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rnfortier's review
- 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
4.75
This book is grounded in the realities of our criminal justice system, so much so that it presents a future that seems not that far off given the rate of incarceration (particularly BIPOC) in the US.
Thoughtfully presented and so well researched, but the author humanizes his characters in such a tragic way you can’t help but love them as the wade through a murder forward “justice” system.
Graphic: Slavery, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Racism, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
smileymiley550's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Slavery, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Grief, Police brutality, Gore, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Self harm
joensign's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Racism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Murder, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Domestic abuse
rainbopagn's review
- 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? Yes
4.75
SPOILERS in
3
2
1
I am more than a little pissed that Thurwar killed Staxxx. I had expected them to go out together, mortally wounding each other. I understand the meaning of the full circle moment but it still annoyed me.
Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Rape, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Cursing
princess_marie's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Torture, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide, and Self harm
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
kaitlinreads17's review
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Classism, Suicide, Sexism, Racism, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Torture, Gore, Grief, and Police brutality
xelainthevoid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Confinement, and Cursing
Moderate: Body horror and Mental illness
lisacanteven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Each chapter is aptly named instead of numbered- most chapters are pretty short. Each chapter also contains a specific POV, one that takes a little bit of reading into the chapter before you figure it out. I felt like the first half of the book I was being introduced to new characters every few chapters just to never hear from them again. This is the reason I couldn't give CGAS a perfect rating. I just felt lost sometimes. Even at the end of the book, I had to read the ending a few times just to make sure I had a solid grasp on how it ended.
As far as character development goes, this was brilliantly done. I felt like I was there with the characters at times, and because of this I feel like a sequel would be great. There is much more to do in this alternate future (hopefully) to do to make things right.
What I did find very unique to this book was the footnotes. The author included footnotes, some related to the story, while some were plucked from our reality and given as facts to educate the reader on just how close this is to becoming our future.
Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Blood, Grief, Racial slurs, Classism, Death, Murder, Gore, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Body horror, Racism, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Racism
embel's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Gore, Blood, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexism
amalas_bookstop's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Quick summary about this dystopian world. Imagine a reality where prisoners are given a pathway to total freedom. Catch is they have to fight to the death on a program called Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program, CAPE for short. I will warn this is a pretty violent book. From the first chapter to the last you are in battle whether in the ring or as a protestor.
There were some total wins, that I loved.
1. This book will open up tons of thought and conversation when it comes to capital punishment and our current criminal justice system.
2. I really enjoyed the footnotes in this book. The author used them to explains laws, codes, facts about the prison facilities, and extra anecdotes about a murderd prisoner. It was really well done.
3. The book really reads like you were watching the games on tv. I could really see this book becoming a movie someday. It was a very entertaining read.
Some things that were missing in my opinion.
I wanted more back story or dialogue on the main characters in this book. While this book is very violent and heart wrenching at times, I had a hard time connecting all the way through. I think it was because the author focused more on the world and the message, that he did not give me enough about the characters. Some of the chapters were really short and hard for me to keep up sometimes. I read somewhere that the author started with short stories and that is evident in the book. Some of these chapters definitely read like a short story.
I would still totally recommend this book especially if you are someone who enjoys a dystopian read. I did have a good time reading this and the author did a really good job getting his message across.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Police brutality, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder