The long-awaited Suzanne Collins prequel novel “Sunrise on the Reaping” was published on March 18, expanding the “Hunger Games” discography. The book built knowledge about District 12 and the games, as well as emphasized Collins’ message about oppressive governments. As readers delve into the book, Collins’ warning about unchecked government power appears clearer and clearer.

The novel revolves around Haymitch Abernathy, the mentor of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the District 12 tributes from the first three books. “Sunrise on the Reaping” takes place during the second quarter quell, or the 50th game, a middle point between the prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” and first book in the series, “The Hunger Games.”

The fan response to the new book’s release mirrors the capitol citizens’ excitement for the games.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” not only shows the evolution of the games, but also the evolution of the authoritarian government. In “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” the capitol is recovering from the first revolution, and many capitol citizens are extremely poor, including young President Snow. However, the districts are lively, following the traditions of music and folklore.

The extreme difference from the first three books is striking, as in these novels readers see capitol citizens in outlandish clothing with never-ending wealth, while the districts both literally and figuratively fight to stay alive.

The middle ground in “Sunrise on the Reaping” emphasizes the notion that the poor get poorer, and the rich get richer. The book also shows the development of the games from being a form of punishment for the districts to pure entertainment for the capitol, where the games are streamed in a movie-esque fashion. Instead of the one room colosseum that was used in the first 10 games, the capitol uses a gamemaker to change the arena every year with surprises, like genetically modified animals, to target tributes. Videographers now advertise the tributes with propaganda films and sponsors.

In fact, the point of addressing unchecked power that Collins tries to communicate to readers is continuously ignored by fans in favor of the thrill of reading about the action-packed arena. Social media platforms like TikTok are filled with videos of fans asking for a book for every arena or one for their favorite tribute. The response to “Sunrise on the Reaping” sounds like capitol citizens cheering the games on from the comfort of their own couch.

For example, instead of the usual two tributes from each district, Haymitch is thrown into the arena with 48 tributes rather than 24. Though readers know Haymitch is the winner of the games, and they believe to know the circumstances of his game from pieces of information from previous books, Collins proves how easy it is to be tricked by government propaganda. Everything readers thought they knew about Haymitch’s game was proven false, showing that not only are capitol and district citizens easily manipulated by the government, but that readers are as well.

Although being excited about new releases is typical fan behavior for most books, “The Hunger Games” is a warning to society that gets ignored in order to romanticize violence. “Sunrise on the Reaping” intentionally focuses on the propaganda and the loss of empathy in the capitol. Yet, the response by fans unintentionally reflects capitol citizens, ignoring the actions of President Snow and clear lies from the capitol in order to beg Collins for books about every game.

While the book was incredibly written and well thought out, connecting many characters and ideas from the first book, the response begs the question of how many things society will ignore in favor of excitement and entertainment.