Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

269 reviews

n0ize's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book has all that we of multiple fandoms want packed into a series. This book is for Harry Potter , Divergent, Hunger Games and PJO fans alike. The plot the characters the world building is all top tier. You feel yourself rooting for just about everyone, but make sure you also steel your heart as well. Great read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

ciuricirui's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

400r's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

2.5

i think the ages being so young and what happened during those times were unnecessary and made me uncomfortable reading a few times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

The author has underage children have sex and rape at some points

readyforit's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

4.25

4.25⭐️0🌶️0.5💧

I can’t believe this missed me during my 2014 dystopian phase but I’m glad it found me 10 years later. I think I would’ve liked it more if I read had a copy to read while I listened, since there are a lot of fantasy-esque names to remember. I liked the narrator a lot but I had to slow it down since he has an Irish accent so I couldn’t get through it as fast as I normally do with audiobooks. The beginning was a bit slow to start, as most fantasy books are with world-building, but surprisingly it also slowed down in the middle after Darrow entered the institute. This author is really good at jerking you around with his twists and turns though I’ve never had my jaw on the floor as much as when reading this series. 

Darrow is a labor worker in the poorest class of people in the solar system, red. He and his people are told they’re making mars livable for higher classes, but we soon find out the dream has already been realized and all classes of people are living on mars, and other planets. To free his people he must become one of his enemies, a gold, and bring them down from the inside. He goes to the institute (aka hunger games for district 1 kids but somehow more brutal), where he makes friends and enemies, trying to win. We meet a lot of side characters who are all deeply fleshed out, and you either learn to love or hate.

If you liked the hunger games, divergent, or the maze runner, you’ll love this series. I’m definitely going to try listening to the graphic audio and reading along to a physical copy to see if that’s a better experience. Overall, I really liked the book and will reread! I wish this had a larger fan base for a series or movie or better fanart though, since I’m someone who has trouble picturing things in my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and War

I’ve seen this labeled as YA but I wouldn’t let your kids read this, it’s really gory. I’d recommend hunger games instead

dwindch's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Murder

saskiajva's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter. I love the concept and the plot, the whacky and interesting characters you meet, and the detailed world building. It’s often formulaic but it’s a formula i love dearly. This book is fast paced, and occasionally left me wishing the author used more show-don’t-tell, however it was typically the gorier parts that weren’t shown so for many readers I imagine it’s appreciated. There were even a few key moments that happen fully off page, and as someone who loves big epics with intense battles and mind games, i was left wanting more.

Even with these faults, I ended up plowing through this in just a couple days and am excited for book 2 and 3. I highly recommend this for fans of the Hunger Games and anyone who loves world building that features the cruelest of humanity and those moments that make you go “holy shit, that’s messed up”. The audiobook narrator also does a great job, though there was at least one line i couldn’t understand what he said even after rewinding, and it was hard to tell who was talking on occasion, but overall it did not take away from my enjoyment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Misogyny

has3000's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.5

Well, that was the fastest I’ve finished a book in a long time. In many ways, this has a lot of similarities to the Hunger Games. Dystopian future where young adults fight each other to the death for the entertainment of the rich, as the main character works to undermine the whole society. But in many ways this stands clearly as its own story.

It’s much more of an adult book. Not explicit, but it contains rape, murder, and mutilation. The character interactions and politics are complicated and ever-changing.

One huge point in favor of this book is that it’s across space. The story takes place centuries in the future, after mankind has colonized not just Luna and Mars, but most of the moons in the solar system.

The main character has plenty of flaws, and fights within himself to control his instincts for the sake of the better, harder path. He also grows as a person and his view of others changes from very black and white into more complex hues (if you’ll pardon the pun).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

Space, rebellion, mars,

katharina90's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.0

I could never really get into this. It was boring, I didn't like any of the characters, and the writing/language wasn't my thing. 

I didn't care for the audiobook narration either.

Not going to pick up the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

kayadargusch's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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: Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jacksonmax12's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Hunger games for adults with very strong themes of class warfare. 

Pros: fast-paced but manageable, accessible sci-fi with exposition woven seamlessly into the story. 

Cons: The main character has a lot of plot armor. There is a lot of graphic violence and child death

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail