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mysimas's review
The beginning was amazing:
„MY MOTHER COULD CHANGE THE COLOR OF HER skin. From what I’m told, it was a gift she inherited from her mother, who inherited it from her mother before her, passed down from blood to blood along with diseases, artistic hysteria, and a predilection for loving the wrong men. My great-grandmother was an Aniyunwiya witch and used to change color before sneaking into settlements to gather supplies and conduct trade.”
The whole first chapter was like this and really made me believe I was up for a ride. Sadly, the rest didn’t measure up.
The writing stayed fine throughout, even if it went a bit too lyrical for my taste. But the contents are just a thousand and one metaphores about what it’s like to be black and female and queer in America and there’s literally nothing else to water down this onslaught — no plot /just coming of age story/, no compelling character work, nothing. I skimmed to about the half-way mark and there’s still no change for the better, so I’m giving up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
rae477's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
wrenl's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The first thing I noticed about this book is its writing style. It’s musical, captivating. It describes love and music and race and family in ways and in words I just adored. There were so many drop the mic moments and repostable quotes.
Deeper than that is the story of Gabrielle. And to be honest, I’m not the biggest fan. I think Gabrielle is an interesting character, and I’d love to see what happens to her after this book, but the plot of this book didn’t engage me the way I thought it would. And it isn’t because Gabrielle doesn’t change; she does, but her character development didn’t feel satisfying to me for some reason. And no I can’t put into words exactly why.
Also as someone who used to live in Florida, it cracks me up to see how many place names I recognize.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
carareadsthebooks's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
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