Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

31 reviews

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Pretty good. The plot of a boy genius excelling beyond his peers and adults, and then saving the world but feeling alone while doing so reads as very much wish fulfillment for middle schoolers who think they're brilliant and have trouble making friends. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not at that point anymore,  and it makes certain sections a bit laughable. The best section is by far the last two chapters, with the bugger queen and the characters' healing. It has, as all half decent dystopian books should, a pretty strong anti-war sentiment, which I enjoy even if the supergenius child soldiers is a bit of a stretch. I'm not especially pressed to read the rest of the series, but it was a nice little jaunt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Suicide, Antisemitism, Medical content, and Classism

allieewh's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, and War

katfrenn_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

4.0

I first read this book just before starting college, and am revisiting it almost a decade later as I approach the end of graduate school. This book has so many interesting ideas and if you love it, you should definitely read speaker for the dead (the semi-standalone sequel). While this is a book about kids, it is certainly not a book written for kids. I think most adults can take something away from this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, and War

shannypoo2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Violence

Minor: Xenophobia and War

cricket_witch's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Orson Scott Card may publicly be a bigot, but I think he needs to do some serious self reevaluation. Ender’s Game focuses on all that is horrid in humanity and all that can be beautiful. It is a stark look at how humans interact with one another and the ways in which we must grow to become better. It is a book about the knowledge children hold and the ways adults should listen but don’t. It reminded me of “This Is How You Lose the Time War” and “A Psalm for the Wild-Built.” It is a meditation, told through the eyes of a child who does not believe in hatred.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation

Minor: Self harm

witwickan's review against another edition

2.0

God this book sucks. The writing is terrible and all of the characters sound exactly the same. I'm amazed that this book has such good reviews. I'm also amazed that none of them mention the racism and antisemitism and very few mention the misogyny. There are points where it's interesting and it's an easy read but it's definitely not good. It's a classic crappy sci-fi novel though so you can't expect much else.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, and War

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Suicide and Torture

playfulbee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is for analytical minds. The main character, whose thoughts make up most of the book, is extremely intelligent and observant.
The ethical questions discussed in the book are intriguing, the characters are well written and the language is chosen carefully.
A great read altogether.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Xenophobia, Blood, and Colonisation

Minor: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

bones_jackson's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Um dos melhores livros de ficção científica já escritos, com o mundo e seus problemas bem estabelecidos e os conflitos bem desenvolvidos 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

exekias's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Colonisation, and War

kwichris's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

It took me too many years to finally read this wonderfully written science-fiction epic. For anyone who has seen the movie, please read this book, as it contains so much missing content that really demonstrates the breadth of this world Card has envisioned. The way in which he weaves topics of religion, abuse, isolation, and grief together in a futuristic world where humanity 'cannot' afford to deal with these concepts in fear of an alien 'threat' is nothing short of masterful. I do wish some concepts were given a little more time, like the subplot with Valentine/Peter Wiggin influencing public opinion on Earth while Ender trains for the fight of his life or the subtle importance of religion on how the society currently functions and how it resurfaces at the end of the novel so suddenly. Overall, a must-read for fans of this genre, and a good choice for young readers wishing to engage with material than will challenge them, make them think, and help them develop mental imagery skills thanks to the clear pictures Card has written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Grief

Minor: Physical abuse, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail