dancevera's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Alcoholism, and Racism
Minor: Police brutality and Violence
aformeracceleratedreader's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Overall enjoyed this sequel to Black Girl Unlimited. But there were parts of the book that would be a little confusing with the transitions of one point in time to another with the page breaks and it bouncing back to the first point in time.
Echo was a great character in both books and loved seeing her continued growth and how she manuevors through and with interpersonal relationships. Also, once again, has great discussions on race, especially on predom white colleges, and the importance of trauma healing.
It is magical realism which can be a little tough to read.
Echo was a great character in both books and loved seeing her continued growth and how she manuevors through and with interpersonal relationships. Also, once again, has great discussions on race, especially on predom white colleges, and the importance of trauma healing.
It is magical realism which can be a little tough to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Mental illness, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
bujoxbooked's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
FINISHED MY LAST BOOK OF THE YEAR WITH LIKE AN HOUR TO SPARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The narrators did a great job reading the book and kept me even more engaged with the story.
I liked it overall! First time I've read a book by Echo Brown (also loved that she used her name as the main character BTW-main character energy!).
The story was very relatable as it is very common to go to PWIs and easily feel like you don't fit in as a Black woman. Her struggle with her classes, fitting in and ugh just all of it! It just added a whole other stressful layer to the already stressful college experience.
whoops lol I'm going through the reviews and I just realized this is supposed to be a sequel to "Black Girl, Unlimited" Well of course I need to read that now!
The narrators did a great job reading the book and kept me even more engaged with the story.
I liked it overall!
Spoiler
In the beginning, I was so confused about her obsession with a getting a White man-boy and the idea of the keepers and the Chosen ones. With not being as familiar with the magical realism genre, it took a while for me to understand the build up and working through what the magical aspects meant. This story gives an alternate/magical way to think about what it is like to fight through generational trauma which I don't think I've read a book about before.The story was very relatable as it is very common to go to PWIs and easily feel like you don't fit in as a Black woman. Her struggle with her classes, fitting in and ugh just all of it! It just added a whole other stressful layer to the already stressful college experience.
whoops lol I'm going through the reviews and I just realized this is supposed to be a sequel to "Black Girl, Unlimited" Well of course I need to read that now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Rape
ghostlyprince's review
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Death, Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Alcohol, and Sexual violence
Minor: Hate crime, Slavery, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Racial slurs are used by people who can reclaim it but thought I should add the warning just in case, We do get a flashback scene of the main protag being sexually assaulted but it's not nearly as graphic as the first book- however there is lots of discussion regarding sexual assault in the book,gracieoneill's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.5
Review to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Rape
evelyno's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug abuse and Mental illness
amberinpieces's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
It’s going to take a bit to process this one. I’m not sure I fully understand it, but it was a ride, and I felt a lot of feelings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Alcohol, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Gun violence, Slavery, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Drug abuse, and Drug use
blainereads's review
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
This book is immensely weird (but maybe in a good way?)
I love a bit of magical realism as much as the next person, but some of the magic/paranormal/unexplained phenomena were a little too mysterious to the point that certain scenes were difficult to follow. This is compounded by the fact that I am not a religious person and cannot relate to that kind of spiritualism AT ALL, so the references to Jesus and the Bible etc were…challenging, at moments, to push through. I still got the message loud and clear, but the journey to arrive there was a little unpleasant at times.
I mainly picked this one up because, like the author and character, I also attended Dartmouth as a minority student and wanted to see how that experience was explored. While, overall, I did enjoy it and definitely recognized threads of truth in the themes and incidents (especially as it relates to social class), the exaggerated nature of characterizations caused a little bit of skepticism here and there. I think it’s possible to show the school as a very hostile place without setting it up as some sort of villainous caricature of a racially divided bell (only for it then to abruptly turn into a kind of utopia was an odd about-face, too). I’m also curious if someone who isn’t familiar with the campus got as much out of it as I did—there was a lot of name dropping like “collis cafe” and “Molly’s” and “baker tower” and “the Aires” with no real effort to set the scene, so even though *I* could picture it perfectly, it probably wouldn’t be so visceral for someone unfamiliar and might leave them wanting for some more lush description.
