cossenbeck'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
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, and Grief
confidentleeme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
mondovertigo'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: War
trad_carbaes'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
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Pedophilia, Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Hate crime, and Child death
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Slavery and War
shay43geek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death, Murder, Rape, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Bullying
starbabe2529'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Child death
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Confinement, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape
bakerhi's review against another edition
Ghosts or not, these poor children are being traumatized and I just can’t listen anymore.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Blood, Sexual assault, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, and Racism
janatropper'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? No
5.0
This is a scary story, yes, but it's also a story of familial love, a historical fiction haunted with real horrors of the "good old days," and somehow, a map for finding a spring of hope in a desert. This is a slow burn read with dread woven into the very fabric of its premise, and sharp twists of the knife throughout.
Tananarive Due has done her due (sorry) diligence in research: the book is sprinkled with cameos of and references to real people from the time period, both her own family members and public figures such as Ruby McCollum and NAACP president Harry Moore. Grounding this story in a shared past makes the genre elements all the closer to home. This is no alternate universe - it's very much ours.
The influence of Stephen King is clear here - even a near quote from Pet Sematary (you'll know it when you see it) - but this is no imitation. Where Stephen is king, Tananarive is the empress: yes, like King, she has memorable characters, efficient world-building, and a well-paced plot, but along with all this, she lets the narrative breathe. She lets her characters explore every avenue of escaping their fates and builds tension with every page by methodically shutting them down one at a time - in the dead of night among the spirits of half-burned corpses, in the broad daylight of a public road, in the chambers of a racist judge whose exploitation of loopholes and shield of privilege allows for state-sanctioned kidnapping, assault, and murder.
There are rare moments to catch one's breath. And in those moments of hope and occasionally even joy, a reader can almost forget the looming danger over nearly every character. Almost.
The theme that resonated with me on my first read was the exploration of power dynamics across identities: color, gender, ability, age, and even living status. Who creates the systems, who enforces the systems to benefit from the aura of privilege, who has inherits power, who earns it, and who could have it if only they knew the strength of their numbers.
This book may be one you read once, its words rooted deeply into your soul. It may be one you reread again in different seasons of your life to see which ghosts still haunt you. There is only one way to find out.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Hate crime, Blood, Physical abuse, Grief, Torture, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Death, Child death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault