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noodlebooknook'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
4.5
4 stars in some execution
4.5 stars to call it even
Let’s start with the good:
- the concept is very very good, I mean death games at this point I thought couldn’t be re-invented but this felt familiar yet fresh
- the main characters were so loved I almost cried multiple times it was so real and raw
- the author was very good at embodying all of the different POVS each one felt very separate and original
Some small criticisms:
- the POVs shifting without explicit chapter names for each character can be a little jarring sometimes I wasn’t sure if we were in the story of someone in the games or someone in the outside world
- some of the POV chapters were a little boring, like some chapters would have a rich back story while others I found myself not as invested in
- the changing sometimes between current and past events were not super clear and sometimes made a little confusion in the narrative, chapters as dates or names I think would have cleared me up
Overall I think this book is an amazing read and says so so so much about current prison systems and neo-slavery while in a fiction setting a lot of this book is very very real.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and Abandonment
3littlewordz'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
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Classism
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
kshertz'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? No
4.25
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
jessthanthree'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
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment