Reviews with content warning for Violence - Battle Royale

It's impressive how a book can be so violent and disturbing but still be such a good read. Almost every student in this book gets their moment, which is remarkable, since there are 42 students in the class chosen for this year's battle royale. After two kinda boring chapters, the atmosphere is set almost right away, with the reveal of

the teachers corpse and the murder of 2 of the students before the game even begins

. Afterwards, we follow almost every character for at least a chapter while they live and die in the game. Some of the deaths are a little bonkers

(eyes gouged out with fingernails and an ice pick to the mouth)

and bullet proof vests do not work that way, but its still a great read from start to finish. I'm thankful that there are peaceful moments in between the action, showing us how people are dealing with things and how, at the end of the day, they're still 15 years old. Some of the action is also very sudden, showing us how these children are really stressed and their nerves are fried, which is to be expected, but its interesting how not every death is premeditated. Also impressive is the near complete lack of breasting boobily moments, especially for a novel from the 90s. The women feel like people, which sounds silly to say, but its honestly a rarity unless you look for it. All in all, it's a very very good read, the ending is very good, and I do recommend it to everyone who can deal with the trigger warnings!

Content Warnings

richardlvargas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-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

5.0

One of the best, most intense thrillers - perfect for fans of The Hunger Games who desire something more. It's so dark and you get invested in this entire class of students.

Content Warnings