This one was really hard to read - not because it was filled with violence (which it was) but because it was so real at times, despite being a dystopian alternate reality type story. The realness is further stressed by the footnotes added by the author containing various IRL stats and facts: police and jail brutality, the disproportionate amount of people of color among the incarcerated, women being given harsh sentences for killing their rapists, abusers, and would-be murderers, and much more.
This is one of the books that is hard to say "I enjoyed/loved it" about because it is so brutal, but it was a good read, albeit heartbreaking and terrifying.
The pacing was a bit off as it starts with a bloody and dramatic fight scene but then goes meandering in the middle.
The message - albeit a good one - was sometimes too loudly spelled out. It is quite clear and loud from the story itself, but we also have characters spelling it out which feels redundant and a bit like the author doesn't trust the readers to get it otherwise.
The characters lacked depth - they felt more like symbols than actual people, but their stories and fates still packed a heavy emotional punch.
Overall, a great example of a dystopian novel with deadly games and trials stuff, but be wary of the physical and emotional brutality of it.
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