated The Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise On The Reaping, is finally here and we are now able to find out the full backstory of the fan favourite character Haymitch.

For each chapter, I will be posting a review & discussion blog post so that you can read them as you go along. I like to really take my time when reading certain books – particularly sequels (or prequels) to books I already love – so I only read a chapter or two a day and as I read along I like to scour the internet from Google to Reddit to find other readers’ opinions that are on the same chapter as me so that I can avoid spoilers.

So, if you are somewhat like me then you might want to keep up with my daily reviews on each chapter everyday.

What Happens In Chapter 1 of Sunrise On The Reaping

Chapter 1 of the book introduces us to a teenage Haymitch and those closest to him. We learn that Haymitch lives with just his brother and single mother as his father passed working in the mines (however, the cause of death is potentially rebellion related). We are also introduced to some other characters including Haymitch’s ‘girl’ who is of great importance to him. Lenore Dove is a member of the Covey and as a result we see the return of some familiar musically gifted characters from the previous prequel book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

We also are introduced to Katniss’ dad, Burdock, as he is a friend of Haymitch. The final pages of the chapter take us up to the reaping where the reading of the names of District 12’s tributes takes a deadly turn.

Review – Is Chapter 1 of Sunrise on the Reaping Good?

The first chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping makes for a cosy read which brings a sense of familiarity for readers as they fall in love all over again with Suzanne Collins’ vibrant descriptive and engaging style of writing. The chapter is effective in helping readers build a picture of both what Haymitch’s life looks like and who he is as a teenager.

Characters from the Covey and the introduction of Burdock Everdeen make for a fun connection to the other books for fans and help to build even more excitement for readers for the rest of the story.

Discussion – What Am I Excited For in the Rest of the Book and What Do I Think About The Revelations in the First Chapter?

The first chapter of the book has made me even more excited to read this whole story than I was when it was first announced last year. The early introduction of characters related to Katniss and characters from the Covey is something that makes me excited to read on as I am also interested in learning a bit more about their story alongside Haymitch’s.

Learning of the rebellious nature of Lenore Dove also makes me very curious to see how her story will unfold. The way the events of the reaping played out at the end of that first chapter has also made me a bit more excited for the rest of the book as I now know I can expect that Suzanne will have put a bit of a twist on how events play out compared to how we would expect them to have played out.

What are your thoughts?

That wraps up my review of the first chapter! Let me know in the comments below what you thought of the first chapter – do you agree/disagree with any of my opinions here and what are some things you loved or disliked about the first chapter?