displacedcactus's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This is a "getting a crew together for a heist" book set in a magic-tinged 1920s Washington, DC, specifically focused on the Black community. Our characters need to get a magic ring that is somehow warping peoples' minds and making them disappear. That sounds complicated enough, but there's even more going on than is immediately apparent.
I just didn't really vibe with this book. I didn't dislike it, but I never fully connected to the characters, especially the main character, Clara, who has A Secret. I don't have a lot of patience for MCs who have A Secret that they keep from the reader for as long as possible, and even more so since I felt like her secret didn't really end up contributing that much to the plot.
I also didn't feel very convinced by the motivation of the Big Bad, so it was hard to really buy into the stakes of the story.
There were some pretty likeable side characters, and 1920s DC made for a good setting, so I suspect other readers will enjoy this one a lot more than I did.
I just didn't really vibe with this book. I didn't dislike it, but I never fully connected to the characters, especially the main character, Clara, who has A Secret. I don't have a lot of patience for MCs who have A Secret that they keep from the reader for as long as possible, and even more so since I felt like her secret didn't really end up contributing that much to the plot.
I also didn't feel very convinced by the motivation of the Big Bad, so it was hard to really buy into the stakes of the story.
There were some pretty likeable side characters, and 1920s DC made for a good setting, so I suspect other readers will enjoy this one a lot more than I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
yuna's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Great worldbuilding, great secondary characters, great mystery. Main character was a bit of a miss for me though. It takes a long time before Clara's Charm is revealed, and for me it didn't feel commensurate to how anti she was about using it--especially considering what the stakes were and what we knew at the time about who she'd have to use it against. The story gives itself an out on this, but I was hoping for it to have been more personal to Clara.
Weird coincidence, but it seemed like all of the mother figures in the book kind of sucked. Abandoned their families, sold their children, were homophobic...etc.
Weird coincidence, but it seemed like all of the mother figures in the book kind of sucked. Abandoned their families, sold their children, were homophobic...etc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Classism
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Trafficking, Ableism, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Confinement, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia
alisylvi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs
mandkips's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment and Gun violence
Minor: Violence and Homophobia
sarrie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.0
Plot: Simple and straightforward but fun
Characters: Interesting and varied
Setting: Well realized, I loved the setting
Magic: Simple but fantastic with visible prices/outcomes
CW: Police Brutality's, Racism, Parental Abandonment, Abuse, Classism
Thoughts:
Clara is a young black woman living in 1920's Washington. In a moment of desperation when she was younger she asked a boon from a powerful spirit to save herself from prison. Now she has to help those who come to her asking for help. However she stumbles upon a conspiracy, people are loosing their will to do seemingly anything. They become almost walking zombies. The spirit Clara works for/with, the Empress, asks her to retrieve a ring stating that it's causing this disease in people. From there she begins to gather up a group of people, some with their own gifts/prices to clear and others just wanting to help.
This book is just fun, Clara and all her compatriots were interesting and varied. I loved Israel, our romantic interest and foil to Clara. Aristotle as well stole my heart. These are characters that feel real and tangible, with sad stories that also hit deeply. The gimmick of the magic in this world is the idea of give and take. People can ask boons, called Charms, from the spirits of the world. In return there is always a Trick placed on the person. For example, the ability to erase memories for a short time is given but the person who loves you most will forget you. Naturally that means that most of the characters that we meet have a sad and deeply moving story, and I think our author did a fantastic job of balancing those heavy backgrounds with fun and optimistic characters. They were people doing the best with what they had.
The mystery itself isn't the most mind blowing, you're not going to get a twisty and over the top story here but there are moments of greatness and really you're reading for the characters and their interactions. The setting is beautifully done, I felt the city around Clara and I loved getting the historical details of the era. I think the only thing that really pulled this down was just the very standard shape of the story, which isn't bad, but for me in the moment just didn't hit.
Go into this expecting a good time, something light and fun and you'll have a blast. I'll definitely try to pick up more from this author as this sets up well for a sequel.
3 creepy rings out of 5
Characters: Interesting and varied
Setting: Well realized, I loved the setting
Magic: Simple but fantastic with visible prices/outcomes
CW: Police Brutality's, Racism, Parental Abandonment, Abuse, Classism
Thoughts:
Clara is a young black woman living in 1920's Washington. In a moment of desperation when she was younger she asked a boon from a powerful spirit to save herself from prison. Now she has to help those who come to her asking for help. However she stumbles upon a conspiracy, people are loosing their will to do seemingly anything. They become almost walking zombies. The spirit Clara works for/with, the Empress, asks her to retrieve a ring stating that it's causing this disease in people. From there she begins to gather up a group of people, some with their own gifts/prices to clear and others just wanting to help.
This book is just fun, Clara and all her compatriots were interesting and varied. I loved Israel, our romantic interest and foil to Clara. Aristotle as well stole my heart. These are characters that feel real and tangible, with sad stories that also hit deeply. The gimmick of the magic in this world is the idea of give and take. People can ask boons, called Charms, from the spirits of the world. In return there is always a Trick placed on the person. For example, the ability to erase memories for a short time is given but the person who loves you most will forget you. Naturally that means that most of the characters that we meet have a sad and deeply moving story, and I think our author did a fantastic job of balancing those heavy backgrounds with fun and optimistic characters. They were people doing the best with what they had.
The mystery itself isn't the most mind blowing, you're not going to get a twisty and over the top story here but there are moments of greatness and really you're reading for the characters and their interactions. The setting is beautifully done, I felt the city around Clara and I loved getting the historical details of the era. I think the only thing that really pulled this down was just the very standard shape of the story, which isn't bad, but for me in the moment just didn't hit.
Go into this expecting a good time, something light and fun and you'll have a blast. I'll definitely try to pick up more from this author as this sets up well for a sequel.
3 creepy rings out of 5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
Minor: Murder and Gun violence
hannahmichele5's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Racism and Slavery
tostita's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
This may be the best book I’ve read this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Abandonment and Gun violence
Minor: Slavery
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