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lawbooks600's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Well. I remember this book circling my recommendations for a while then I added it and not much time afterward I finally picked it up and read it. When I finished it I felt like there was a lot to unpack here and I must say the novel is well executed most of the time but it can sometimes get disjointed with all the multiple POVs though I do understand the need for that. Before the story starts there is a glossary of the terms the novel will use; in fact I never knew alternative facts existed but now I know. Now then. It starts with the main character Safiya Mirza or Safiya for short and off the bat she tells me she essentially goes to a school of woke-washing virtue signallers and also she's a journalist.
Here is the other significant part, there's another character who recycled some materials to make a jetpack for a makerspace program or something along those lines but his English teacher accused him of having a bomb which implies a racial bias according to Safiya. Well when I think about that it makes sense in a way but anyone could've done that, also people talk about races a lot here. He was arrested and suspended but later released and all that only took place within the opening pages, I know that seems like a fast-paced beginning, and it is though I must admit after that this is a much slower paced crime novel than what I'm used to. At least it picks up steam toward the end. Someone hacked Safiya's website and she deduces that based on the name Ghost Skin and those quotes from a fascist manifesto the culprit is a white nationalist/supremacist but I don't know who is that person. Later on the other character gets kidnapped and killed out of racism but here's the thing, the book told me there was a guy called Nate who after going on some extremist websites and channels he became a racist and since the killing is racially motivated he must've done it.
I spend the next 200 pages watching Safiya figure out who is the killer after seeing the body with some flashbacks and flashforwards from the other character interspersed, when I read this part I felt a little tension which built towards the last few pages. There was a plot twist I didn't see coming since there was another character called Richard who also had involvement in the killing (I never expected that considering I've never heard of this person up until that point) and Safiya's testimony that their race (white) and privilege didn't save them but somehow they got the nicest prison was chilling. One of them captained two sports teams and held a record. They had mansions. The revelation shocked everyone and some even denied this claim despite the evidence. Wow. At least she got a little solace when the jig was up. Still, she believes there's more work to do to ensure this never happens again.
P.S. Technically the novel is non-linear? It jumps from time to time sometimes.
P.P.S. It's slightly outdated since it mentions Twitter and not X but I can forgive that since it was set before the change. That cameo was a little amusing.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit, Antisemitism, and Car accident
Minor: Confinement and Injury/Injury detail
Full trigger warnings: Bullying, racist and sexist slurs, white supremacy, death of a child and another loved one, kidnapping, grief, loss and blood depiction, car crash, near-death experience, antisemitism, imprisonment, physical injury, terrorism, emesisgabbyjc's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
My main critic is that the story was a bit predictable. Early on, I could see what the twist would be and once I got confirmation, it was kind of hard to get through. But the writing is impeccable.
Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Police brutality
waterbottle57's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and War
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Medical content, and Car accident
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I think the additional of the facts, lies, and alternative facts at the beginning of each chapter added that journalism element to the story and emphasized the main themes. This is definitely a heavy book, so know that going in. It's not something you read to escape, but something you read to help make these voices heard.
The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because I do think the big reveal was easy to spot about halfway through the story. I'm not sure if that was intended or not, and there are definitely some readers who might not see it coming. All in all, if you're looking for a dark thriller about getting justice for those without voices, I'd definitely recommend this one!
Graphic: Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Blood
marywahlmeierbracciano's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, and Murder