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Sunrise on the Reaping

A Hunger Games Novel

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Sunrise on the Reaping

By: Suzanne Collins
Narrated by: Jefferson White
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About this listen

The phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series!

Acclaimed actor Jefferson White, who starred in Paramount Network's Yellowstone as Jimmy Hurdstrom, brings his talent to the worldwide best-selling Hunger Games series as narrator of the Sunrise on the Reaping audiobook!

When you've been set up

to lose everything you love,

what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

©2025 Suzanne Collins (P)2025 Scholastic Audio Books Action & Adventure Editors Select Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Survival Stories Tear-jerking Heartfelt

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Editorial Review

Cinna told me to listen to this
In 2012, my boyfriend (now husband) bought me a shirt that said Cinna told me to wear this, and I think that should tell you everything you need to know about my devotion to The Hunger Games franchise. The latest addition to the series, Sunrise on the Reaping, is something I didn’t even know I could hope for: Haymitch’s origin story. And my already high levels of anticipation for the release reached a fever-pitch when Jefferson White ( Yellowstone) was announced as the narrator, and we got to hear a sneak peek of his performance. We first met Haymitch as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor in Book 1, and since then all we could do was speculate about his own journey in the Hunger Games some 24 years before. In Sunrise on the Reaping we’ll get to meet a 16-year-old Haymitch (and perhaps the teenage versions of Katniss’s parents, Effie, and Cinna ... one can dream), and finally learn how the tenacious teen became the hardened man we all have a soft spot for. May the odds be ever in his favour. —Katie O., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
I went into this book thinking it couldn't be that good but it went way past my expectations.

best in the hunger games series

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A compelling hunger games story where we get to see Haymitch’s games, and more importantly, see how he becomes the man we meet later, well worth a read and strong narration by Jefferson.

The story we’ve all been waiting for

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Wonderful backstory for haymitch’s life read beautifully! Very emotional and heart wrenching. Great narration, and emotive language

Emotional, heart wrenching stuff!

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Suzanne Collins did it again! This book is heartbreaking, captivating, and beautiful story of resistance. The narrator brings Haymitch's thoughts alive in such a brilliant manner.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

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The writing was incredible and the lore was insane but if you value your mental health don't read it xx

Best book in the series

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Tatiana Maslany is my favourite HG narrator, but Jefferson White comes close. For me, he makes what is a slightly disappointing book great. He reads the more emotional parts with such heart and certain bits actually give me chills when listening.

In short, the actual story is fan service - whether this is a bigger message from Susan Collins about propaganda and how fans eat up THG series for it's love drama and violence, I don't know, but I would think Collins has more respect for her fans than that. I'm inclined to think maybe the publishers/editors pushed to have so many familiar characters pop up, without thinking how ingenuine this comes across to the reader.

Don't get me wrong, a part of me loves the reappearances, but after some thought it feels far too unlikely that Haymitch would encounter all of our favourite characters when Panem is supposed to be future America. Haymitch (minor spoiler but it's in chapter 1) being besties with Katniss' dad, while I appreciated his cameo, seems awfully convenient. Also, it somewhat takes away from the idea throughout the original trilogy that Haymitch helped Katniss purely out of respect and decency, now that we know he was close friends with her dad. No doubt he still respects and cares for her, but it changes the relationship dynamic in a way that I find quite disappointing.

However, if it was just this cameo, that would be fine, but more and more original characters turn up, to the point that it becomes silly. I will admit I squealed when a certain character made her reappearance, but the constant references to the original trilogy and TBOSAS become redundant and the messages that were so subtle in the original books become so blatant. This also leads me on to the writing, which is very tell not show and very obvious with its overall messages. Characters speak and act in a way that just doesn't make sense in a dystopian world with a dictator like Snow. Even Snow speaks and acts in such an overtly villainous way, something he never did in the previous books. It does feel like the nuance and ambiguity that came with the original trilogy, even ABOSAS, is missing from this.

All of that said, I can't rate the story less than 3 stars. Maybe this is because I'm such a huge fan of the series and I'm biased, but I'd rather credit it to the beautiful lines in the book that genuinely give me goosebumps. These lines fit with my memory of reading the original trilogy, reminding me of the genius that is Suzanne Collins. Lines such as - "Ten minutes from now, who will even have a heartbeat?" are simple but very effective, making the story stick in my heart despite all its flaws. Also, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I actually like what Collins did with the arena - the flaws in the arena 40 years after the events of TBOSAS show just how vulnerable the Capitol is. What it highlights is that without propaganda, fear and implicit submission, they really do have nothing.

Overall, this story is either a shameful attempt at fan service or a mockery of long-time fans, but that doesn't take away from its moments of clarity and beautiful writing that we've come to expect with Collins. While some characters seem detached from their original appearances in the trilogy, others add interesting layers to the characters we know and love. There are a lot of new characters, so it's hard to get attached to many of them, but a couple did stand out and had some tear-jerking moments. I would recommend this to fans of the series, especially the audiobook as Jefferson White is truly the perfect narrator for Haymitch. I really do hope we get Finnick's story, as though it's bound to be very emotional, I think his perspective could add a lot to THG series.

Almost as good as Tatiana Maslany

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I really enjoyed this book and there were some clever reverse engineering of storylines to make it a good prequel telling Haymitch’s story. Epic vindictiveness by Snow - almost too much.

A desperately sad prequel to The Hunger Games

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All I can say is thank you to Suzanne Collins. What a beautiful story. Definitely worth the wait.

It’s the book I didn’t know I needed

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Wow.

Haymitch's story was always going to be tragic, yet this heartbreaking tale is the perfect addition to The Hunger Games series, giving depth and understanding to Katniss' mentor that was previously assumed but not detailed.

From the narration to the songs and everything in between, I loved this book. It broke my heart but also filled it. It's probably the best of the series. 5 stars.

100% yes.

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I have loved this audio book as it has linked the first book snakes and songbirds and the first hunger games

fantastic

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