The Hunger Games has been a beloved series for many years. The popular YA series, featuring a game where a boy and girl from each district are forced to compete to the death, was so popular it was adapted into a film series and caused a generation of readers to braid their hair and try their hand at archery (in hopes of being like Katniss).

Despite the original three book series having already ended, the Hunger Games universe is far from over. Suzanne Collins recently came out with a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, featuring the original series’ villain, President Snow, as an adolescent, detailing his upbringing and what brought him to evil. One of the other characters, Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss’s mentor and one of the only other District 12 winners, is also getting a backstory deep dive.

Aside from Lucy Gray Baird, who we learn about in the prequel, Haymitch is the only other District 12 winner prior to Katniss and Peeta, leaving readers curious as to how his game went down. Despite getting a brief description of said game in the original book series, there’s much more to be learned about him and his character, along with his relationships with others, including another District 12 tribute, Maysilee Donner (who he teamed up with), and Katniss’s mother. Additionally, Haymitch’s games were a Quarter Quell, meaning they featured even more challenges.

The novel, called Sunrise on the Reaping, is expected to release on March 18, 2025, and has the intriguing description of “When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?”

The book has many Hunger Games fans ecstatic, and I’m excited to see where it leads, and whether or not it will live up to expectations