On March 18, Suzanne Collins released her second prequel to the Hunger Games Trilogy, following the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) which was adapted into a motion picture in 2023.

The prequel is focused on Haymitch Abernathy, (the mentor of Katniss Everdeen in the original trilogy) and is set twenty-four years prior to the first book in the trilogy. For those who are familiar with the trilogy, we already know that Haymitch’s Hunger Games were unique, in the sense that they were what is known as the “Quarter Quell”, which, gathered from the name and the trilogy, is only set every twenty-five years.

Suzanne Collins is known to be the type of author that has an extreme care for the details carried on through the series, and a maximal attentiveness to keep the timeline from going astray or becoming illogical. Her skillfully created plot has led to a series that is an almost twenty-year long treat for readers across the globe.

Sunrise on the Reaping is intoxicating, leaving fans starved for each plot twist, every cliffhanger causing hearts to jump to throats, and each death delivering devastation. The addicts that this prequel created remain begging for more. Luckily, Lionsgate is set to release the film adaptation on November 20, 2026. Until then, it seems like the Hunger Games Fandom is left in withdrawal.