Sunrise on the Reaping deaths: A complete gruesome list & how
Oh, you’re here for the Sunrise on the Reaping deaths? Looking for a breakdown of every brutal, gut-wrenching demise in Haymitch’s Hunger Games?
Well… I hate to spoil it for you, but—spoiler alert—pretty much everyone dies. Maybe I should’ve written an article on who didn’t die instead. But that would’ve been a very short read. I have shed so many tears reading this book that I’m a hollow shell.
Anyway, here’s the full list of Sunrise on the Reaping deaths in order, in Haymitch’s Hunger Games book. Who met their end and how each person died, in chronological order. Ready to inflict pain on yourself? Let’s get into it. 😭 If you' just want to simply know the names of the full tribute list without method of death, try this character list, including tribute list here.
If you’re looking to avoid spoilers, I’d recommend logging off the internet entirely and hiding under a rock until you’ve read the book.
This article will be full of spoilers for Sunrise on the Reaping, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and possibly The Hunger Games. Save this article for later, if you haven’t read the books yet, or otherwise feel free to spoil yourself silly if that’s your jam.
1.Woodbine Chance.
Woodbine Chance’s name is reaped to be the second boy participant in the Hunger Games. He makes as if to follow Wyatt Callow, but then he whips around and sprints for an alley.
Haymitch thinks he might almost make it, but then a shot rings out from the Justice Building rooftop and the back of Woodbine’s head explodes, when a Peacekeeper shoots him.
2. Louella McCoy.
Louella McCoy was thrown off her chariot during the tribute parade when a horse got startled by a firework. The horses go thundering down the avenue and the spiked wheels of District 6’s chariot tangle with District 12’s axles, causing sparks, leading to their chariot wheel collapsing and Louella and Haymitch getting catapulted into the air and landing on the ground.
Next thing Haymitch knows is that he’s lying in a puddle of blood, and realises its Louella’s. She’s escaped the arena by death. Her skull cracked open when she hit the pavement.
The Capitol doesn’t want to feature this unplanned death on the broadcast, as it highlights their incompetence, so they hide it.
3. Incitatus Loomy (off-page).
Incitatus Loomy, the parade master of the 50th Hunger Games, took the fall when the parade didn’t go as planned. Someone had to be held accountable, after all. His punishment was a plate of poisoned oysters, courtesy of President Snow.
4. Wyatt Callow (off-page).
Sadly, Wyatt was one of the earliest tributes to die in the arena on Sunrise on the Reaping. But he died a selfless hero while protecting a bewildered Lou Lou from Panache Barker and his sword, on the first day of the 50th Hunger Games at the usual bloodbath that ensues once the games begin.
Haymitch didn’t witness the death, but Maysilee recounts it to him.
5. The initial bloodbath on day one of The 50th Hunger Games.
The rest of the Hunger Games day one bloodbath death toll is as follows, and it all happens off-page, as Haymitch doesn’t witness it:
Miles and Velo, Haymitch’s ‘doves’ from District 6.
Bircher and Heartwood, the boys from 7.
Wefton, Notion, Ripman and Alawna, who are all from District 8.
Ryan, Kerna, Clayton and Midge who are all from District 9.
Lannie and Peeler from District 10.
Tile from 11; and
A boy and girl from 5, who were allied with the Career pack.
6. Lou Lou, Louella McCoy’s body double replacement.
Despite Haymitch trying to protect Lou Lou from all the insidious alluring poisonous fruits and water in the arena, Lou Lou recognizes a Bee balm healing plant. It surely reminds her of something from her home in District 11 and she happily dives into it, crushing handfuls of the leaves and burying her face in the red blossoms. Moments later, she’s convulses, turning blue and bleeding out.
7. Carat from District 1 and Urchin from District 4.
These two tributes were part of the Career alliance and were poisoned by the arena itself when drinking and eating from its verdant offerings.
8. Loupe from 1.
Loupe was a career from District 1, and was killed by Maysilee Donner.
9. Ampert Latier.
Beetee’s son, Ampert Latier was swarmed by hyper squirrel-like mutts with golden coats, in a targeted carnivorous mutt attack that were programmed for his look, his smell and his taste. Haymitch tried to battle them off to save Ampert swinging his spear as a club, but he lost the fight.
Next, the mutt squirrels vanished into the foliage, leaving only the small white skeleton of Ampert Latier, stripped clean to the bone, and somewhere, Beetee’s heart shattered into a tiny million fragments.
10. A volcano explosion causing another 12 tributes to die.
The death toll from the volcano explosion is as follows:
Alpheus, Camilla, Janus, and Nona from District 2.
Dio, Lect, and Coil from District 3.
A boy and girl from District 5.
Atread from District 6.
Blossom from District 11.
Stamp from District 10.
11. Barba and Angler from District 4.
Barba and Angler from District 4 were killed by Haymitch in reflexive self-defense when they ambushed him after he escaped a giant hedge maze like structure.
Barba had lunged with a trident pointed at Haymitch’s neck and Haymitch deflected it with his arm and whipped out his knife to drive it into her gut. then, rolling to the side, he encountered her district partner’s leg and hamstringed it, scrabbled to his feet, and cleaved open his neck with his ax in an adrenaline-fuelled blow.
Next, he turned to face off with Panache.
12. Panache Barker
Panache and Haymitch faced off, and Panache disarmed Haymitch’s grip on his ax and knife, leaving him defenceless. Haymitch started talking fast to distract and delay Panache, but ultimately, Haymitch ended up bracing himself for a death blow.
