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erinmcav'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality
rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In the future, the carceral system has been turned into a reality show. Prisoners can choose to fight against one another to the death with the promise of freedom if they can survive for three years. The story focuses on two Black women who choose to fight, Hurricane Staxxx and Loretta Thurwar, who also happen to be in love with one another. As Thurwar looks to the near future and her potential freedom, the system will find new and increasingly brutal ways to pit the women against each other.
Adjei-Brenyah has crafted a horrifying world that feels eerily close to our own. Two of the biggest highlights of this story are the characters and the world-building. The characters feel like real people with all of the complications and messiness that makes humans humans. Many of the characters we follow are murderers and yet, Adjei-Brenyah does an excellent job of humanizing them and making their past transgressions feel like it is in the past. We are provided the opportunity to see firsthand how these characters have grown and changed. I also really appreciated how he weaves true facts about our current prison system with the near-future world. They added to and continued to build the existing world.
I did run into a bit of an issue with the way the narrative was told. We swoop in and out of a number of different characters' lives. Some we spend a good deal of time with while others are only seen for a single chapter. Though I appreciate how this built out the world and allowed us to see how the horror of death matches have become common place, I found the one-off characters could be a bit confusing and take away from the larger narrative of our main characters. Even so, I think this is a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what Adjei-Brenyah writes next. I am sure it will have great characters and biting commentary told through a fascinating world.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racial slurs and Rape
aharper's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
bookflix'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
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
gdulecki'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
“I seen men I knew were a danger to the world and they too deserve better than this. A shame for me to hope for better, but I know it’s better that can be done”
This was horrifying, brutal, and so deeply moving. There was so much going on, all the perspectives were woven together so masterfully, and I think this style of narration and storytelling was exactly what this story needed. I am at a loss for words, I am grateful for Adjei-Brenyah putting this book into the world.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
elainemh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
janineledet'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
siobhanward's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
On one hand, I appreciate that Adjei-Brenyah wanted to get a lot of messages into this book. By referring to real-life events, he tied it to reality in a way that made things seem even more bleak. However, beyond that, it was sometimes hard to see the impact of the book. The plotline with the abolitionists was interesting but it felt very under used, especially considering how often Adjei-Brenyah linked to real events. I think more focus on that would have made the book more impactful than it was, because as it was written, it felt confusing and overly bogged-down at points, which was too bad, since it was a really interesting premise.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
indieleah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
moscat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
It feels so visual and cinematic but I also can't imagine a way you could film this that wasn't wholly antithetical to what the book is saying.
It lays bare so many toxic aspects of our society, but in particular how we dehumanise criminals, perceive them as the crime not the person, and use that to justify horrific things.
Remember, folks, just because the law permits something doesn't mean it is in any way ethical or moral.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault