Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Red Sparrow

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

4 reviews

dyslexzak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

I never felt like I cared for the characters, yet the characters were really the only through line. There really wasn't a plot thread that I could follow start to finish, unless you include the romance element. I suppose it is a romance with a spy thriller skin.

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thefictionalhevschwar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This was such a quick read due to the plot which I quickly got caught up in. I really believe that this is another book to which the film adaptation doesn't do justice. The only key flaw I can provide for this book is the first chapter, where the author tries to give the reader a low down on all the spy lingo that will be used through the book, as it is a fast-paced spy thriller, but it comes across as a long list of jargon on the third page, which nearly put me off the book; but I must say it is worth powering though this section. Another flaw, which really is quite minor due to it being so widespread throughout the writing industry, is that the female protagonist is written by a man - in the sub genre of sex-pionage - need I say more? Although she does make for a very interesting character who, along with some of her counterparts, is really quite likeable. The really thrilling espionage starts around the middle, with a web of contacts trying to decide whether they can trust each other or not, and what patriotism is really worth. The last act was honestly gripping and so dramatic in the most delicious way. What an ending!

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literaryliaisons's review against another edition

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2.0

Red Sparrow leaves a lot to be desired, but the most glaring flaw I found was the way that women are portrayed. In classic "Men Writing Women" style, the women Matthews creates are described using sexist language, the sex is male-centered and focuses on male pleasure while using the women as props, and of the five notable women in the story, one is unceremoniously murdered less than 10 pages after her introduction, two commit suicide, and one is brutally murdered by the protagonist after he breaks into her home.

The only reason why I didn't give this book a 1-star review was that I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about espionage and "tradecraft." The believable details that ex-CIA agent Jason Matthews weaves into the narrative were certainly fascinating. But all in all, this is an abysmal novel and I certainly won't be tempted to continue the series. Really, take my word for it - just watch the movie.

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ravensandlace's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

You can find this review and others like it at aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

I really wanted to like this book. It had two very big criteria for me to like it: spies and Russia. So I should have loved it right? Wrong. I did not care for this book at all and it saddens me greatly. I still might watch the movie though because I love Jennifer Lawrence. And I have heard that the movie is slightly better than the book.

One of the big issues that bothered me was how the author described women. It was borderline degrading. Oh, who am I kidding, it was incredibly degrading to read the descriptions. It felt like he was describing cattle. I know that the author used to be a journalist but that still doesn’t mean he can describe women in any way he likes. Chest size and looks were constantly mentioned. Chest size, especially, was remarked upon all. the. time. Dominka’s uncle would often comment on her looks frequently, which was just creepy. It wasn’t in a friendly uncle way but more of a “ I wanna sleep with you” kind of way.

I think the author read a lot of Dan Brown and tried to copy Brown’s style of writing. There were so many info dumps of Russian spy things and the history of Russia’s spy ring but it wasn’t done well like with Brown’s books. It was just boring to read and I often had to force myself to read the huge blocks of paragraphs.

I was also promised a passionate romance between Dominka and Nate. Yeah, I didn’t get that at all. A few sex scenes which weren’t anything and just a lot of angst. Like so much angst. There are grown adults and it was irritating to read about them lusting after each other. They easily could have been together but instead chose to be difficult. I hate that.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed in case you couldn’t tell from the review above. I probably won’t continue with the series unless I am told it gets better and even though, I would have to really be convinced to pick this up again. It took a lot to read this and I don’t have the time to read books I’m not interested in.

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