Reviews with content warning for War - Red Rising

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Reviews tagging 'War'

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

311 reviews

margarcia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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hnuh's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, but once

Darrow becomes a gold and enters "school"

, the book slows down pace and is basically just a book about a bunch of teenagers killing each other and trying to survive. I didn't want to finish this book but stuck it out with the audiobook. The ending picked up but I can't say I really want to read the next book in the series. I might give it a try since this "school" portion of the book is over, but I'm not itching to read it. It's a shame, because the overarching world story is really fascinating and full.

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odcosta's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Damn. This was excellent.

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zeneszerzo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

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sardonicdeath's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

Pinecone cousins

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persychan's review against another edition

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adventurous

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

2,5 perchè si sentono tutti i loro anni e perchè il setting è tutto tranne che scifi, anche se finge di esserlo.

Il libro nel suo insieme è godibile, ben scritto e ha delle scene di azione incalzante, ma ha due grandi scogli.

La misoginia e omofobia casuale, che mentre in parte è giustificata dal "la società è terribile", è frequentemente anche figlia di "l'autore non sa scrivere i personaggi femminili ed esistono solo per essere belle, essere soggette a violenza sessuale o morire".
Eo è il più grande esempio di fridging dalla creazione del trope stesso (e c'è una seconda donna morta minore nel background di Darrow, nel caso non fosse abbastanza la moglie morta), ma anche le "badass" sono principalmente definite dal loro essere belle, piuttosto che qualunque altra cosa. E lo stesso LI che dovrebbe essere una tosta e fichissima, finisce per dover essere salvata 2 volte mentre è impossibilitata a fare nulla (compreso di rischio di stupro).

Ah sì, la quantità di violenza sessuale, grazie a dio non descritta, è assolutamente gratuita. Ma la tortura "normale", no eh? Poi ovviamente vittime solo donne.
Ah, la bellezza del ricco worldbuilding del futuro.

Superato questo, il secondo scoglio è che il setting ha pochissimo senso nel contesto scifi se ti fermi a pensarci cinque minuti e avrebbe funzionato meglio o da fantasy o da più vicino nel tempo cyberpunk/distopia. Soprattutto le tempistiche risultano bizzarre perchè sono almeno 500 che la loro società funziona così, nonostante siano sull'orlo di una guerra civile politica di faide ad ogni ricambio generazionele perchè è un sistema, volutamente, costruito per dare vita a suddette faide di sangue tra le famiglie al potere.
Come non si siano ancora cannonneggiate quando al potere c'è gente con PTSD grosso come delle case, addestrati alla violenza e con rancori e vendette in ogni famiglia, il tutto mentre l'intero sistema di caste sembra reggersi sul nulla se non vaga violenza (perchè ha sempre funzionato per tenere in piedi un reggime per secoli oh yeah), è un mistero divino.

Leggero il resto? Se lo trovo usato e se ho modo di leggerlo, come questo, facendo commenti sarcastici con gli amici.

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emmaemmaemmaemma's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

It has been a long time since a book left me feeling this conflicted about whether or not I enjoyed it. Based on my principles of what makes a good book, I did not. This book feels like the author’s wet dream of what masculinity could be. I wasn’t even 15% of my way into the book when

Darrow’s wife was killed and became a martyr. We were just beginning to know her and how much passion and fire she had when her life was tossed away in the story to fuel Darrow’s anger

. Story Sin #1: Female character created and killed solely to catalyze male anger

Then, we meet harmony who is described as having milky skin and even more beautiful than Eo. Gotta love white beauty as the standard and the pattern of strong female characters serving only to suit the male gaze. Yuck.

Darrow is given a singular test to prove his mental fortuity which he passed with ease leaving me thinking really? That’s all you need to see to know that he’s ready to lead a rebellion?

Again it’s like a wet dream of masculine power. Which is so odd to me because every video I watched of someone raving about this book was a woman! It’s giving sword art online truly.

I then experienced the next 70% of the book in a fevered haze much like the characters in the book.

The real world war simulation they go through

is long and I think I tuned in and out of it but got all the major plot points AND found myself wanting to come back to the book which surprised me. 92% of the the way through the book it hit me that this entire middle section read like Minecraft fan fiction and that’s probably why I found the world entertaining.

Students in the woods hunter gathering, proctors giving above everyone and occasionally dispensing OP items like they were in creative mode. It’s Minecraft.

Then I finished the book and I immediately decided to rent the next one which is to say that I had all of these seemingly negative things to say and yet I’m going to begin Golden Son book 2 next because I would very much like to know what’s next. I don’t think I will ever recommend this book series to a friend like I do The Poppy War series, but I think it’s likely that I will finish the whole thing.

Bonus points to me for reading a fantasy series without any smut or romantic A plot.

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