Chapter 24 of Sunrise on the Reaping sees the dramatic end of The 50th Hunger Games and when Haymitch becomes a victor. This review will begin with a summary of Chapter 24 before going into a review and discussion on the chapter.

FYI: This review is part of a series where I review one chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping at a time as I read along. Each chapter review is written before I have read the next chapter meaning that this review is spoiler free for anything that happens after Chapter 24!

What Happens in Sunrise on the Reaping Chapter 24?

1/3: Haymitch Begins His Final Day in the Arena

The chapter picks up with Haymitch waking up at the tree where the three final tributes spent the night to find Wellie still asleep and Silka gone. He finds black smudges over his hands and realises that Maysilee’s token which he has around his neck was Beetee’s backup for the sunflowers if Ampert had been unable to give them to Haymitch, enabling Haymitch to plan to use the explosive on the cornucopia.

Wellie awakes and she is in such a poor way that Haymitch has to carry her down the tree. She is on the brink of starvation. Haymitch decides it is of the upmost importance that he tries to bake a potato for her to eat. Haymitch needs to leave to find some suitable wood for fuel which has been protected from the rain. 

She is reluctant to let him leave but ultimately agrees to be hidden when Haymitch tells her of how Maysilee said she would be a good victor, explaining that she thought she would be a victor who always ‘remains a Newcomer’. Haymitch leaves her and is having trouble doing what he set out to do when a sponsor gift drops from the sky.

He has been sent a bottle of milk identical to that of the one in Plutarch’s library. Haymitch determines that this is a sign that the milk is poison and so decides he must drink it himself to prevent the Capitol from suspicion of him not giving it to Wellie. He goes to drink the milk but is stopped when he hears a canon marking a death of another tribute.

2/3: Haymitch Has An Axe Fight With Silka

He runs to find Silka holding the head of Wellie. Mortified, Haymitch is enraged against Silka who explains that Wellie fired a dart at her. Silka states that she has to kill them both to return home and that she ‘will be the one to honour the Capitol’.

This and all the tragedy Haymitch has witnessed in the arena is the motivation he needs to do what comes next. Haymitch and Silka participate in a one on one fight taking swings at each other with their axes. 

A struggle ensues until eventually Silka lands a swing in the gut of Haymitch. Haymitch makes for the hedge and runs to the other side.

Silka follows him through and soon tosses her axe with it going over the cliff. To her surprise, the axe bounces back up and lodges itself in her head.

3/3: The 50th Hunger Games Come to a Dramatic Close

Haymitch and her lie on the ground bleeding out. It is at this moment that Haymitch decides that he has one more ‘poster’ in him. He begins to piece together his explosive. A voice commands him to stop at once but he continues.

The cannon goes off and trumpets play marking Haymitch’s victory. Haymitch continues his plot. A voice tells Haymitch he does not know what he is doing. Haymitch throws the bomb and feels the blast before blacking out, with Haymitch saying ‘I die happy’ as the closing line of the chapter.

Review – Is Chapter 24 of Sunrise on the Reaping Good?

Yes! This chapter details the dramatic ending to the 50th Hunger Games and is full of action and twists in typical The Hunger Games fashion. The end of the games is something readers are desperate to see play out by this point of the book and it does not disappoint. 

Silka and Haymitch’s fight made for a very climatic end to the games and seeing Silka accidentally give herself the finishing blow via the forcefield made for an interesting twist. 

The story we were told in Catching Fire reigned true and was written in a very masterful way. It was written in a more detailed and contextualised way in this chapter which made it extremely interesting to read and left the reader as unsure where it might go next as a reader typically is without this type of information.

The closing line from Haymitch builds a lot of intrigue for readers creating a lot of questions around the state Haymitch might be in at the start of the next chapter and the conversations which may await with President Snow who might not appreciate being forced into saving him from the brink of death.

Discussion – What Did You Think of Haymitch’s Time in the Arena?

The second quarter quell’s games and arena rivals that of Catching Fire’s third quarter quell. It remained interesting to read and the twists never stopped coming. The use of mutts and poison in the games made it a very challenging environment for the tributes. 

Haymitch’s time in the arena felt very realistic with a good mix of solitude and basic survival tasks along with the action. 

The tragedy he witnessed in the arena was extensive. He took multiple young tributes under his wing during the games who he tried to protect, similar to how Katniss tried to protect Rue. Except instead, Haymitch had multiple Rues. Starting with Lou Lou, then Ampert and finally Wellie.

Maysilee’s time with Haymitch in the arena is a highlight of the games and provided some light hearted (as well as heart warming) moments amongst all the tragedy.

The progression of him carrying out Beetee’s plan to destroy the arena was really interesting to read. Seeing it seemingly payoff momentarily before the volcano eruption made for a rollercoaster of emotions and is a scene which I can’t wait to see play out on screen.

Haymitch’s axe fight with Silka at the end of the games made for a very climatic end. The throwing of his explosive while hearing the voice of a Game Maker command he stops and doesn’t know what he’s doing made for the ultimate climatic cherry on top.

What are your thoughts?

That wraps up all my thoughts on Chapter 24! Let me know what you thought about the end of The 50th Hunger Games in the comments below!