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A review by shereadytoread
Ruin Road by Lamar Giles
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
3.5
Cade Webster finds out that you should be careful what you wish for.
Being a star athlete at a wealthy school, and coming from a poor neighborhood, Cade knows what it’s like to feel like he doesn’t belong. After being racially profiled resulting in an encounter with the police, he wishes that people would stop being so scared around him … and it happens.
This sets off unintended and unintended terrifying consequences as reckless, fearless behavior spreads and Cade is up against a dark force he could have never foreseen.
This book was fun! I loved the way that the wish was circumvented and spins out of control. The background story of the evil forces at play was really interesting, and how it was all worked into the modern world played well. This is a book that is firmly grounded in real world issues with social commentary, but doesn’t feel like it’s preaching to you or lecturing you. I think the book leans a little too far into the supernatural elements towards the end and it felt a little disjointed with the rest of the story. It definitely added some action though. I think the last chapter would have been better fit within the epilogue because it felt like the beginning of a completely different story instead of the ending of this one.
Disclosure: I received a gifted eARC from NetGalley and a free finished copy from the publisher.
Being a star athlete at a wealthy school, and coming from a poor neighborhood, Cade knows what it’s like to feel like he doesn’t belong. After being racially profiled resulting in an encounter with the police, he wishes that people would stop being so scared around him … and it happens.
This sets off unintended and unintended terrifying consequences as reckless, fearless behavior spreads and Cade is up against a dark force he could have never foreseen.
This book was fun! I loved the way that the wish was circumvented and spins out of control. The background story of the evil forces at play was really interesting, and how it was all worked into the modern world played well. This is a book that is firmly grounded in real world issues with social commentary, but doesn’t feel like it’s preaching to you or lecturing you. I think the book leans a little too far into the supernatural elements towards the end and it felt a little disjointed with the rest of the story. It definitely added some action though. I think the last chapter would have been better fit within the epilogue because it felt like the beginning of a completely different story instead of the ending of this one.
Disclosure: I received a gifted eARC from NetGalley and a free finished copy from the publisher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail