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needread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And I’m glad that I did.
It’s a very raw and real and heavy story.
I love the concept, the dialogue, along with the clear changes characters experience. Even the inner monologues changed as time went on. Very well thought out.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
abitterknitter's review against another edition
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Vomit, and Alcohol
amacat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
richardiporter'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? Yes
5.0
Imagine a major theme of revolution of miners on mars.
A rigid caste system.
Also heavy influence of the spartan agoge sci fi military academy tropes.
And it’s good. So good.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
archaicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Why does this book suck?
-characters are weak, unoriginal, and poorly crafted. Every female in this story is raped, tortured, and valueless. The only merit a female has in this novel is what she offers a man, or what a man does to her, or how she can be used against a man. There is rape or mentions of rape in almost every chapter and it’s thrown in like it’s nothing. Pierce Brown should take some classes on sexism and how writing scenes like this when they have no context of what they are talking about is harmful. Along with the lack of any actual female characters, the main character is a joke. His alliances change every page or so, he is a misogynist, he is a Mary-Sue amazing at everything and he is overall dull.
-The Plot. The plot is a mash up of every single YA apocalyptic story you’ve ever read but the cheap knock off version. You have Hunger games, Divergent, and even Harry Potter all thrown in to create this monstrosity. Nothing is original, everything is taken from something else, and the plot of Darrow rising to I guess avenge his people is lost in the silly “war school” which is basically Harry potter but without the magic, atmosphere, gripping characters, exciting trials, or anything of merit really. The plot devolves into raping young girls while the men suck their own dicks to claim the title of “proctor” or “primus”. The misogyny is absolutely rampant.
- this “novel” is the biggest toxic masculinity, misogynistic, idiotic, compilation of text I have ever seen. This is by far the WORST book I have read this year and I think it is actually detrimental to society.
Do not read this book where women are raped and considered things, where the main character justifies the rape by saying it’s simply “war crimes” where men are emasculated every page and beaten down to make the main character look valuable. There is nothing good about this book and I’m personally offended that this was published let alone allowed to continue in a series. Do not let your teen read this, do not let anyone you care about read this. This is MY OPINION and I am not ashamed to share it. Whoever read this and decided to market it let alone published at all should be ashamed.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
lillelow's review against another edition
The book begins the worst possible way with drunk father figures and community leaders laughing about raping the protagonist’s wife - and no one raises an eyebrow. Misogyny, machoism, masochism, prostitution as a means of female survival and male pleasure, a world in which all women are beautiful, marry when they’re 14 and work with silk while all the manly men work in the mines… This is a sci-fi novel, a world of make believe. You can write about ANYTHING. Create ANY future. Yet this is what we get. I’m SO F* TIRED of reading about this bullshit.
I wanted to put the book down then and there, but decided to give it a go because of all the good reviews.
I shouldn’t have bothered. It doesn’t get better.
The premiss is interesting, but the execution and the character portrayal is horrible.
I didn’t like the protagonist at all. Clever, brave, strong, humble, hardworking, loving… All the right things! At least, that’s what I’m told. Honestly, all I see is a self absorbed insular teenager with no weakness who excels at everything he does for no reason other than he’s the chosen one. He doesn’t have to be likeable, but believable is quite important, and this book does none of it.
The supposedly romantic interactions between the protagonist and his wife are probably supposed to be charming and sweet but only feel stiff, cliche and childish and evoke no emotions at all. But hey, at least she is incredibly beautiful and we’re told everyone loves her… I guess that was enough for the author.
I didn’t like any of the other characters either. Even the ones who are described in good light are horrible, not to mention the way they express themselves. I’m not prude. Explicit language and swearing is fine. But most of the writing, dialogue, slurs and expletives in this book are just disturbing and annoying. You cannot make me believe people talk like this for real. Is it supposed to be cool?? I couldn’t stand it, I hated almost everyone and the flat writing did nothing to help.
At 40% through, I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t care about the story or the characters and was mostly annoyed at it all. Ender’s Game’s the perfect chosen one meets the segregation and killing of The Hunger Games or Gladiator (only it’s terrible) in a violent color-coded elite school on Mars with some sprinkles… no, make that a heavy rain…. of machoism and sexism.
No thank you.
★★-
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
stephanie_ap_sweeney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
beth_taggard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Then there is our too-perfect, enhanced main character. Yawn. Beyond the physical changes he endures to appear gold, not red (societal class is denoted by color in this world), the insinuation is that his intellect, instincts, and athletic prowess have always been this perfect. I prefer more nuance and, frankly, flaws in my main characters.
The pacing is also off. It's a super slow slog in the beginning, though the back half did pick up the pace a little. Was this enough to save the series for me? Will I continue? At the time of this review, I Just don't know.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, and Classism
linkwoodpub's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aelytacchan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, but I found a lot of it foul. I think that might be on purpose, but a lot of the violence seemed unnecessary and out of bounds even for the world's laws and customs.
Women were constantly used as symbols, to further plot points, or as convenient caretakers. Despite there being women peppered into the story, they were mostly inconsequential or, when they were of consequence, they just naturally decided they would rather follow Darrow.
I'll take some time to reflect on whether I want to invest more time into the following books, seeing as they're somewhat on the longer side, but as of now, I don't particularly feel like jumping into the next part of the story.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism