Lowkey still crying while I write this review. So everyone knows how Haymitch ends up, and you may think that knowing this will make this book easier and that is where you are WRONG. This book was absolutely brutal. Seeing Haymitch as a young happy kid with a loving family and girlfriend was nice in the beginning though.

I feel like this book also purposefully made the deaths of the younger tributes more brutal; Ampert and Wellie's deaths were so messed up I am sick. Despite all Haymitch did to defy the capital, I was hoping he would at least get to see his family one more time.. but maybe that would have been worse. It is also so sad that he was best friends with Burdock, and in an alternate universe he could have been closer to his family, like an uncle to Katniss (': but we still get that I guess. What's even more painful is the fact that no change happens until 25 years later so he had to suffer for so long. I wonder if Haymitch ever told anyone else what actually happened in the arena aside from Katniss and Peeta later; like if Louella's family ever got to know. Also the fact that his Ma and Sid never got to know what he did.

Everything I have to say is a spoiler but know this book is so good and so tragic.