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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
kailey_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Death, Murder, Racism, and Slavery
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
wormgirl's review
- 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
Graphic: Murder and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Self harm
Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, Suicide, and Rape
mthay's review against another edition
- 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, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism
hspooner8'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: Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Classism, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, and Slavery
sara_reads_and_wines's review against another edition
4.5
In a not so distant dystopia future, there is technology in place that helps control the prison population. Ranging from forced silence, to a shock that can electrify your nervous system, the technology is truly terrifying.
But that isn't even the worst of it in this dystopia world. The prison system is now private and for profit. Inmates voluntarily (????) sign up to be part of these "Hard Action Sports". Divided into teams by their prison systems, the prisoners, now called 'links' fight to death in battles to gain ranks to their freedom.
We mainly follow two links Thurwar and Staxxx who are on the same chain (team) and both almost to the top rank to gain their freedow.
Told almost like a documentary, each chapter gives you different points of views from the different links, to fans watching the matches live or at home, to the board members of the hard action sports, to journalists and reporters, and to those protesting the injustice in and inhumane treatment of the links.
It hard to say you enjoy a book with such a troubling concept, but it was really well done. There are footnotes with real statistics and facts about the prison and justice systems that give you a double take. And stories for each person as they enter the prisons or loose their battles so you get a more human side of them outside of their crimes.
I will definitely be reading more by this author to see what other stories they tell.
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, Death, Torture, and Gore
carlycompton22'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
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Gore, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Homophobia, and Blood
machenn's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Cursing, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
maggieperrien'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
This book shows the very worst that is possible from humans when we stop seeing the humanity in each other. But it does so is such a thought provoking way. The Links are all murders and/or rapists - they have done bad things but then have the opportunity to be immortalized as heros in the blood-sport matches. The book’s chapters change character POV from Links, prison owners, prisoners families, even fans - this makes the book interesting and allows the reader a varied perspective as they have to decide what is good and bad.
This is a hard read, there is violence and it’s a grim look at the human condition but also interspersed are footnotes of real carceral system facts which makes this book so important and so sad. Although it was a tough read I still highly recommend.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, and Slavery