A review by ladymair
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
 
As a woman, I am ANGRY. 
This isn’t an author who can’t write women, but OMG the R*pe in this book!!! 

I will preface if you like this book, that is absolutely fine, but you have to acknowledge that the R*pe in this book isn’t the best, and should ideally be taken out.

Let's talk about this. This book came out years ago, and SA was known to be in a lot of older fantasy books, but never ever have I seen it this bad. I got through 50% of this book before i dnfed, and I was enjoying the story until the SA. Sa can be written into books if taken with enough care, and not just because of a trauma point, but Brett failed. 

Brett did this in the first book. R*pe was there for no reason but i let it slide, thinking that as it was a debut he would grow and learn. The fuck was I wrong. 

I was listening to this book at work, and for the hour I listened I was almost sick with how many times/long the scene was. It never went into detail, but as someone who isn’t squamish, I was sickened. SICKENED. How the hell did the editors let this be published? I have no idea. 
I’m not going to go into detail, but the scene in question about SA with the father, and the other sisters were telling the victim to put up with it, because they had to. Um F NO. that does not happen. Not to mention the character shows no abusive attributes. And after, she isn't traumatised but quite happy to sleep with a guy she fancies THE NEXT FING DAY 

Sa is flooded through this book, not just from the women's side. A man is SAed as well. But Brett takes no time to process these instances, to give a voice on it and to show the victims feelings. It's just there. For no reason at all, and that is what sickens me.  

I hate this book with all my being because of it. The SA could be torn from the book  and it would change nothing. The plot is fine, the characters are okay and I was enjoying the series until this point. Demons? Give me. 

As a woman I am so fed up of reading books where women are put down, SAed, treated as nothing. This book is like that, and even the other women treat other women like they are nothing. No solidarity, no advice on how to live in a man’s world. 

I really wish authors would do better. As a woman, I've had enough. 

 
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