All Five Hunger Games Books, Ranked

May the odds be ever in your favor.

I'm a few months late, but I finally read Sunrise on the Reaping. Last year, as a matter of fact, I did a re-read of the entire Hunger Games series before re-watching the movies, so this franchise has been on my mind since I re-explored this world. Naturally, when they announced a prequel focused on Haymitch, I got very excited. You will see Sunrise on the Reaping in my most anticipated movies for next year. I love The Hunger Games, and I was very eager to read the newest installment. That said, here's my ranking of all five Hunger Games books.

5. Sunrise on the Reaping

I still really liked this book, but I think out of the entire series, it has the least to offer. We basically get a mini-summary of the entire story of this book in Catching Fire, so going in, I was curious what exactly Suzanne Collins would expand upon here. I think this book works best as a true prequel to the entire series. We establish a bunch of characters that exist in the wider world of The Hunger Games and really lay the foundation for the rebellion that will take place in Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Haymitch's story is, unsurprisingly, really sad, and I think that really knocks this book back for me. Obviously, it works as a great explanation for why Haymitch is the way that he is, but this story is just too bleak for me. The original trilogy is dark, but part of what makes it so good is the hope that Katniss represents. Sunrise on the Reaping is basically devoid of hope from beginning to end, and that can make it a very tough read at times. I really enjoy the expansion of this backstory for the Games and the characters that we meet later in the series, but I found this to be the least enjoyable of the books.

4. Mockingjay

Mockingjay is a very inconsistent read. I think it's a jarring story, because it is the only book to not actually feature the Hunger Games. That's definitely a good choice by Suzanne Collins, because it would make absolutely no sense for us to return to the arena after the events of Catching Fire, but it makes Mockingjay feel more by-the-numbers than you would like. The dystopian rebellion is a story that we've seen a bunch, and, for the middle portion of the book, Mockingjay fails to separate itself from these tropes. Where it really does take a turn, however, is the ending. The major twists at the end of this book make this heart-breaking conclusion feel satisfactory in a way that you would never expect. I love how it examines the morally ambiguous and shows that Snow isn't the only villain seeking power. It differentiates itself by taking a very bold risk with the way it closes out this story, and I think that that risk paid off. Like Sunrise on the Reaping, it's a very dark book, so it can be a tough read at times, but it works as the final chapter of this long-running saga.

3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I know a lot of people don't love Ballad, but I found it to be a fascinating prequel. I think Snow lends himself to a prequel novel more than Haymitch does, which is obviously evident by the way I ranked these books. What Ballad does so well is show us a different version of the Hunger Games and Panem. It's less evolved. It's primal. It's disorganized. And we see this different, younger version of Snow without all the venomous evil that we get later in the series. I love that Collins didn't shy away from making sure that, although Snow is our protagonist, he is never framed as a good guy. Because the book is written with him as our POV character, we understand the twisted way that his mind works and why it would lead him to being the monster that he becomes in the main trilogy. I think, opposite to Mockingjay, the ending really hurts this story. The final act, which takes place in District 12 and sees Snow as a Peacekeeper, feels much more rushed. It felt like Collins didn't know how exactly to turn him into the full-fledged psychopath, so she just did it without much development. That's disappointing, but it doesn't take away from a very different, very exciting prequel.

2. The Hunger Games

The original book is one of the most iconic dystopian / young adult novels for a reason. The Hunger Games is an ingenious concept that lends itself to great amounts of social commentary mixed in with exciting, emotional sequences. The key to this story is nailing our main character, and Katniss is as good a protagonist as you could hope for. We understand her as this rebellious teenager who is thrown into this horrific situation, and we follow her on this path towards becoming the Mockingjay. This is how you do a dystopian novel right. Collins does a fantastic job of building out Panem and the rules of the Hunger Games so that we understand everything once Katniss gets into the arena. The way that the Capitol media is portrayed and Snow's role as this mysterious puppet master in the background hint towards a larger world, but we are so caught up in Katniss's personal journey that it makes for a grounded, gritty story that, despite only being fifteen years old, has become a staple of dystopian literature.

1. Catching Fire

Catching Fire is like The Hunger Games on steroids. This is, in my opinion, a near-perfect book. It combines everything that Suzanne Collins built out in the first novel: great characters, social commentary, world-building, and does it bigger and better. The Hunger Games was focused on Katniss and Katniss only, but Catching Fire widens the scope of Panem and shows us these other victors and how the 74th Hunger Games have influenced the other districts. It's chock-full of exciting moments, shocking twists, and truly emotional plot beats that make for one of the biggest page-turners I have ever read. Every single paragraph keeps you on the edge of your seat. I think this book (and it's film adaptation, for that matter) is one of the most underrated sequels of all time. It is just incredible. It is the peak of The Hunger Games, and it absolutely comes in at number one.