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thissagreads's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
I love that Katrell got revenge on those who wronged her, but there were too many moments where she was so fiercely “I can do things on my own” that it inevitably became her downfall.
Here were my issues with the story:
1. Katrell’s mother was a bum, constantly begging or guilting Katrell for money, but didn’t look for a damn job herself. On top of that, she literally let her raggedy, trash human boyfriend, be horrible and abusive while Katrell constantly begged her mother to do the right thing and leave him! It took SO MUCH for Katrell to stop caring about her mother and I understand she’s a teenager, but even her best friend Willow/“Will” (who had suffered her own heap of childhood trauma) told Katrell to stop excusing her mother for being so terrible but Katrell didn’t leave until the very end of the book.
2. I wish the people who were brought back from the dead had more purpose, but I think they were just extensions of Katrell in some ways, so I think that explanation could’ve been a little more clear.
3. Where the hell was the school system or child protection services? The ONE counselor had an idea of what was going on, but he acted much too slowly, and it was quite frustrating that no adult stepped in and took some of the burden off of Katrell. It wasn’t until the end of the story, when Willow -“Will”- and Will’s adoptive parents take Katrell into their home.
4. There was a LOT less focus on how cool her magical abilities were, and more focus on how terrible her life was. I was looking forward to an escape, with “Black Girl Magic” but instead, I was angry and frustrated with everyone who let her down repeatedly.
Honestly this story feels more like a looking lens into impoverished kids of color who are let down by various adults and systems, forced to make tough choices, in order to survive and sustain some kind of life for themselves and their family.
!! So just be warned that this book is not an escape. As someone who knows what it’s like to work in mental healthcare with kids, it was the complete opposite of what I was looking for in a story. But not terrible! Just not an easy read.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
allison_reads_87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting
gin_and_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, and Blood
This is not a fantasy book as advertised. It has a promising start and very quickly develops into YA, trauma dump ship wreck with no plot or character development. This book will leave you yelling and feeling angry for sureamberinpieces'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
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
lbelow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
joyreadsbuku's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Long(er) review: Okay... I read this book bcs of a YouTuber who wanted to read it. It is described as BGM (Black Girl magic) and the YouTuber said that the author sent it to her, who said that there is "no trauma" in this book. Tell me why, from the very first page to the very last, there was nothing but trauma? Yes, there is one trigger warning at the beginning ("Content note: this book contains depictions of child and animal abuse), but then why would the author say that there isn't any trauma...? I mean, a lot of people dnf'ed bcs of this very reason.
When I hear BGM, I think of Amari (Amari and the Night Brothers), Zélie (Children of Blood and Bones), and Deka (The Gilded Ones). This is not that, at all. I've watched other reviews on YouTube and one person said that this isn't a heavy book. Let me tell you now: this book is very heavy and emotionally taxing;
Idk who the target audience was, but if you're looking for BGM like the books I've mentioned above, this is not it. Just be (emotionally) prepared, bcs I wasn't, and I had to put the book down several times.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug abuse
amberlen's review against another edition
- 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
2.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
sharib's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Sexism and Vomit
lowkeymarie'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gaslighting, and Abandonment