Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez

7 reviews

megansoetaert's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• 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

4.75

this book hurt my heart :( it was  heartbreaking but had so many moments of beauty and joy, and both made me cry. it’s too easy to envision our world becoming this one, so read easy and take care of yourself, especially if you’re Black, Indigenous,  a person of color, or queer. this book feels very important, and i think if you have the capacity, you should all read it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Police brutality, Genocide, Murder, Xenophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Death, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Moderate: Child abuse and Ableism

concretefem's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow, wow, wow. Crosshairs is really a stunner.

Even as an avid reader of speculative and dystopian fiction, I've never been so thoroughly haunted by a book -- been so fearful it represented not just a journey of the imagination, but foreboding prophesy. So in need to rest and repose as a reader, not just after the process of reading it, but during-- hence the fact that my reading journey spanned not one, but two years of picking up this novel, putting it down -- at times so long that the library lending period lapsed -- and so forth, time and again.

To say it is a challenging novel is an understatement. But I'm quite convinced it may be necessary reading--most off for QTPOC readers and BIPOC communities, as it maps out quite convincingly where the Trump/global antifascist extinction project may end if we're not careful.

So yeah. Readers be warned. But the rewards of perseverance will be sweet. Just be gentle with yourselves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Racism, Murder, and Torture

kp_writ's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

Such a necessary read, especially for white queers (lots of discussion around performative allyship here, and how to be better). The way this novel interweaves so many unique stories through fairly seamless narration is superb. This is a dark story, for sure, but it captured me in a way that I read it all in one sitting. Lots of political commentary here, and I'll be interested to reread this a few years from now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Transphobia, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Hate crime, Police brutality, Murder, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Suicide, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Excrement, Colonisation, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders

jberg216's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

“When I do not act I am complicit. 
When I know wrong is happening I act. 
When the oppressed tell me I am wrong I open my heart and change. 
When change is led by the oppressed, I move aside and uplift.”

This book was powerful. It was real and raw and an important warning of what could happen if we do not pay attention and be an ally every day. As the book says, ally is a verb and not a noun. As a cis white woman, I know I could be doing better at being an ally. 

There’s a part in the book where Kay is remembering before the renovation and he remembered sharing a post about disabled access on the subway and they felt good for doing that performative action and never thought about it again until he himself was in trouble. He wished that his allies would help him in a real and tangible way. This hit me hard as I know that I too have done a performative action and felt good about it without actually helping anyone. 

This book really made me think about my actions and I will be thinking for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

Minor: Rape

readingwithkt's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

CROSSHAIRS by Catherine Hernandez is a brutal dystopian novel, unflinching in its account of a fascist regime that sweeps Canada in the aftermath of a climate crisis. The Boots are tasked with rounding up The Others, a term used to refer to anybody who is BAME/BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+. The Renovation movement involves all Others being taken to forced labour camps and brutalised, often murdered. This book is violent, graphic and extremely unsettling. 

In the way that all good dystopian stories are written, this book could easily be a possible future, a prediction of what could come if we are not careful to challenge and destroy the growing wave of fascism. I particularly appreciated Hernandez’s reflections on intersectionality throughout the narrative.

Though somewhat heavy handed in places, I thought that Crosshairs was a chilling and harrowing dystopian, and one that is certainly worth a read if you can handle the graphic violence and dehumanisation tactics depicted throughout. It took me several (3-4) months to read this novel due to the content. 

May this book serve as a reminder of the dangers of fascism, and the need for all allys to speak up and take action in the face of it.

Thank you to Jacaranda for this review copy, received in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Rape

kharlan3's review against another edition

challenging dark tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, and Gore

Minor: Biphobia

forced sterilization

tay_mackenziemac's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

This book is a must read. The writing is incredible and the characters are so carefully written. The plot itself is horrifyingly real in that it reminds us how quickly we can get to this place and how many of the oppressions and violence experienced by the characters in this fictional timeline are already happening right now in Canada. Again, a must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Transphobia, Homophobia, Genocide, Murder, Xenophobia, and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual assault