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hailstorm3812's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Racism, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Gun violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
heather667's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, Trafficking, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Rape
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, War, Cultural appropriation, and Adult/minor relationship
zoepagereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Minor: Body horror
gothnailcare'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
2.0
Additionally, there were a number of loose ends I assumed would be tied up at the end of the book, but explanations for these never materialized. I have to assume that some of this is done for the purpose of setting up the next book. But if I'm not sure whether a book is setting up a second novel or whether it's littered with red herrings, well...
Graphic: Racism, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, and Hate crime
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and War
venetiana's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Racism, Alcohol, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs and Hate crime
Minor: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual violence, and Stalking
talonsontypewriters's review
The writing is painfully dull -- very choppy and simplistic, walls of stilted dialogue with no differentiating character voices, all telling and no showing, so much repetition and so many epithets -- and the plot isn't interesting enough to make up for it. A sense of suspense is almost nonexistent; any foreshadowing is too frequent and heavyhanded to be effective. I do feel some level of intrigue, but mostly just to confirm my suspicions, and it's not enough to get me to power through to see. Subplots are present in abundance and go unresolved and unacknowledged for chapters at a time, with awkward pacing and scene/chapter transitions.
All that alone makes anything hard to invest in, but I also can't get a sense of really any of the characters: Everything about them is told and not shown, and none of them really stand out. There are a lot of side characters, and I had trouble remembering who some of them were. Even the setting falls flat -- without some slang and a few technology notes, it would be indistinguishable from the present day, which is really disappointing because 1920s Harlem has so much to work with... and it just is not there.
Dead Dead Girls has so much potential, but sadly it's not followed up on as it could be. Maybe I'll be able to return to it in a more patient mood, but for now it's a hard pass.
Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Murder, Racism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Pedophilia
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Child abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Domestic abuse
Smoking, including underage. Descriptions of dead bodies. Broken arranged marriage between a 16- and 22-year-old, no actual romance (at least at this point); references to sexual dynamics between teenage girls and adult men. Attempted rape/sexual assault shown, others implied -- scene where police discuss assaulting a Black woman in custody.amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
What I loved best about the story were the characters and the setting. The characters are intriguing and vivacious, Louise chief among them. Her found family is supportive and caring where her biological family has fraying bonds and animosities to contend with. She only retains a largely uncomplicated love for her younger twin sisters. Lou's romance is established, warm, and hopeful, even as the two women must consider how they can build a future together. The settings sparkle with clear detail and a sense of lived-in reality, from clubs to homes, cafes to crime scenes.
My only complaint has to do with the mystery pacing and explanation. I was fully invested for the first portion of the book, maybe even two-thirds of the story. The danger is always lurking, and Lou's twisty investigation turns up more questions than answers. In the latter part, there's a bit of waiting and then an abrupt final showdown. I don't feel like all the clues were rounded up or connected in a narrative to give things a sense of closure. False trails were left dangling rather than showing where they led if not to murder.
I am interested to see where the story goes next and find out how Louise's life adjusts in the aftermath of her second brush with celebrity. I would love to see how the characters continue to grow and peek into history yet again.
Graphic: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
akaseofyou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Really would like to see more of a personality carved out for Rosa Maria.
Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Racism
jenkneebee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexism, and Violence