Chapter 6 of Sunrise on the Reaping picks up from the shock death of Louella at the end of Chapter 5 and sees two major characters from the original The Hunger Games trilogy make their first appearance in the book.

FYI: This review is part of a series where I review one chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping each day as I read along.

What Happens in Chapter 6 of Sunrise on the Reaping?

After finding Louella in a pool of her own blood after Haymitch and her were both flown from their chariot, Haymitch is overcome with grief and decides to make a spectacle of her death which cannot be ignored. Haymitch runs carrying her body before finally laying her down for all to see and to be unable to ignore.

This is when President Snow is seen for the first time, in the flesh, by Haymitch. President Snow merely smiles and is seemingly amused by Haymitch’s actions, however, he does seem to be fixated on his flint striker. Haymitch is swiftly taken by Peacekeepers and is shortly reunited with his remaining fellow District 12 tributes.

Haymitch, Wyatt and Maysilee meet one of their mentors – the winner of the previous Hunger Games – who is a District 4 victor who survived by ‘outsmarting the arena’ and camping out while her competition took care of themselves allowing her to claim her victory without claiming another life.

The chapter then closes with Haymitch meeting Mags – the eventual third quarter quell tribute in Catching Fire – who gives Haymitch her condolences for the death of Louella which results in Haymitch bursting into tears and an embrace with Mags.

Review – Is Chapter 6 of Sunrise on the Reaping Good?

Chapter 6 is when readers can really start to feel the pressure of the games and Capitol politics start to rise in Sunrise on the Reaping. The introduction of Snow is done in an extremely interesting way which really makes you, the reader, desperate to learn more about how his character will interact with Haymitch later on in the book.

It was interesting to learn of how the 49th Hunger Games played out when the District 12 tributes find out that its victor is one of their mentors. Of course, in typical Suzanna Collins fashion, the cliffhanger of this chapter does not disappoint (just as each of the endings of the chapters of Sunrise on the Reaping so far haven’t) with the emotional introduction of Mags meeting Haymitch.

Discussion – What did you Think of How President Snow Reacted to Haymitch’s ‘Display’

The unamused faint smile which Snow is described to have in this chapter shows that the Snow of the start of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is truly no longer alive and well. Instead, it appears that Snow has instead continued on the downward spiral he was on towards the end of TBOSAS and is now more similar to that of his the original The Hunger Games trilogy self.

Haymitch makes it clear that he knows Snow to be THE most powerful and also THE most brutal man in all of Panem which eludes to quite a lot of cruelty most likely being enacted between the events of the two prequel books, where Snow has also rose to his position as president of Panem.

Haymitch picked up on President Snow’s focus on his flint striker and this is likely foreshadowing of something later to come in the book. Might it be connected to his time with Lucy Gray or just his time in District 12 in general? It is likely that we will likely find out later on in Sunrise on the Reaping.

What are your thoughts?

What did you think of Chapter 6 of Sunrise on the Reaping? Do you agree/disagree with my opinions on the chapter and were you satisfied with the way in which President Snow and Mags were introduced?