The country of Panem is large and complex, with a lot of history. With 13 different districts, an outrageously flamboyant Capitol and a history of 75 different Hunger Games, trying to understand the world of The Hunger Games can seem intimidating. Luckily, Suzanne Collins does a wonderful job of weaving Panem’s history into the story without overwhelming her readers. All the little details included — such as the specific industry each district provides to the Capitol, the televised spectacle of the Hunger Games and the “muttations” created by the Gamemakers — help us understand the world the characters live in and how cruel and dangerous the Capitol can be. Ten years after the last book of the original Hunger Games trilogy was published, Suzanne Collins decided to expand on the world of Panem. With The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes taking place 64 years before Katniss entered the Games, readers got a whole new look at Panem. While fans were skeptical when they realized the prequel focused on a younger version of the series’ villain, Coriolanus Snow, his perspective taught us about his motivations, his journey to becoming president and the history of the 10^th Hunger Games — a more rudimentary, barbaric and unexpected version of the Games than we’d ever seen before. Similarly, the prequel Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before Katniss’ Games and focuses on former District 12 Victor, Haymitch Abernathy. Because the book takes place at an earlier time, readers can see how different things were in Panem only a couple of decades before Katniss’ Games. As we read the book, we can start to speculate not just on why things have changed but what it means that they did. By expanding on the story and the characters from the beloved original trilogy, Suzanne Collins takes us even deeper into the world of Panem that we thought we knew and keeps her fans eagerly coming back for more.