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bookfulthoughts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“I am the spark that will set the worlds afire. I am the hammer that cracks the chains.”
I really liked this one! The story was extremely well written and interesting. The world building was excellent and extremely detailed. I was able to visualize exactly what was happening and what everyone looked like! I like that the plot was never lost in the storytelling and this book sets up for the rest of the books in the series perfectly. I do believe that I can see this book becoming a classic in the near future. I loved the concept of the color classism and how that was presented. In my opinion, that was a unique aspect of the story. I also loved that Darrow wasn’t perfect! I he has many flaws but that’s what makes this book good. It gives his character room to grow and develop in complexity.
My reasoning for not giving it 5 stars. Personally, in certain parts of the book it was very reminiscent of the Hunger Games. Having inspiration is fine and I have no problem with that. I’m not sure if it's just me but some scenes felt too familiar. Another thing I took points off for was the fact that I felt like I should have been more emotionally attached to certain characters but I didn’t feel much when things happened. I felt like it was a little cold at times with other characters. Besides these issues, I really liked this book and I do plan on reading the rest of the series in the near future.
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual assault, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Stalking, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Racism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Genocide, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, Cannibalism, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Self harm
pearceman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Death, and Torture
Minor: Sexism and Animal death
romina_elizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
But I actually really loved this. I don't read this genre much, but I'm so glad I decided to give this one a chance.
I am HOOKED.
And, yes, Brown is right, I'm 90% sure that I'm going to bloodydamn love these books.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Classism, Xenophobia, War, Torture, Slavery, Murder, Stalking, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
itendswithe'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
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.
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