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insideunder's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Excrement and Cannibalism
bookfulthoughts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains.”
I really liked this one! The story was extremely well written and interesting. The world building was excellent and extremely detailed. I was able to visualize exactly what was happening and what everyone looked like! I like that the plot was never lost in the storytelling and this book sets up for the rest of the books in the series perfectly. I do believe that I can see this book becoming a classic in the near future. I loved the concept of the color classism and how that was presented. In my opinion, that was a unique aspect of the story. I also loved that Darrow wasn’t perfect! I he has many flaws but that’s what makes this book good. It gives his character room to grow and develop in complexity.
My reasoning for not giving it 5 stars. Personally, in certain parts of the book it was very reminiscent of the Hunger Games. Having inspiration is fine and I have no problem with that. I’m not sure if it's just me but some scenes felt too familiar. Another thing I took points off for was the fact that I felt like I should have been more emotionally attached to certain characters but I didn’t feel much when things happened. I felt like it was a little cold at times with other characters. Besides these issues, I really liked this book and I do plan on reading the rest of the series in the near future.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
pearceman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Sexism
romina_elizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.75
But I actually really loved this. I don't read this genre much, but I'm so glad I decided to give this one a chance.
I am HOOKED.
And, yes, Brown is right, I'm 90% sure that I'm going to bloodydamn love these books.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
itendswithe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It starts with a close look at the rough life in a low-caste mining community before throwing you into a Hunger Games-esque war simulation.
This book has a great premise, but the level of brutality was hard for me.
I would recommend checking out this book if the description intrigues you, but maybe look at the content warnings before diving in.
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury