Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

37 reviews

itendswithe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book follows a boy crafted to lead a rebellion against a caste-based society that is reinforced by selective breeding. Also, it's on mars.

It starts with a close look at the rough life in a low-caste mining community before throwing you into a Hunger Games-esque war simulation.

This book has a great premise, but the level of brutality was hard for me.

I would recommend checking out this book if the description intrigues you, but maybe look at the content warnings before diving in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Slavery, Murder, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, and Medical content

Moderate: Cursing, Self harm, Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Cannibalism

coincidental's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, and Slavery

logfan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, and Death

heyjaycee's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

3.5

Red Rising was a YA phenomenon when it came out in 2014. (Seven whole years ago! A different era!) Reading it now, its evocation of working class tradition and exploitation feels more timely than ever.

Darrow is a Red, a miner from a caste of miners, living and working under the surface of Mars to mine helium-3 so humanity can terraform the planet's surface above. At least, that's what Darrow and all the other subterranean Reds on Mars believe. When Darrow's wife is executed by the ruling Colours for insurrection, Darrow is forcibly recruited by the hidden Red rebellion and made into a sleeper agent in Gold society, with the eventual aim of bringing it down to liberate the enslaved Reds. And that's just the beginning!

This is a very masculine book. Maybe it's that I don't read a lot of books by cis men? I don't know. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Brown's solar system is a bloody and grimdark place, and Darrow finds himself in possibly the bloodiest, grimmest, and darkest place in it.

Regardless, it's disturbingly good fun. Much like the Hunger Games, it's unsettlingly gripping to read about teenagers murdering and maiming each other to satisfy a cruel society's deeply unjust rituals. And the really satisfying thing about Red Rising and Darrow is that Darrow is just brutally good at it. Despite his setbacks, Darrow in full possession of all the facts about his situation is a Darrow who cannot be beaten. I guess it's a bit like supporting a relentlessly good football team.

Though lacking in substance, Red Rising is good, bloody, gripping, righteous fun.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Body horror, Slavery, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, Torture, Animal death, and Rape

Minor: Cannibalism

This whole book is a content warning. It's very violent, often quite graphic. The rape is only discussed and alluded to, not shown, which is something.

hannah_z's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, and Grief

literarycavy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Gore, Grief, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cannibalism