waytoomanybooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
A painfully sad and tense novel, but beautifully told. The characters are richly written and will leave you asking for more because the well feels quite deep. I gave it 4 out of 5 because I had to read it for school, and the triggering content made it difficult to finish and process. The complete lack of quotation marks and rarely used paragraph breaks was a little tricky to get used to, but it wasn't a huge deterrent. And the book led to lively class discussions, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Racial slurs, Self harm, Xenophobia, Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Classism, Misogyny, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexism
marabdelmageed's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
This book was so amazingly written -- it shattered my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Homophobia
Spoiler
This book contains a scene of a police officer killing an unarmed Black man. Black trauma is a central theme in this book. Please look up a more extensive list of content/trigger warnings before reading.
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