augustinedreams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Hate crime
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Cursing, and Alcohol
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Racism, Car accident, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual content, and Vomit
pandact's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The plot is almost like
Spoiler
Wicked (2003) with the themes of Riot Baby (2020) and epic gore. Two things bothered me though: why did Wendy think fake dating would help her? Also, I guess it's cool to have an extra with a hearing aid, but why did Maddy stop needing glasses when she got powers and a boyfriend?The universe sings to meeee!
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Hate crime, and Child death
Moderate: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Classism, Outing, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Car accident, and Body shaming
Minor: Ableism
readswithcat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Racism, Bullying, Violence, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Blood, Toxic relationship, Classism, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, and Confinement
Moderate: Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Animal death
angievansprang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Bullying, Racism, Child abuse, Hate crime, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Murder, Classism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Animal death
jht5791's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Bullying, Blood, Racial slurs, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
mamawantsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Body horror, Bullying, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death and Vomit
achay91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Gore, Blood, Toxic friendship, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Racism, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death
vanadiumbean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It's a faithful retelling of the events of Carrie.
The prose is functional, but it started to drag the longer the book went on. I noticed the author has a habit of tagging on these little "filter" phrases ("it seemed like," "he might have felt") that pulled me out of the flow of narrative.
I enjoyed the faux-multimedia aspect of the book and the dramatic irony, although I wish it had been used to better effect. I also, and this is a more personal issue, found the "true crime (but also ooky spooky paranormal)" slant to the media as pretty distasteful, especially given that in-universe the events of Bloody Prom are less than a decade old. I also found it hard to read how seriously we were meant to take the "Maddy Did It" podcast.
Spoiler
The whole "brought on people to talk really vaguely about how real and also Christian Telekinesis is made me roll my eyes. I personally don't care for them trying to make the events seem Grounded in Science, because the introduction of kooks just made the events seem absurd rather than Potentially Real.Ultimately, it's just kind of okay. I think where it works best is the conflict between all the teen characters and the descriptions of prom.
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Child death, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Police brutality
Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Sexual content, Murder, Cursing, and Car accident
ashylibrarian's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
This modern-day Carrie retelling brings in classic Stephen King pops with the well-known Tiffany D. Jackson surprises.
I have not read Carrie, but I believe I watched the original movie a few years ago. Jackson did a fantastic job creating a modern retelling of this horror story while integrating in important conversations around race and the oppression that Black individuals still face today. This story may be fantasy but it is relevant. The events take place in 2014, not too far back from where we are today, though we are still seeing the racial bullying, the white supremacy mindset, and the horrific treatment of black folks (male-presenting, specifically) by police officers.
Like many have said before me, though I knew mostly what the ending would bring, I was not able to put this book down. Jackson expertly knows how to keep a reader invested in the story.
I also want to note that this book does come with a heavy content warning list, so please glace over that before reading if you feel this book might be triggering in any way.
Thank you, Ms. Jackson, for creating yet another powerful, emotional, relevant, and capturing story. I will absolutely be recommending this to my readers in the library.
Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Racism, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Confinement, Child abuse, Classism, Child death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, Death, Blood, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, Cancer, Animal death, Cursing, and Alcohol