Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

56 reviews

queerhoneybear's review against another edition

Main character is unsympathetic, feels like it is fanfiction about someone else’s world building. Sexual violence. It wants you to think it’s dark and edgy but is just another white mans chance to be the chosen one and inflict violence on the female characters

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Body horror and Cannibalism

persychan's review against another edition

adventurous

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

 2,5 perchè si sentono tutti i loro anni e perchè il setting è tutto tranne che scifi, anche se finge di esserlo.

Il libro nel suo insieme è godibile, ben scritto e ha delle scene di azione incalzante, ma ha due grandi scogli.

La misoginia e omofobia casuale, che mentre in parte è giustificata dal "la società è terribile", è frequentemente anche figlia di "l'autore non sa scrivere i personaggi femminili ed esistono solo per essere belle, essere soggette a violenza sessuale o morire".
Eo è il più grande esempio di fridging dalla creazione del trope stesso (e c'è una seconda donna morta minore nel background di Darrow, nel caso non fosse abbastanza la moglie morta), ma anche le "badass" sono principalmente definite dal loro essere belle, piuttosto che qualunque altra cosa. E lo stesso LI che dovrebbe essere una tosta e fichissima, finisce per dover essere salvata 2 volte mentre è impossibilitata a fare nulla (compreso di rischio di stupro).

Ah sì, la quantità di violenza sessuale, grazie a dio non descritta, è assolutamente gratuita. Ma la tortura "normale", no eh? Poi ovviamente vittime solo donne.
Ah, la bellezza del ricco worldbuilding del futuro.

Superato questo, il secondo scoglio è che il setting ha pochissimo senso nel contesto scifi se ti fermi a pensarci cinque minuti e avrebbe funzionato meglio o da fantasy o da più vicino nel tempo cyberpunk/distopia. Soprattutto le tempistiche risultano bizzarre perchè sono almeno 500 che la loro società funziona così, nonostante siano sull'orlo di una guerra civile politica di faide ad ogni ricambio generazionele perchè è un sistema, volutamente, costruito per dare vita a suddette faide di sangue tra le famiglie al potere.
Come non si siano ancora cannonneggiate quando al potere c'è gente con PTSD grosso come delle case, addestrati alla violenza e con rancori e vendette in ogni famiglia, il tutto mentre l'intero sistema di caste sembra reggersi sul nulla se non vaga violenza (perchè ha sempre funzionato per tenere in piedi un reggime per secoli oh yeah), è un mistero divino.

Leggero il resto? Se lo trovo usato e se ho modo di leggerlo, come questo, facendo commenti sarcastici con gli amici. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Cannibalism, and War

amphibianwitch's review against another edition

La misoginia es fuerte en este libro.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

bookishholly's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I have so many conflicting feels about this book.

Potential spoilers and TW for r*pe mention

Overall I enjoyed Red Rising, I liked the setting and the overall story. I don't think it's saying something new or really adding anything of value other than entertainment to the world and sometimes that's ok. 
There were multiple times where I felt uncomfortable with the clear misogyny that I don't even know if the author is aware he has written. I admit that it was written 10 years ago but I thought even then that the insult of doing something "like a girl" was outdated. Also to me it feels like there is an undertone of casual homophobia. 
Essentially all of the main cast are insufferable and the fact that one character's attempted r*pe of another is so quickly moved on from is hard to swallow, especially since beginning book 2 and realising that they are still around. 
At this point, I intend to keep reading but that may change.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, and Cannibalism

Minor: Excrement

dreadspawn's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Dysphoria

Minor: Cannibalism

christinas11's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

eBook & Audio. I didn't dislike it and honestly, it was 3 stars until about 60-70% through when I started enjoying it a bit more and gained a half star, but I didn't really enjoy it overall. The writing was very good and the story was fine, it just didn't hit with me. I realized I hadn't read a male main character book in a few months and maybe I just don't like them because I started liking it most when a female character came in much later. They say it's like Hunger Games but in space and those are my two favorite things lol. But this wasn't that. This was nothing like Hunger Games. It's a different vibe with a different structure, motivation, and character behavior. It was a no thanks from me. If they tell you it's like Fourth Wing but space, they lie. Are there some likable characters, yes, but they don't get enough attention. I strongly disliked this book early on and that lightened only a little through the first 50-60%. I switched to audio to push through. I can't stress enough, I actually thought the writing was decent. Like that saying, a book can be good and I can still dislike it or a book can be bad and I can still like it. I could understand people loving this. It didn't help that when I started it I thought it was about dragons and I was really confused about the space part. But Andy Weir is a favorite author of mine so space is normally right up my alley. This wasn't 'really' space though. This was SINO, space in name only. ;)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and War

bookswabi's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, and Rape

saskiajva's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. I love the concept and the plot, the whacky and interesting characters you meet, and the detailed world building. It’s often formulaic but it’s a formula i love dearly. This book is fast paced, and occasionally left me wishing the author used more show-don’t-tell, however it was typically the gorier parts that weren’t shown so for many readers I imagine it’s appreciated. There were even a few key moments that happen fully off page, and as someone who loves big epics with intense battles and mind games, i was left wanting more.

Even with these faults, I ended up plowing through this in just a couple days and am excited for book 2 and 3. I highly recommend this for fans of the Hunger Games and anyone who loves world building that features the cruelest of humanity and those moments that make you go “holy shit, that’s messed up”. The audiobook narrator also does a great job, though there was at least one line i couldn’t understand what he said even after rewinding, and it was hard to tell who was talking on occasion, but overall it did not take away from my enjoyment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Misogyny

miss_fish's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Classism

cats_n_plants_n_cats_n_plants's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Classism