Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Reformatory

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

96 reviews

racheltheripper's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.0

this is one of those books I can’t call “enjoyable” because frfr it had me sweating and my stomach in knots the whole time. that being said, it was a gripping, sad, informative read. the pacing is surprisingly fast for a book this large, and the plot was very neat.

the speculative and horror elements wove well with the historical fiction aspects, and I really enjoyed how we got a glimpse into so many minds, even if they weren’t always good minds to be in. the way the narrative flowed from one brain to the other was so smooth and satisfying. gloria and robbie were lovely, if tragic :( such sweet, empathetic children in a world where they can sense even more harm than usual due to their clairvoyance. heartbreaking

I also love love love that the author included books in the authors note that tell the true story of the school this novel is based on; it’s clear that she did a lot of careful, tactful research for this book, and wants us to do the same. this is not a light read by any means, but it is a good one

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mldavis_2015's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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firedoor11's review

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

Wonderfully written. It's a dense, heavy novel, but it kept my attention throughout. The suspense at the climax had me physically anxious, even when the characters were literally doing nothing! Brilliantly written!

It is also a social commentary on imprisoning our children, "reform" schools in general, and how systemic racism plays a role in and even drives it.

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bookscatcoffee's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Haunting, both literally and in the true tales related about a horrific place (Dozier), this book is a reckoning. The writing is clear and the plot moves, but it’s not so fast that the lessons that need to be told about racism, sexism, homophobia, and the million other ways that white supremacy has screwed up America fade. It is stark and visceral and a great story about terrible things. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars

Historical horror with Black characters

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melle_bello's review

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dark emotional informative 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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streberkatze's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-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

4.0

This book was a gripping read from the first page all the way to the end. It was challenging at times because of the cruelty and brutality the protagonists had to endure, especially knowing that similar things took place in over many places across the U.S. Both the character development and the way the haints shaped the story were done brilliantly.

Although the question what happened to the caught haints after Robbie freed them sadly remained unaddressed.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars is the at times very slow pace of the story, which has more to do with my own reading preferences and less with the book.

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