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leannanecdote'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
crybabybea'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
This is a Black Mirror style dystopia. It feels weird to call it a dystopia, because it feels so real. It's not too far off from reality, which is why it feels like a Black Mirror episode.
Something that made this book stand out for me was its multiple POVs. At first, it felt overwhelming to be constanly juggled around different people that didn't seem to matter to the story. But I came to understand that that was the point; everyone is connected to the system in small or large ways. There is no separating yourself from the system whether you want to or not. At the same time, we are all connected together as people. It made the entire story feel like a snowballing of seemingly unrelated butterfly effects. The death of a character's father leads her to accidentally invent the torture device used against prisoners and protestors. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time means one person gets convicted for a crime while another goes free. It shows how the little choices can make somebody's fate, and how the prison system capitalizes on those little moments to punish, dehumanize, and control. It makes the reader ask, are we defined by the choices we make, or do the choices we make really have nothing to do with us at all?
All the POVs come together in one way or another at the end; characters we read the perspective of one time at the beginning of the book become someone we meet in passing in another character's perspective. I loved the effect it created and how it showed each tiny piece of the system and the story as a whole. Some people will find it discombobulated and confusing, but it really worked for me.
And the characters we focus the most on are beautifully done. They are people who have done some of the quote unquote "worst" things a human could do. They are murderers, rapists, arsonists, criminals. But they are also people, and the author does a really great job making you fall in love with them despite what may be your gut reaction to them. They have passions, fears, regrets, dreams. Some of them forgive themselves and others want to punish themselves just as badly as the world wants to punish them. Some of them fully lean into the hand they have been dealt, and others succumb to their own hopelessness. The characters definitely shine here and also open up a lot of introspection and reflection. I would say there are four main characters, but the minor characters play a huge part in the story and I was every bit as moved by their individual stories as the main storyline.
The plot itself is rather basic, and I think if the characters were less compelling it would have quickly become boring. The main conflicts themselves wouldn't have been enough to carry the whole story, but because we become so close to the characters and the POVs are split up the way they are, the intrigue stays high and, at least for me, it was impossible to put this down. The last 25% of this book does not pull any punches. It hits hard and it hits fast.
Every choice the author made feels extremely intentional. The choice to use different narration styles for different character's POVs. The choice to include footnotes that break the fourth wall by pointing to real-world statistics on imprisonment and systemic racism. The choice to end the story how he did. Everything was done extremely well and I'm confident I'll be thinking about this book for a long, long time.
Brutal and devastating.
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
taracloudclark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What an action-packed, hard truth story! And a fantastic depiction of what might actually come about if current societal sins go unchecked.
Narrators were incredible, giving even more humanness to these already hyper human characters, a rawness that is felt in the core.
May God have mercy on our souls.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
jalexpulliamkepler'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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Chronic illness
dominiq_ec'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Car accident, and Alcohol
I mean, this book does force you to take a relatively deep look at the United States penal system, which does include reading about the crimes some of these characters committed, as well as how they are (mis)treated by those that are responsible for their care. At the same time, these incarcerated folks are fighting to the death for entertainment's sake, so there's a lot of gory, violent descriptions. There is mentions of rape, but no graphic details. There is torture, and loss of life. It's a troubling book, so read with caution.lycheejelly'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury