Scan barcode
notthatcosta'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? Yes
4.0
I was also impressed to learn that much of the plot was inspired by real life stories from Morris' family members and research subjects, which makes sense considering how grounded and lived in the characters felt.
Also certainly not an uplifting read, it's a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jo_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Infidelity
janinagnes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
rosalind's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, and Blood
imo_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Infidelity, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
booking_along's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
“… do you know what people are calling them? … Black Butterflies… burnet fragments of poetry and art catching in people’s hair.”
this book doesn’t shy away from showing the horror of war from the side of the daily lives of typical people just trying to survive in a horrific situation.
it shows how people can come together, lean on each other help each other through hard situations but also how horrific people can be and most of all this book show just how utterly senseless and stupid war really is.
that it just kills and destroys senselessly and never actually achieves anything positive no matter the outcome since the price on all sides is always too high.
this book had beautiful passages, great characters, frustrating moments and heartbreaking moments.
i did feel like ending was rushed and i wish there would have at least been a little paragraph at the end about all those people left behind in the war zone and what happened to them.
they where just as much characters if this story as Zora was.
i understand why the book ended as it did but i do wish it could have been given just a little more about some of the other characters too.
i think this book is an extremely timely novel, not just to tell a historical event and show the horror of that but also because too many wars are being fought and never shared in this way.
“We’re all refugees now. we spend our days waiting for water, for bread, for humanitarian handouts: beggars in our own city.”
so having a novel that really shows the daily struggles and horror of living in a city that is being bombed and fired on, where people still need to continue on just trying to survive somehow…
this book really does that well.
just as it shows just how wonderful people can be, even in the darkest moments.
honestly the only thing i saw coming but didn’t enjoy was
i would highly recommend this book.
the author has an incredible way with words and manages -fittingly enough since Zora is a painter- paint a clear picture of the situations in the book in ways that really sink into you while reading the story that makes it feel almost too realistic.
my heart raced through some moments in the story, i reared up in others… this book packed a punch through the words the author chose.
and i think that combined with the story itself was an incredible powerful combination.
It’s the kind of book that sticks with you and isn’t a light and easy read but one that makes you think and reflect and most of all: relate to the people in the story and their situation.
Fantastic book!
very well done!
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War
misskatz'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
Priscilla Morris is a fantastic storyteller, can’t wait to read whatever sh writes next.
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Animal death