I really liked it
Preordered this book the moment I found out about it! I was waiting for months before it finally came in the mail!
Read: Mar. 26 – Apr. 2, 2025
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Audience: Young Adult
Book contains: dystopian society, death of children, murder, brainwashing, implied torture
Purchase a copy from Indigo.ca
On the fiftieth anniversary of the Hunger Games comes the second Quarter Quell, and Haymitch Abernathy of District 12 has a part to play. Twice as many tributes will be reaped this year, and the Capitol’s influence seems as strong as ever. Can Haymitch resist their control?
The first thing I have to say is: wow! So much emotion ripped out of me from this one. Especially with all the familiar faces we see—faces that make sense rather than just being fan service (even if they are a bit of that too). I remember details about Haymitch’s Games that we learn from the original trilogy, but I’d never stopped to think of the depth behind what he went through, and this book sets up the pieces for the ending of the Hunger Games so perfectly, while at the same time tying it together with the other prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. There were a few theories I had that were proven wrong, unfortunately, but I like what we did get, and this is a solid addition to the series.
The entirety of this book follows Haymitch with a first person present tense account, like how the original trilogy are from Katniss’s perspective in the same way; the other prequel, uniquely, is told in third person past tense, likely as a way to distance the reader from Coriolanus Snow.
In the week that I read this book, I was glued to the page every spare second that I got. I read late into the night and early in the morning.
Our narrator and main character, Haymitch Abernathy, is someone we know and love from the original trilogy, and like Peeta says, he’s a lot like Katniss. He’s quick-witted and understands society on a level below the surface, but he also has a rebellious girlfriend who gives him a view that Katniss never had (or was never influenced by) in Gale. Another Covey girl, Lenore Dove, hates the Capitol and all it stands for, and it’s because of this that things really go south. I adore how we get more background on a bunch of characters from the original trilogy, and mention of from the other prequel. It was amazing to finally meet Katniss’s father.
Haymitch’s journey is an ironic one, first and foremost being his relationship with alcohol, all the way to his relationship with relationships. We know from the original trilogy that the Capitol gets their victors to go along with their desires because of the people they can threaten, but while Haymitch starts with a slough of these, he ends with nothing and no one, just like he is at the start of The Hunger Games. It’s especially sad because we know where he ends up, and this book is everything that leads him to that point.
Collins’ writing was excellent, from her inclusion of poetry at emotional moments, to the songs, to the way her narration is almost like poetry itself. My editor brain is happy to have found no errors in the text, though there were one or two places that I was pulled out of the narrative to wonder something about the world—specifically some of the stretches and leaps of faith with the actions the characters take. All in all, though, it was quite entertaining and an enjoyable read.
Despite being a four-hundred-page book, it did not feel like that at all. It was also told in three parts, so it felt like somewhat individual stories lined up, not only chapters in a novel but chapters in Haymitch’s life. We spent ample time on the other tributes and the bonds Haymitch forms with many of them—some of which carry forward in his life, many of which do not. The action scenes were fast-paced and exciting, while the emotional scenes were drawn out and given room to breathe.
Some people worry that the fifth book in a series becomes lacking in quality, but this book was well worth the read! I highly recommend it to fans of the Hunger Games series and lovers of dystopian fiction in general.
The Hunger Games Book 1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Book 2: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Book 3: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Prequel: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Divergent Book 1: Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Maze Runner Book 1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
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