With all that said, unlike some other reviewers, I thought the way the author moved between time and space was extremely clever. I especially enjoyed how the adults (the HS guidance counselor & professor, the deaN & psychiatrist) we’re juxtaposed as two sides of a coin. That was very effective and not something I’ve seen done—especially in YA or NA—very often. It was also very easy to like the main character and you were instantly rooting for her, despite her flaws and sometimes abrasive nature. The friendship dynamics, I felt, were the real highlight of this book and I personally wish all the time devoted to romance pursuits had instead been handed over to further developing the friend group.
Anyway, this was engaging and entertaining enough that I finished it quickly, and I did see some of my experience reflected back to me and I could see it being very impactful for a young person who is marginalized (either by race, culture, or class) who is entering one of these unique very wealthy, very white spaces for the first time. And for that alone, this book is a worthwhile read.
I love a bit of magical realism as much as the next person, but some of the magic/paranormal/unexplained phenomena were a little too mysterious to the point that certain scenes were difficult to follow. This is compounded by the fact that I am not a religious person and cannot relate to that kind of spiritualism AT ALL, so the references to Jesus and the Bible etc were…challenging, at moments, to push through. I still got the message loud and clear, but the journey to arrive there was a little unpleasant at times.
I mainly picked this one up because, like the author and character, I also attended Dartmouth as a minority student and wanted to see how that experience was explored. While, overall, I did enjoy it and definitely recognized threads of truth in the themes and incidents (especially as it relates to social class), the exaggerated nature of characterizations caused a little bit of skepticism here and there. I think it’s possible to show the school as a very hostile place without setting it up as some sort of villainous caricature of a racially divided bell (only for it then to abruptly turn into a kind of utopia was an odd about-face, too). I’m also curious if someone who isn’t familiar with the campus got as much out of it as I did—there was a lot of name dropping like “collis cafe” and “Molly’s” and “baker tower” and “the Aires” with no real effort to set the scene, so even though *I* could picture it perfectly, it probably wouldn’t be so visceral for someone unfamiliar and might leave them wanting for some more lush description.
With all that said, unlike some other reviewers, I thought the way the author moved between time and space was extremely clever. I especially enjoyed how the adults (the HS guidance counselor & professor, the deaN & psychiatrist) we’re juxtaposed as two sides of a coin. That was very effective and not something I’ve seen done—especially in YA or NA—very often. It was also very easy to like the main character and you were instantly rooting for her, despite her flaws and sometimes abrasive nature. The friendship dynamics, I felt, were the real highlight of this book and I personally wish all the time devoted to romance pursuits had instead been handed over to further developing the friend group.
Anyway, this was engaging and entertaining enough that I finished it quickly, and I did see some of my experience reflected back to me and I could see it being very impactful for a young person who is marginalized (either by race, culture, or class) who is entering one of these unique very wealthy, very white spaces for the first time. And for that alone, this book is a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Mental illness, Addiction, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Chosen One is a book that has been haunting me ever since I finished. Echo struggles to navigate not only the racism and micro-aggresions from fellow students, but also the internalized racism within her. At the same time, she's in this bind of having gotten into an Ivy League College, but not having the same preparation as her peers because of racism and class differences. It's a book that also explores mental health, rape, and trauma. There's so much to unpack in this story.
Echo's journey throughout her time at Dartmouth is illuminating. It was unsurprising the white privilege and racism she undergoes, while also having Echo examine her own internalized feelings. The Chosen One is a book I'd listen to again in a heartbeat. Not only to read Echo's experiences and pieces of wisdom - in the treatment and solidarity of her peers - but also because there's a definite supernatural feel to it I'd love to experience again.
The Chosen One is a book that has been haunting me ever since I finished. Echo struggles to navigate not only the racism and micro-aggresions from fellow students, but also the internalized racism within her. At the same time, she's in this bind of having gotten into an Ivy League College, but not having the same preparation as her peers because of racism and class differences. It's a book that also explores mental health, rape, and trauma. There's so much to unpack in this story.
Echo's journey throughout her time at Dartmouth is illuminating. It was unsurprising the white privilege and racism she undergoes, while also having Echo examine her own internalized feelings. The Chosen One is a book I'd listen to again in a heartbeat. Not only to read Echo's experiences and pieces of wisdom - in the treatment and solidarity of her peers - but also because there's a definite supernatural feel to it I'd love to experience again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
More...