Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

50 reviews

abitterknitter's review against another edition

Go to review page

I just could not care enough about the characters to keep going. It was all just violence.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mirandyli's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book is Brave New World meets Hunger Games, with way more oppression. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

baileyisbookish's review

Go to review page

I really wanted to like this because I thought the premise was interesting. I did enjoy it up to a point. But the main character became so uninteresting and hard to be in the thoughts of that I found myself dragging near the end. I had four chapters left before I DNF’d. 

I was also disturbed by the author’s use of SA and misogyny as plot points. It is one thing to include these serious, traumatic and triggering topics as a way to explore their impact upon individuals and societies and have readers empathize with what this experience does to you. It is quite another to include this topic solely for world building or moving a plot along (violence against female characters in order to benefit the male characters? really?). That is a practice in writing that needs to be left behind. 

This had a lot of potential for me to enjoy, and I just didn’t. I was disappointed. I hope the author can learn from the feedback he is receiving from the millions of women who love to read sci fi and fantasy stories. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

auniverseinside's review

Go to review page

challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

okayyyanna's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jenmarie11's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

casualk's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny

1.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

oddpilot97's review against another edition

Go to review page

HELP, why did this get so insanely boring in the middle.

It’s all dudes running around a forest trying to do violence and i can’t tell any of them apart and i don’t care about what’s happening.

I trudged through an hour of blahhhhh before sadly giving up.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

qgg's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

What I find interesting about reading YA dystopian fiction in my 40’s is the parallels that can be drawn to systemic failures in today’s society. I might not pin all of our hopes on the shoulders of one teen, but the passion and desire to shift the paradigm is pretty universal in new generations. 

The story in Red Rising is far more complex than Hunger Games (the book this one seems most often compared to) if you ask me. Darrow has grown older than his actual years in hunger and want, but the betrayal of reality is sharp. Eo’s dream cut deep and it’s felt through the writing. He’s not confused in a love triangle for 3 books. And the systemic imbalance of power spans not a continent but a freaking solar system. The body modifications and technology are not for fashion but for brute force (plus unattainable beauty standards). 

And the institute or “school” that is referenced is unlike any seen before in YA books. This is closer to Game of Thrones—gore, piss, filth, and r*pe off scene. When “students” sometimes wear animal carcasses before battle, you can’t compare the book to others out there. 

The audiobook is truly excellent. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

maddramaqueen's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings