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shellig93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Death
joensign's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Racism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Murder, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Domestic abuse
wormgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Self harm
Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, Suicide, and Rape
sophiestasyna's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
rainbopagn's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
SPOILERS in
3
2
1
I am more than a little pissed that Thurwar killed Staxxx. I had expected them to go out together, mortally wounding each other. I understand the meaning of the full circle moment but it still annoyed me.
Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Rape, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Cursing
sara_reads_and_wines's review
4.5
In a not so distant dystopia future, there is technology in place that helps control the prison population. Ranging from forced silence, to a shock that can electrify your nervous system, the technology is truly terrifying.
But that isn't even the worst of it in this dystopia world. The prison system is now private and for profit. Inmates voluntarily (????) sign up to be part of these "Hard Action Sports". Divided into teams by their prison systems, the prisoners, now called 'links' fight to death in battles to gain ranks to their freedom.
We mainly follow two links Thurwar and Staxxx who are on the same chain (team) and both almost to the top rank to gain their freedow.
Told almost like a documentary, each chapter gives you different points of views from the different links, to fans watching the matches live or at home, to the board members of the hard action sports, to journalists and reporters, and to those protesting the injustice in and inhumane treatment of the links.
It hard to say you enjoy a book with such a troubling concept, but it was really well done. There are footnotes with real statistics and facts about the prison and justice systems that give you a double take. And stories for each person as they enter the prisons or loose their battles so you get a more human side of them outside of their crimes.
I will definitely be reading more by this author to see what other stories they tell.
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, Death, Torture, and Gore
carlycompton22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Gore, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Homophobia, and Blood
fxp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Yet I also couldn't put the book down because it's such a believable dystopia given the state of the USS "correction" system (a.k.a. penal-industrial complex).
Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Racism
machenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Cursing, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
alittlegreenbean's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Self harm, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Racial slurs