Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Pik-Ass by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

10 reviews

k8lynn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i love this book!!! could not stop reading it & when i wasn't reading it i was thinking about it. the audiobook only enhanced this experience!!

*also trigger warning for gay people being forcibly outed to the public

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

I don’t want to write too much about this read, because I fear I would spoil something by accident, and I truly think the best way to experience this book is to go in not knowing much about the plot, so that you’re as confused as the MCs and disocvering the trurth right alongside them. The only reason I’m giving this less than five stars is because of some pacing issues. The first half could have been tightened up more, and more time needed to be spent on the climax. There was also an aspect of one MC that felt a bit shoehorned in and underdeveloped. But other than that, this was a truly phenomenal read, both insightful and harrowing. There were so many layers to the plot and characters that Àbíké-Íyímídé artfully constructed and peeled back for the reader. I can see why everyone raves about this work, and I’m really looking forward to reading Àbíké-Íyímídé’s 2024 release.

Rep: gay Black MC, sapphic biracial Black/white Italian/Nigerian-American MC, bi SC, Black Achillean SC

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Outing, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Major: three uses of the n-slur, eugenics Moderate: imprisoned loved one, capital punishment Minor: disownment, toxic masculinity, texturism, sick loved one, suicidal ideation, disordered eating

aurora4847's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

Ace of Spades was such a good read, especially for a white college graduate during Black History Month. While the stakes seem so low in the beginning, the tension and mystery keep ramping up the further in you get. It feels almost like a paranormal thriller, but with the monster being systemic racism instead of a demon. The ordeals Chiamaka and Devon have to survive are truly horrifying, and terrifyingly realistic. While it may seem exaggerated for the sake of the story, it really isn't too far off what black students actually have to deal with in academia. Chiamaka and Devon's differing socioeconomic statuses adds another layer of complexity in how they handle and think about what they're enduring. Ace of Spades is practically required reading for any white person who's benefited from access to higher education, especially more elite private schools and universities, and actually gives a damn about how POC are treated in those spaces.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

This book is about systemic racism and eugenics. The main characters are the victims of harassment that grows to assault, hate crimes, stalking, and abuse. They are repeatedly betrayed by trusted individuals.

the_true_monroe's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.25

When I started the audio book, I did not expect it to go the way it did. Although as I went through, I knew what was coming but not to the degree that it came. Wow.

Definitely a psychological thriller, with similar vibes to ‘Get Out’ (although both are completely different stories focusing on different aspects of horrors related to racism). 

4 stars because there was a lot I wish was expanded upon, like a follow-up on characters such a Belle, Scotty, Andre and Jack.

Also, I absolutely love how on the author’s websites there is art depicting the major characters. I have a hard time visualizing things based on descriptions and that really helped! I only found it writing this review since I went searching for one of the character’s names. 

I really enjoyed the author’s note, which mentions how the book was written over the course of her college career which is very symbolic to the course of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

axel_p's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

this book was so gripping it litterally made me scared

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

alouette's review against another edition

dark hopeful tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

not what i expected! the author takes a seemingly basic setting and uses well fleshed out characters to create a really meaningful, creepy, important story. while i think the writing style wasn't for me when it came to visualizing scenes, especially very heavy ones, it still got a magnificent plot across. absolutely the diverse, thematic, unpredictable kind of novel we will always need more of in the world.

i was definitely more partial to devon's POV as a queer person, but both his and chiamaka's voices were very distinctive and gave fresh perspective on their community. worth a reread to find all the hints that culminate into that thrilling ending. and the closure afterwards in the epilogue made me incredibly happy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Car accident

Moderate: Drug use and Gun violence

kaylasmilyface's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

lilahs_literacy_corner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Outing

lycanhood's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Super cool concept, Get Out meets Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars. Definitely unsettling, thrilling, creepy at times. Hard to put down. But ultimately it didn't quite stick the landing for me in terms of pacing & pay off. I wasn't overly fond of the characters/relationships. And I was left with some nagging questions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Outing, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Murder

ken_untitled's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol