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avisreadsandreads'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? No
2.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Infidelity and Stalking
le_mur'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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Police brutality, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
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, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
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: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and War
mybeevenme'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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Hate crime, Stalking, and Alcohol
thirdeyeangel23'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Lesbophobia
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: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Police brutality
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Rape, Stalking, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
venetiana's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Hate crime and Racial slurs
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
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.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: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia