SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

The Hunger Games twist, destroy, and galvanize another wave of young people in this entry set 24 years before the series opener.

Haymitch Abernathy is turning 16, and he’d love nothing more than to spend his birthday with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. Unfortunately, it’s also the reaping day of the Fiftieth Hunger Games and the second Quarter Quell, meaning twice as many tributes will be chosen from each District for the lethal contest. Being torn from everything familiar all at once is only the beginning of Haymitch’s tortures: Death and manipulation follow him every step of the way into the Capitol’s media circus and through the famed games. Slivers of hope exist—alliances among players, whispers of sabotage—though violence, misery, and encounters with mutated creatures frequently comprise the spoils. This book contains enough lore to stand alone, but returning fans will weave the thoughtfully placed callbacks and returning characters into their understanding of this world’s tragic chain of events. By this point, the game masters and audience within Panem have developed a sophisticated understanding of the Hunger Games, and Collins combines many of the best qualities of the series into one book, balancing layers of personal insights, worldbuilding, and danger to form an inescapable whirlwind of suspense and conflict. She makes frequent use of music and poetry, underscoring the enduring power of generational messages. Characters largely present white.

A heartbreaking crescendo and another grimly irresistible chapter in the saga of this interlocking series.