A review by sofresh
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
3.0
Closer to a 3.5
On the whole, I think this is a great Southern Gothic horror. I really like the writing style - it's easy to read and flows well, but it's also very imaginative. The first half of this book is slow going in order to establish Mira as a character and her recollections of her childhood with Celine and Jesse, which is really interesting to read. However, this does get into my first problem, which is that because it's so slow to start, it takes ages for spooky stuff to start happening. I think it could've started to get scarier sooner.
Additionally, I think the handling of the social commentary could've been better. I love horror that comments on issues of oppression or other facets of Society™️, but here I think it over-explained. At multiple points, the characters literally say the book's thesis in dialogue. I think the readers could easily imply the message without it being spelt out.
But the commentary itself was thought- provoking. History repeats itself and you can't ignore how the past impacts the present. Celine and Mira both try to ignore the past to their own detriments. The cyclical narrative facilitates this. Overall, this was a great read.
On the whole, I think this is a great Southern Gothic horror. I really like the writing style - it's easy to read and flows well, but it's also very imaginative. The first half of this book is slow going in order to establish Mira as a character and her recollections of her childhood with Celine and Jesse, which is really interesting to read. However, this does get into my first problem, which is that because it's so slow to start, it takes ages for spooky stuff to start happening. I think it could've started to get scarier sooner.
Additionally, I think the handling of the social commentary could've been better. I love horror that comments on issues of oppression or other facets of Society™️, but here I think it over-explained. At multiple points, the characters literally say the book's thesis in dialogue. I think the readers could easily imply the message without it being spelt out.
But the commentary itself was thought- provoking. History repeats itself and you can't ignore how the past impacts the present. Celine and Mira both try to ignore the past to their own detriments. The cyclical narrative facilitates this. Overall, this was a great read.