We don’t typically review books in The Scene section, but there’s always a first for everything!

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is the fifth installment of the “Hunger Games” series and the second prequel released in recent years.

It is a dystopian novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins set 24 years before the events of the first book in the series, telling the story of Haymitch Abernathy.

For those of you who may not remember the first installment of “The Hunger Games,” Haymitch is the drunken mentor of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

We learn in “Catching Fire” that Haymitch survived a Quarter Quell at age 16 that had twice as many tributes as usual, and we get to have a little bit of a description of what was televised about his games.

I absolutely inhaled this book the moment I got it into my hands. It was 382 pages, and I finished it in around five hours on release day.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is one of those books you just can’t put down. Every page turn has something new and heartbreaking, and you just have to keep going to see what comes next. Genuinely every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, there was some perfect twist that changed my perception.

I’m not going to talk about specific plot details or spoil the book for anyone who might be interested, but I will talk about a couple of my favorite characters in the book. Even THIS is hard without going into intricate detail about why I adore them, but I will do my best.

It goes without saying that Haymitch won his games — if he didn’t win them, he wouldn’t be District 12’s mentor. But finally getting to meet his fellow tributes was fascinating!

I already knew about Masilee Donner — the original owner of the mockingjay pin given to Katniss in the first book. But the other two tributes were a complete mystery up until this point.

Wyatt Callow, the first male tribute to be reaped, is an oddsmaker. He is ridiculously good at determining the odds of any situation. His character is so intriguing — along with his entire family who apparently bet on the Hunger Games.

Louella McCoy finishes out the set of tributes. She has known Haymitch her whole life and is fiercely loyal to him. She was his original sweetheart — a pet name fondly given to Katniss in the original series.

Out of the entire District 12 crew, I love Maysilee Donner most.

I was not expecting to love Maysilee as much as I did. She is sassy, fun and lets everyone know what is on her mind.

Lenore Dove Baird, though only physically appearing in the book a few times, is a central thought throughout all 380 pages. She is Haymitch’s girlfriend, and is always on his mind. Through Haymitch’s perspective the reader has a chance to love her too — and she is a spitfire!

Last but not least: little Ampert. Ampert is a 12-year-old who was reaped from District 3. He is such a friendly little kid who tries to make allies with the non-Career districts. Just like Louella, I can’t say much more about his character without spoiling the plot.

I highly recommend reading this book — even if you think you know what happens in Haymitch’s games.

And for those of you who might not be interested in reading the book, there is a movie scheduled to release Nov. 20, 2026. Stay tuned for the in depth comparison I will make between the movie and the book!

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Breanna Hanley is a reporter for The Express.