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kivt's review against another edition
1.0
This is a dreary slog punctuated by unpleasant and unnecessary torture porn.
crowsandprose's review against another edition
1.0
This is terribly written garbage. Between the awkward phrasing, the poor grammatical skill and the outright absurdity this volume of thinly veiled torture porn gets nothing but my disdain. I would not suggest these books, or anything else by this author, to anyone I did not hate and wish to punish. These are books to be put down and avoided.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
4.0
I read An Exchange of Hostages so many years ago, the writing style is as peculiar as ever but the story is as stark and intriguing as ever. Manipulated by his family, Andrej finds himself caught in training to become a Ship's Inquisitor. A pretty title masking the role of torturer.
It's a difficult topic to write about and Matthews spins it in a way that horrified but kept me fascinated.
I read these novels so long ago that I had to order them from Amazon US and had to wait years before they were available in ebook format!
It's a difficult topic to write about and Matthews spins it in a way that horrified but kept me fascinated.
I read these novels so long ago that I had to order them from Amazon US and had to wait years before they were available in ebook format!
portlandcat's review against another edition
4.0
Rereading the series for some additional sequels that are out...
thebookcoyote's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good book. I'm a big fan of sci-fi in general, especially if it's more character based than plot based, which this one is. It's not an uplifting book - it's actually quite dark and depressing in many ways, but it's also quite engaging and interesting. Will definitely be reading the next one.
adamantium's review against another edition
3.0
What's good is great, and what isn't is mostly an amateur flexing. A powerful and alarming character study. Every person on Station is obsessed with Kosciusko, who can do no wrong (except for that one little thing...) my thoughts on this are still jumbled. I have the next several books in the series to start ASAP though.
bethmalena's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
This is proof that I won’t automatically love all sci fi written by queer women. This felt like literal torture porn in places, which is not my thing. I also didn’t find it had a satisfying narrative build or arc to it… it seemed to climax around the middle and then just kind of follow miserably onward to set up conditions for the series… but there’s very little motivating me to read more books in this universe. And don’t get me started on the use of “fish” in place of “penis”…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Rape
walford's review
4.0
Second reading (I'm not much for rereading: too many new books) and it's as good I remembered. Good, bad, and in-between people struggling to survive in an evil empire. Matthews' affection and respect for her characters shines through always and makes the grimness bearable. Great depth, consistency, and texture to her world.
That said, you will love or hate this series based on how you feel about our protagonist the unwilling/willing torturer and his relationships with the slaves who love and abet him.
For myself, I'm going to reread the whole series.
That said, you will love or hate this series based on how you feel about our protagonist the unwilling/willing torturer and his relationships with the slaves who love and abet him.
For myself, I'm going to reread the whole series.
bookshelfsos's review
2.0
The Sixth Level was as bad as it got - before it got truly unreasonable.
There are moments in this book where I enjoyed it. I found some of the characters - Andrej, Joselire, St. Clare - sympathetic and interesting. But there were simply too many head-scratching moments of plot holes/weird writing/gratuitous violence to allow me to actually enjoy this book.
What really bothered me most of all was the premise. There is an entire system set up in this world to train and engage torturers. I found it hard to suspend disbelief to the extent that an interplanetary, civilized government has decided that this is going to be their sanctioned method of rooting out and punishing crime. Torture isn't effective, and while I could believe that it would happen in isolated communities where there aren't checks and balances on power, I cannot wrap my head around a giant space-faring government thinking that brutal torture is the way to go.
Another big problem I had with this book was the laughably bad writing that I encountered on and off throughout it. Some of it, I'm blaming on the transcription of the e-book version that I read. But I think some of it was actually written that way on purpose by Matthews. The quote I opened with was one example. Some other examples:
And those were the ones I noticed after I started taking notes.
What got me through this book was Matthews undeniable skill in setting up emotional conflict: both within characters' minds and between characters. I loved the dynamic between Andrej and St. Clare that was starting to develop. Andrej finds perverse pleasure in torture, and St. Clare is almost unable to bear watching it. Andrej himself feels conflicted about his desire to cause pain and his opposing desire to be a good person. It didn't completely redeem the book for me, but it made it readable at least.
There are moments in this book where I enjoyed it. I found some of the characters - Andrej, Joselire, St. Clare - sympathetic and interesting. But there were simply too many head-scratching moments of plot holes/weird writing/gratuitous violence to allow me to actually enjoy this book.
What really bothered me most of all was the premise. There is an entire system set up in this world to train and engage torturers. I found it hard to suspend disbelief to the extent that an interplanetary, civilized government has decided that this is going to be their sanctioned method of rooting out and punishing crime. Torture isn't effective, and while I could believe that it would happen in isolated communities where there aren't checks and balances on power, I cannot wrap my head around a giant space-faring government thinking that brutal torture is the way to go.
Another big problem I had with this book was the laughably bad writing that I encountered on and off throughout it. Some of it, I'm blaming on the transcription of the e-book version that I read. But I think some of it was actually written that way on purpose by Matthews. The quote I opened with was one example. Some other examples:
Since the appointment had obviously been prearranged, Joslire would obviously not let him miss it.
joints when out of joint were almost always intensely painful.
There would be sufficient with which to concern himself, he could be certain of that.
And those were the ones I noticed after I started taking notes.
What got me through this book was Matthews undeniable skill in setting up emotional conflict: both within characters' minds and between characters. I loved the dynamic between Andrej and St. Clare that was starting to develop. Andrej finds perverse pleasure in torture, and St. Clare is almost unable to bear watching it. Andrej himself feels conflicted about his desire to cause pain and his opposing desire to be a good person. It didn't completely redeem the book for me, but it made it readable at least.
iguana_mama's review
1.0
I don't know where to begin with what I found wrong with this book. I think one of the biggest reasons this book bothers me is that the author spent a lot of time exploring the torture itself - the victims' pain, the implements used, and details of the injuries without sufficiently exploring the psychological and emotional impact of torture on the victims and the perpetrator. Sure, Kosciusko has nightmares and assuages his guilt feelings by drinking, but it wasn't enough to convince me that he was truly suffering any inner emotional turmoil. It seemed to me as if one moment he was a dedicated medical professional and the next he was torturing victims and getting a thrill out of it. The transition in character was not realistic and, to me, Kosciusko lacked depth and complexity. Perhaps I would have been able to stomach this book better if the author showed more of Kosciusko's human side.
Sadly, I abandoned the book just 50 pages before the end.
Sadly, I abandoned the book just 50 pages before the end.