Spoilers for other books in the Hunger Games series ahead.

My nostalgia and need to know what happens next made me absolutely devour this book. I loved hearing Haymitch’s story, and it really works best if read after reading the main trilogy & first prequel as there are many references and it helps add a greater meaning to the plot and actions of the characters.

This prequel is probably in some ways the hardest to make, given we know the vague outcome of Haymitch’s Hunger Games the best given that he is alive to mentor Katniss and Peeta. Even still, I rooted for some of the other characters (maybe it’s the optimist in me, or my tendency to read books where everything turns out okay). At times the character’s deaths didn’t hit as hard because I could see it coming, but Suzanne Collins still did manage a few surprises to hit me (looking at you

Louella & the appearance of Lou Lou

). 

Not spoilers if you’ve consumed the other Hunger Games books + prequel, but we see why Haymitch turned to drinking especially, introduced to some of our important characters in future books like Effie, and we see how effective propaganda can be spun when Haymitch doesn’t know anything about the year Snow first played a hand into the Hunger Games. 

Half a point deducted as though the book is good and makes points about oppressive governments/systems, propaganda, and the like, I’m not sure if it brought out as much new message or as profound as I was expecting for how much people were hyping it. Sometimes I also wondered, based on things Haymitch did in the games, wouldn’t the game masters have killed him for that? Why did they allow him to ultimately win, when they proved they could target & kill any of them? Obviously Haymitch had to live to keep the story congruent, but I wonder how that could be explained away other than maybe him being a fan favorite.

I appreciate the epilogue being post-Hunger Games trilogy so we get to see a glimpse at some semblance of happiness for him, after all of his hardships through his entire life.