A review by lovelymisanthrope
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I picked up this book as part of a buddy read with a friend. After a lot of thought and discussion, I think I really enjoyed this novel! This novel follows Ender, a "third" (in this future world, you are only allowed to have two children), and his journey to help defeat an alien race. He is recruited into this program from a very early age, 6, and the story progresses until he becomes a teenager. From the beginning, the reader can see he is being manipulated by the adults to become the military leader they need. 
Ender has two siblings: Peter, a very rough around the edges boy who is seemingly evil, and Valentine, an empathetic girl who is always watching out for Ender. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how Peter and Valentine's characters are used to highlight how Ender is a blend of both of them.
There were some very difficult to read scenes, especially with depictions of animal cruelty from Peter. It was also hard to read Ender's story in general because he was so young when he started with battle school, and you cannot help but feel like his childhood was stolen from him. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings