The final chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping sees Haymitch settle into a life of despair in his Victor’s Village home. This review will firstly summarise Chapter 27 and the epilogue before going into a review and discussion on the chapter.

This review is the final part of a series where I reviewed each chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping at a time. Feel free to check out some of my other Sunrise on the Reaping chapter reviews for further discussion on the book.

What Happens in Chapter 27 of Sunrise on the Reaping?

1/3: The Aftermath of Lenore Dove’s Death

The chapter picks up with Haymitch recounting Lenore Dove’s death and her uncles carrying her away.

We then see Haymitch push those who he loves – that are still around, basically his neighbours and friends, – away as he fears Snow will always hurt everyone around him who he holds dear. He goes to the extent of throwing a rock at Asterid to finally prevent Burdock and her from being around him.

A short while after, Haymitch spends his time desperately searching for where Lenore Dove is buried. 

Eventually, Burdock leads him to the covey’s burial site deep in the woods. He finds Lucy Gray’s grave which has an inscription that eludes to the fact that she was never found. He also finds Lenore Dove’s grave there too.

One night he is in an ally and sees a rebellion message in orange paint which he pieces together was written by Lenore Dove – and that this habit for rebellion related activity was likely the secret Maysilee knew about her. The message reaffirms Haymitch’s determination to keep his promise to Lenore Dove to not let the sunrise on the reaping one day, giving him something to live for, which he refers to as condemning him to life.

2/3: Haymitch Embarks on a Victory Tour

Haymitch talks of how he is visited by the ghosts of those in the games and how he sleeps with a knife. One morning he is awoken by Effie who has taken the knife from him and expresses her condolences for his losses – calling his family’s deaths an accident and Lenore Dove’s cause of death being appendicitis.

Haymitch embarks on a train to District 11 for the start of his victory tour. We then see him go on his victory tour for a while with a brief conversation with Pluatch where Plutarch explains how Haymitch is necessary for the fight and Haymitch expresses annoyance at Plutarch’s lack of any sacrifice for his position.

3/3: Sunrise on the Reaping Comes to a Close

Upon returning to his home, the chapter closes with Haymitch referring to his home as a prison and talks of his agonising inability to forget the events we have seen throughout Sunrise on the Reaping. The chapter closes with a bookend ending matching the opening line of the book with Haymitch recalling how his brother Sid had said to him “Happy Birthday Haymitch!” the morning of his reaping.

What Happens in the Sunrise on the Reaping Epilogue?

The epilogue takes sees Haymitch explain how a young Katniss at the hob had reminded him of Louella with her braids, before going on to explain how the walls of his heart had once again been removed by Katniss and Peeta.

We learn that Haymitch told them the full story of the events of Sunrise on the Reaping and the people lossed throughout when helping them create a memorial book after the war. This includes stories about Burdock (Katniss’ father), his own family and Maysilee (such as how she owned the mockingjay pin).

He refers to Katniss as the one to finally stop the sun from rising on the reaping.  

Review – Is The Final Chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping Good?

Yes, this was an excellent final chapter which had a notable tone shift fitting/representative for the tone shift in Haymitch’s life. The chapter reads like a dramatic final movie scene – with music to accompany it and all. 

Seeing Haymitch push everyone away and ultimately become the person we see in the trilogy was achieved in a very impactful and realistic way.

The mention of Lucy Gray’s grave adds to the mystery of her fate and made for an interesting addition to the story.

The epilogue at the end with Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta was such a fun, heartfelt addition which really completes the book perfectly.

Discussion – How Does Sunrise on the Reaping Compare to the Other Books in The Hunger Games Franchise?

In terms of story, this book joins Catching Fire and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes as the best books in the franchise. 

How Does Haymitch Compare as a Narrator?

The more emotional point of view of Haymitch made for a refreshing change, however, I would likely rank him as my least favourite narrator of the three we have had in The Hunger Games franchise.

Haymitch is one of my favourite characters (extremely basic opinion to have but Haymitch is my third favourite character after Katniss and Peeta). 

However, I did enjoy Snow’s point of view more as I liked reading his more sophisticated and intelligent point of view (although it was often devoid of empathy, which is of course why I don’t like his character as much). This obviously made sense as his character is older. I also prefer Katniss as a character which is why I would rank her above Haymitch in term’s of narration/point of view.

Rating

Sunrise on the Reaping is a 10/10 book for me which had basically no flaws in my opinion (I don’t mind the fan service which I have seen some complain about).

The book is my third favourite of The Hunger Games books ranking below my #1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and #2 Catching Fire.

Final Thoughts

I am super excited to see how this book translates to film and to see how it compares to the other books’ adaptations. At the moment my favourite film is Catching Fire which may be difficult to top.

The friendship of Maysilee and Haymitch in this book was a highlight for me and was very reminiscent of Katniss and Joanna.

I would say Lenore Dove is my least favourite of the love interests in The Hunger Games franchise (FYI: I don’t even count Gale) as I of course liked Peeta a lot more and also Lucy Gray. This is obviously because we didn’t get to know Lenore Dove to the same extent.

Overall, I would strongly agree that Sunrise on the Reaping matches the other books in The Hunger Games franchise in storytelling and at making the reader care for its characters.

What are your thoughts?

That wraps up all of my thoughts on the final chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping.

Thank you to everyone who has read my chapter reviews. I will likely be writing a few more Sunrise on the Reaping posts such as a list of the likely candidates for the next book etc. but this is of course the last of the chapter reviews! 😔

Let me know in the comments below your thoughts on the final chapter and the epilogue!