On March 18th, readers were rushing to their local bookstore's midnight premiere for Sunrise On The Reaping— and now, I'll be breaking down two chapters that reveal a lot of lore about Haymitch's life and lover (who's related to a certain artist...) and speculate what's to come.

And of course, BIG spoilers (for chapters 1 and 2) ahead!

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Wikimedia

1. Lenore Dove and How We (Sort Of) Already Know Her

Lenore Dove was first introduced in SOTR, not any of the other 4 novels. But, she does have a relation to Lucy Gray Baird, in some way or form.

Haymitch tells us her two uncles Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber raised Lenore Dove. But what about her parents? Well, in Haymitch's own words, he says,

"...her ma died in childbirth, seeing her pa's always been something of a mystery."

As a note, Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber aren't blood related to Lenore Dove (she's a Baird), but they still cared for her because "the Covey look out for their own."

Image Credit: Brutallygolden from Wikimedia

This has left fans to speculate Lenore Dove is Lucy Gray's and Coriolanus Snow's daughter, but it isn't likely. SOTR takes place forty years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Because Lenore is 16, that means Snow and Lucy Gray would have had a child twenty-four years after the events of TBOSAS.

Many fans agree this is improbable. I personally doubt Snow ever saw Lucy Gray after she disappeared in the forest, and we may never know what happened to her.

The more likely mother of Lenore Dove? Maude Ivory, Lucy Gray's cousin. One reader even paid attention to the wording in the books:

"I think the lack of mention of Maude Ivory at all, whilst mentioning other Covey names we know, is a pretty clear indication of her being Lenore Dove's mother."

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2. Haymitch...Wasn't Reaped?

We all initially thought Haymitch's name was chosen in the reaping, especially since he has so many entries. Haymitch provides for Sid and his mother in multiple ways, one being taking on tesserae. In doing this, he's accumulated 20 entries. To make his odds even worse, this time around, there's double the amount of tributes being pulled from the bowl.

Photo Credit: RDNE Stock Project from Pexels

However, against all of this, Wyatt Callow and Woodbine Chance were the two boys reaped in the 50th Hunger Games. Woodbine dies trying to flee, and when Haymitch prevents Lenore Dove from getting knocked out by a Peacekeeper, he's made the second male tribute in place of Woodbine.

What's ominous is how similar Haymitch's reaping was to Katniss'— they both became tributes after trying to save their loved ones.

3. Plutarch Heavensbee Returns

We are introduced to Plutarch in Catching Fire and as a rebel in District 13 in Mockingjay, but in SOTR, he is much more present. Plutarch works as a film director for the Capitol, documenting the 50th Hunger Games, specifically the District 12 tributes.

However, while Mockingjay Plutarch helped lead a rebellion against the Capitol, SOTR Plutarch commit several cruel acts himself. He tries to get the McCoy family, the family of District 12 female tribute Louella, to act for the camera as they did when she was reaped. They blatantly refuse, but guess who doesn't? Sid and Ma.

Photo Credit: Raffi Asourdian from Wikimedia

Plutarch's actions show the Capitols' pervasive use of propaganda. He's desperate for shots of crying relatives and shocked expressions, so much so that he strikes a deal with Ma, having Sid and Ma act out a shocked reaction in exchange for a few minutes of goodbyes. And, hey, it works.

4. "Champagne? Whoops! None for the children!"

Right as the District 12 reaping's recording ends, a waiter brings champagne around to the TV crew and Drusilla. Haymitch is accidentally offered a glass, and the waiter says, "Champagne? Whoops! None for the children!"

What's so ironic about this? It's that the Capitol allows children to fight to the death in a brutal arena but won't allow them to drink alcohol. Now, I'm obviously not advocating for underage drinking, but it's no coincidence that Suzanne Collins includes this moment. It just emphasizes how poorly rules are made in Panem, and maybe...our world?

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Wikimedia

5. Katniss' Father is Who?

If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that Burdock is referred to as "Everdeen" by Lenore Dove. Burdock also mentions that Lenore is his cousin. We can infer, then, that Burdock is Katniss' father. And if Katniss' father is Burdock, and Lenore Dove is related to Lucy Gray, then Lucy and Katniss are related.

Why Haymitch never mentioned his friendship with Burdock to Katniss in the original trilogy I don't know, but it's likely because he didn't want to think about his teenage years again, and therefore, blocked out any memories from that time.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Wikimedia

More Theorists

If you're a book nerd, here are some great book analysis channels I watch that are both entertaining and give you a fresh perspective on your favorite books. These creators have also covered The Hunger Games (and many other books), so I highly recommend you check them out.

MovieFlame: Morgan Ross, former film student, is an expert at all things fandom. He also does Harry Potter, which is one of the fandoms that he's famous for speaking on.

Rachel A Ramras: She is my absolute favorite Hunger Games commentator (definitely recommend her).

What's Next?

I really encourage you readers to keep reading on! SOTR is a book that will keep you turning the page. With that said, may the odds be ever in your favor!