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doahdancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
That said, I loved the premise and read this on the heels of Homestead which was perfect and had the kind of development I wanted for this story.
I plan to pick up the next. Despite not getting what I wanted, this was a short, dramatic, and thrilling read and I like Kent's writing voice.
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Murder, and Sexual harassment
hilary89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
bidpat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
jacquelinec's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape
faith99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Gun violence and Sexism
orangesyellows's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault
andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
We follow Riana as she tries to survive prison by giving herself to Cain, the most powerful male.
I was watchig Jenn from The Book Refuge when she mentioned this story as a good try for consensual non-consent romance for those of us not sure if we like reading such topics.
The premise seemed great and I gave it a try! I don't regret doing that at all! :)
Claire Kent managed to flesh out both MCs, some essential worldbuilding - including a little history why such prisons exists an dhow one ends up in them; some politics and a little genocide history with some race (we meet a character who's part of that race), all these between interactions in the prison, and, of course, sex scenes. >..>...pretty impressive if you ask me.
Anyway, I don't know how to discuss 200pg novellas. so I will quickly list some pros and cons:
pro:+initial scene was quite engaging;
+the stakes were high enough with an actual culmination;
+great comunication between MCs given the situation;
+atmosphere
cons:-in the end we have insta-love;
-escape plan possible in any other situation;
Overall, I really enjoyed Kent's story and, who knows, maybe I will read further in the series...>..> The next MC is interesting enough..
Trigger warnings: attempted rape, non-consensual subject of voyeurism, extreme violence
Important note: the PTSD after spending time in such a place is acknowledged properly!
Hope this review helped you in deciding if you want to try reading Hold.
Enjoy
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Sexual harassment
emfass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
On the podcast, Jenny mentioned that this book is a great example of tight writing, where there is no extraneous plot info, you get just enough to understand what's going on but then the focus remains tightly on the characters. I guess I can see what she meant, but also I felt the writing was almost...too economical? Like I actually wanted to spend a little more time fleshing out Cain and Riana's relationship. Also I found their dialogue kind of boring, and occasionally inane, and overall I don't think it did much to further their relationship or circumstances.
The premise and plot were indeed bonkers, but my feelings about this book can be summed up as "it was fine" and I think I won't remember much about it in a few weeks time (it's been four days since I finished it and already I'm hazy on most of it).
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Sexual violence, and Blood
Minor: Vomit
Many graphic threats of sexual violence; attempted rape; groping