However… a blowdart pierced his throat and Panache was killed by Maysilee instead. “We’d live longer with two of us,” said Maysilee to Haymitch.
13. Ringina and Autumn.
Silka and Maritte take out Ringina and Autumn in combat.
14. Three gamemakers.
Three gamemakers were spotted by the some of the remaining tributes (Maysilee, Haymitch, Maritte and Silka) when fixing the arena. One was killed by Maritte with a trident, one by Maysilee with a blowdart, and one dived into a mutt hole, cracking their skull upon impact.
15. Hull, Chicory and Buck.
Hull, Chicory, and Buck were part of the Newcomer pack, allied with Haymitch and Maysilee.
When Haymitch and Maysilee find them after following the mewling kitten sound, it’s not looking good. Chicory and Buck are skewered with long metallic spikes, like knitting needles punched straight through their bodies. Turns out, the Capitol’s idea of fun this year includes a bear-sized porcupine muttation with gold, silver, and bronze quills, and claws, for a next level horror aesthetic. And of course the quills are poisoned.
Hull, hanging on with quills sticking out of his swollen face, tries to fight back to save his friends. He goes at the mutt with a pitchfork, but it just backs into him, driving another set of quills straight into his leg. He drops.
The poison does the rest. Cannon blasts follow as each tribute succumbs to the injuries and poison, in spite of Haymitch and Maysilee trying to help with a syrup antidote.
16. Maysilee Donner.
Haymitch hears Maysilee begin to scream and runs to her to see her getting attacked two dozen long legged waterbirds, the color of bubblegum, diving again and again at Maysilee. They’re programmed to attack Maysilee in a very personal punishment for her role in killing the Gamemakers in the arena.
A bird swoops down and drives its swordlike beak through Maysilee’s throat, and Haymitch decapitates the bird.
Tragically and inevitably, Maysilee is beyond recovery.
“Maysilee leaves the world the way she wanted, wounded but not bowed. I think about cleaning her up, but this is her final poster, and I won’t tidy it up to make it easier for those monsters in the Capitol to sleep tonight.”
17. Wellie.
Haymitch and Wellie are reunited for a brief interlude in the arena, with Wellie severely dehydrated and starved. Haymitch is determined to get some sustenance into her, but needed to bake the potato, and start a fire to do that. He goes off in search of kindling. He very nearly surrendered himself to drinking a poisoned milk courtesy of the Capitol (aka Snow) that came in as a sponsor gift in a parachute, but heard a cannon blast, so threw the pitcher of milk aside and took off to see which tribute died.
He rounded upon Silka in her snot-green outfit, splattered in blood, in her right hand, her ax. In her left hand, was Wellie’s head, eyes still open, mouth agape. Wellie’s body was lying in a crumpled heap a few feet away.
Wellie’s death has got to be one of the most gruesome and disturbing ones. But aren’t they all really?
18. Silka Sharp.
Silka Sharp chases Haymitch and let her ax fly in an attempt to kill him.
Haymitch’s knees folded like wet cardboard and he collapsed as he tried to keep his gut innards intact. The ax whistled over Haymitch’s head and into the edge of the arena, into the canyon. The ax rebounded on the force field and returned like a boomerang, smashing into Silka’s skull.
19. Haymitch’s mother and brother.
Willamae Abernathy and Sid Abernathy, Haymitch’s mother and brother were burned alive in a very suspicious house fire. It’s deemed an ‘accident’ but we know that President Snow arranged it, because he threatened Haymitch by telling him to enjoy his homecoming.
20. Jethro Callow.
Tragically, Jethro Callow hung himself when the body of his dead tribute son, Wyatt Callow, was returned.
21. Lenore Dove.
How did Lenore Dove die? This one wrecked me.
She picked up a bag of gumdrops, and Haymitch assumed they’re the ones he arranged for Sid to give her after the reaping. When they finally reunite, they embrace, and he feeds her one, maybe two, before realizing something is wrong. They weren’t the ones he sent. They were deep, bloodred. The exact shade of the rose Snow wore at the victor ceremony.
Haymitch ordered Lenore Dove to spit the gumdrops out. But it was too late. She hadn’t eaten in days, and there was no charcoal, no antidote. Nothing to stop it. Haymitch screamed for Clerk Carmine, but Lenore was already slipping away, blood-flecked foam bubbling over her lips. She managed to whisper, “Don’t you… let it… rise… on the reaping,” while Haymitch begged her to hold on.
Her last word was “Promise.” And Haymitch does. He promises.
Lenore Dove’s eyelids fluttered shut, and she was gone. Poisoned by Haymitch’s own hand. Courtesy of President Snow.
The Sunrise on the Reaping deaths that broke Haymitch (and us).
Hope you found all the Sunrise on the Reaping deaths you were looking for and how they happened.
Though, for real, did any of us want to go through this emotional devastation? I’ve been an absolute wreck since finishing it, and I’m still trying to process everything.
The sheer heartbreaking inevitability of it all lingers. If you’re feeling the same, just know you’re not alone.
Take care of your heart, because this book sure doesn’t, although the silver lining is that Haymitch kept his promise to Lenore Dove, when Katniss succeeded in stopping the sunrise on the reaping, which makes it all hit so much harder. 😭
Happy book hangover everyone!
Get The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes here. | Get Sunrise on the Reaping here.
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