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zombiezami's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Torture, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, Death, Gore, and Sexism
Moderate: Self harm, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Cursing, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
Minor: Racial slurs and Religious bigotry
aleyajo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Mental illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Murder, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
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
dannb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
azureumbreon'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Violence, Death, Confinement, Torture, Police brutality, Classism, and Dementia
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, and Cancer
booksemmahasread's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Mental illness, Slavery, Rape, Pedophilia, and Injury/Injury detail
bites_of_books'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? It's complicated
5.0
There are so many levels at which this novel works so well for me. The writing was really well balanced, both describing the horrors that the prisoners have to go through as well as diving into the psyche of each character. I'll be thinking about Simon J Craft for a long time.
This novel also gives the reader snippets of the reality that people in the carceral system have to go through. From the abuse of guards and torture by isolation to signing documents that seal their fate without having proper defense. Adjei-Brenyah is one author that I'll be following closely and I definitely want to read his short story collection as well.
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
pamelamoreno'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Death, and Forced institutionalization
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
missaayyy'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Murder, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Suicide, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism