Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

196 reviews

indieleah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• 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

A must read, an excellent take down of the prison complex and humans obsession with watching bad things happen to one another. Every now and then the language felt a bit pretentious, but that’s just personal preference I think. Excellent, and also, a tough read (VERY SAD). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

solskxn's review against another edition

Unfortunately, I had to abandon this book halfway through, but it's not for the reasons you might think. 
Due to the graphic self-harm depicted when a new character named Patricia enters the story, I've had to part ways with it.

However, for those who may have a stronger stomach and less personal, visceral reactions to this particular trigger, please note that I would have rated this book highly. The subject matter itself is obviously harrowing, and there's no reprieve in this novel thus far. But the subject is provoking in its vulnerable nature, pitting minorities against one another in a gruesome way. It uncovers the core of humanity's evil and failings.

The narrative is interesting, written from various characters' perspectives, and it's poetic, brutal, vulnerable, real, and gross. Even though I couldn't continue, I believe this book has great merit and is worth your time if you're brave enough. Meanwhile, I'll be off reading a nice little children's story to settle my stomach and my inner child."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

kimapede's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Torture

Minor: Rape

thissagreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

A MUST READ!!!!! I could best describe this as prison Hunger Games meets the prison industrial complex, meets dystopian futurism.

The dialogue, the poetry, and hard conversations that these characters had to deal with and have, was eloquent, complicated, thoughtful and heartbreaking. This book forces the reader to think: 

1. Where and when do ethics and morality stand, when referring to prison systems at large? 
2. Does it matter the crime, for someone to extend sympathy or empathy?
3. Private prisons exist, but what happens to the boundaries and rights of the inmate?
4. THIS IS WHERE WE COULD BE HEADED IF MORE PRIVATE PRISONS OPEN!
5. Would companies actually sponsor and support the debauchery of the competition?
6. Does winning the “games” really free the inmate? Or are they tortured mentally forever?

This book is VERY graphically gory and gruesome, but I will still HIGHLY recommend this book. This story will stay with me for a very long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, and Blood

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

ellen_is_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

This book is stunning.

Through the lense of a high-action murder game show this book delivers a sharp criticism of the American penal system. By using such an extreme framing point, we are shown all of the ways that the penal system has failed, continues to fail, and could fail in the future. 

Incredibly human characters which force you to question your own complicity and limits of what kinds of punishment can be tolerated. 

Rooted in real statistics and structures of the modern justice system,  this story highlights racial disparities, harsh punishment practices, and all the ways that prisoners are seen as less-than and allowed to be harmed for it. 

I will be thinking about this book and it's message for a very long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Sexual content

theganewt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

This was a really great book, I randomly got it from my local library's book give away and was blown away by the depth of the characters and the topics discussed. This book brought up a lot of "scary" ideas that may seem like fiction, but the author ensured to cite sources showing just how based in reality this book was. The characters were incredibly interesting and the book was really well written, such that you felt like you were there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

ms_kristie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Deep reflection of prison industrial complex, entertainment and advocacy and what it might look like in the near future. Dystopian 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, and Classism

bluemonkey14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

A powerful story about the US prison system. The world of Chain-Gang All-Stars is removed enough from ours to make this a spec-fic but close enough to be a thought provoking and uncomfortable read.

The book is sprinkled with asides - some of these provide additional content, others context. I like the idea of this although it does make some of the social commentary points feel a little "on the nose" for my taste. That said, I knew a bit about some of the issues before going in, so what seemed obvious to me may not have been to others. In all I'd say the decision to err on the side of pushing the point home was probably the right way to go.

I really like the way the story is told through different viewpoints - at times it feels a bit like a collection of short stories which all come together in the climax. The story is dense and immersive, there's a lot to take in, but I think that reflects the nature of modern hyper-capitalist life. There's always something to distract you, always a new shiny thing just over there, always something to stop you looking at the blood on the ground.

The ending is abrupt and jarring, like so many endings both in the book and in real life. I do think there's a lot still to cover in this universe (

clearly, Loretta and Mari both have unfinished business

) so I really hope for a sequel or even more.

The violence is graphic and constant. It may not be to everyone's taste but again, it reflects the issues being portrayed. If the reflection in the mirror makes us uncomfortable, the only option is to change what's on this side of the glass.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, and Police brutality

Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia

leannanecdote's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

deetabz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Grief, and Sexual harassment