Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Slay by Brittney Morris

12 reviews

readtomea97's review

reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book but it was so full of eye rolls and just trying so hard to stay engaged. It really doesn’t pick up until about 1/3 of the way in. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Bullying and Death of parent

thebookpaiges's review

challenging emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Racial slurs and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Transphobia

cinderellasbookshelf's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I loved this book so much that I’m not even sure where to start or if I can get all my thoughts through clearly. Books about video games have intrigued ever since I read Ready Player One and more recently Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. So, when I first heard about SLAY, I knew I had to read it soon. 

What starts off as a story about a young genius being behind a massively successful, but secretive online role-playing card game, quickly builds into exploring identity and discussions about race, Black culture, and the influence of video games. And all told with such an adrenaline rush as if you were there playing SLAY and seeing everything unfold. I kept turning the pages so fast wanting to know what would happen next.

Apart from Kira, I really liked how we also got to read from a couple of different characters’ perspectives. They showed how video games can provide an escape, but also be a community. How everything comes together made for such an amazing ending that I was ready to hit the restart button to read it all over again.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse and Murder

cookiecat73's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Acephobia/Arophobia, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation

quinn22's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism

melplays9000's review

challenging hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This book really flew by for me. I wasn’t checking the page number every couple pages like I normally am and I wasn’t even aware of the time while I was reading. I loved the whole concept of this book which drew me in right from the start. A black author writing about the black experience usually intimidates my pathetic white arse (I’m working on it) but this book was so much easier to read than I expected. I loved the conversations this book had and I feel I learned so much from reading it. My favorite part was the characters, they were all so complex and really felt like real people which definitely helped drive the story.

I don’t know exactly what I didn’t like about this book, but I know I can’t give it 5 stars because it just didn’t have the feel of a new favorite. It was quite short and I never truly got invested before it was over. 

I’m so glad I read this book. I need to make more of an effort to pick up books with characters and experiences unlike my own; this book was definitely an excellent start to that. Great book, would recommend. 4 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

riella_reads's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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

I read this one in one day thanks to an extra long commute. I really loved this one. It's a little different than what I expected, but in a great way. This had some really good commentary and friendships. I also saw that this author thought of this idea after watching Black Panther so I think if you liked both that and Ready Player One you will like this. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

amibo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book has been touted as the black, female answer to Ready, Player One; but I’ll say the story and message of this book is so much more than that.

Slay explores harmful rhetoric by both white and coloured people in an engaging and truly emphatic fashion. This book isn’t meant to educate (and it’s not any POC’s responsibility to educate white people about racism), but being white, these kinds of books provide an excellent slice of insight into a lot of matters that we can truly never fully understand as we just don’t live them. 

It’s a truly nuanced read that discusses the need for black spaces that celebrate black excellence which aren’t monopolised by white people. It’s also a fantastic celebration of women in STEM and is a true love letter to black culture of all it’s different facets.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Bullying

jamiereadsthings's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"I am a queen, and this is my game."

The main character, Kiera, an intelligent, brave, badass high school student creates a video game, based on Black culture and is for Black people only, that skyrockets in popularity. It is a place for Black kids to escape from the world - no racial slurs, no iniquity, just Black joy. While none of her family or friends know she is the developer, she struggles to maintain composure after a player is murdered after an in-game dispute. The story is impactful, heavy, and emotional as Kiera tries to navigate this tragedy while balancing her relationships, her schoolwork, and keeping the game from turning into chaos. 

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As a white woman reading this novel, I was reminded that there's always room to grow for equality and inclusiveness.  Brittney Morris depicted systematic racism, white privilege, and social injustice flawlessly throughout the novel, and as I read on, I am constantly learning and educating myself on anti-racist actions.

"So then Holly asked me if I was advocating for the destruction of infrastructure - you know, like when Black people loot stores after an unarmed Black person is killed and their killer is acquitted, and do you know what I asked her?"

"I asked her if she thinks it's worse than when white people lot stores after their team loses a big game." 
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Brittney Morris's debut novel was one of my favorites I read in 2020, and I'm looking forward to her next novel called The Cost of Knowing on March 16th, 2021.

You'll love this book if you love:
Video Games
Young Adult Novels with Messages
Strong Female Protagonists + Feminism
Own Voices Novels

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Racism

Minor: Death