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adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A thriller that does a good job of exploring its characters, with enough nuance to make them multi-dimensional. Loved how the entire book is threaded with meals the characters are enjoying, and the recipes shared at the end of each chapter. There is, as with most American-penned thrillers, an imperialistic touch, with Uncle Sam's white-knight complex against the Big Bad Russia oozing off the pages. I would have preferred the pacing to be a bit faster in some bits, but overall enjoyed the unfolding of the story. The author did a good job of describing uncomfortable scenes in an acerbic style, and the end was satisfying. There are two other books in the series, and I'm curious enough to pick them up and see how the story unfolds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Violence
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I can see why this was made into a movie, it makes so much sense, not the best read though. Very long and tedious and we would get random monologues on random people, who would become important in the next bit, but it just took us out of the flow. I found it hard to differentiate the russian last names in the audiobook, since physically seeing it would have helped or seeing them as actors on screen. I did like the inclusion of the recipes at the end of each chapter, they were fun, but again, hard to pay attention to when listening. Overall, a fine book, quite long but I got through it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Stalking
Minor: Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence
adventurous
tense
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
A good audiobook while working. Lots of female-characters-written-by-male-author moments, but if I just focused on the plot, I was totally enthralled. Will keep reading after that cliff hanger!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, Grief
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical content
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood
In this book, the uncle of the main character makes a lot of remarks regarding the MC's beauty. They are comments not appropriate and are not challenged as they are mostly thoughts to himself.