Reviews

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

xpressionless's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

anaveragelife's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

christine_c's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

voxlunae's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

caitiep92's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

addison_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.5

kba76's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

The Reformatory is a horror story that is unflinching in its depiction of evil, but which offers hope that some of the suffering experienced is not in vain and that, sometimes, people will do the right thing.
Our main characters are Robbie and Gloria Stephens. Their father has had to flee their hometown having been accused of rape by a white woman. Nobody believes his guilt, but this is a way of punishing him for stirring up trouble and agitating for reform. When we first encounter Robbie he is in trouble for trying to defend his sister from the unwanted advances of the son of the local landowner. He is sentenced to six months in The Reformatory, the prison for local young offenders.
Following Robbie we sense his unease as he enters a world where ghosts walk unencumbered. Robbie cannot immediately articulate his fears, but he senses the danger posed to him in this prison…and we know it has something to do with Haddock, the warden.
From start to finish we knew of the systematic abuse, and had warnings of the extent to which this was known about. The conduct of some of those in charge was deplorable, and it was hard not to feel that we were looking in the face of evil at a time when the systems in place rewarded such appalling behaviour and made criminals of those who had done nothing. 
Hard to read due to the subject,but a compelling experience and one which offered some (perhaps unrealistic) respite in its ending. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.

goddess_of_gore_vix's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

mrlzbth's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.5

therahh's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0