nicolerose3's review against another edition
2.0
While well written, I hated reading this book. I may have had a different feeling if I’d read this as a child, but as an adult with a child it was too hard to read. Specifically “breeding” and training children to be killers was nauseating. It physically hurt me to read about raising children to have them taken away and isolating them to save the world at six years old. That said, I am not much of a sci-fi fan so maybe it is the genre more than the book that I am reacting to.
bookishbabe431's review against another edition
4.0
it was sometimes hard to follow but it had such relatable main characters. sometimes I wanted to cry. pretty good story over all.
mamaorgana80's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
3.75
Finally got around to this one.
liyamo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
mssunnyskies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
caylereads's review against another edition
1.0
I remember liking the movie when it came out (granted that was like 10 years ago), but I did not really like the book...
minnini's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
quidgy's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best, most moving, thoughtful books I've ever read.
islandkate763's review against another edition
3.0
This was a 4 star review for me at first because I really enjoyed the plot and Ender, but after some consideration I had to remove a star (and probably should remove another) for the author's blatant sexism that I just couldn't forget.
To be specific:
1) the ridiculous statement one of the male characters makes about evolution making women too soft in general to make it into Battle School and Ender receiving this observation without question.
2) the statement above subsequently forces the reader to view the only two female characters in the book via this lens. Valentine, while just as smart as Ender, is too soft and "hysterical" to make hard decisions so fails the test. Petra then becomes "unnatural" because she is able to "overcome" her inherent female-ness and make it into the school.
3) the only person in the book that gets slapped for no reason is female
4) the first of his team to "break" because Ender pushed them too hard was the only female character
I read more about the later books and apparently it only gets worse, so I won't be continuing the series.
To be specific:
1) the ridiculous statement one of the male characters makes about evolution making women too soft in general to make it into Battle School and Ender receiving this observation without question.
2) the statement above subsequently forces the reader to view the only two female characters in the book via this lens. Valentine, while just as smart as Ender, is too soft and "hysterical" to make hard decisions so fails the test. Petra then becomes "unnatural" because she is able to "overcome" her inherent female-ness and make it into the school.
3) the only person in the book that gets slapped for no reason is female
4) the first of his team to "break" because Ender pushed them too hard was the only female character
I read more about the later books and apparently it only gets worse, so I won't be continuing the series.