I have loved this series since the first book, and this novel deepens the reader's understanding of this brutal, extravagant, spectacle of a Rome in its last days society. Haymitch Abernathy is a fascinating character, part good, part bad, a true chiaroscuro of morality. In this novel, we see him younger more idealistic, before loss and alcoholism ate away at him, and yet at the kernel we see the beginnings of his pragmatic, blase outer shell. There are numerous parallels to the first Hunger Games novel and here we meet young versions of Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman, along with a young and tragic Maysilee Donner. The writing pulls the reader in from the first page and keeps you turning the pages right up until the tragic end that explains the mystery of why Haymitch behaves the way he does as a mentor to Peeta and Katniss. Excellent addition to The Hunger Games pantheon!