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k_strau's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
ash_ton's review
the book is making me feel ill. i looked at further pages and the violence made me sweat with anxiety. i can't do it
heathersbike's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing, frightening book. It reminded me of "Dry" in that the dystopia portrayed is too close to home. You can see it actually happening if we don't get our world put back together. If we don't remember that we are all in this together on this little blue planet.
raebrock's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very difficult book to read, it was uncomfortable and terrifying but such a powerful, important story.
I’m not going to summarize the book because you’ve probably already read the description. So I’ll just start with what I liked about it.
Besides the big themes of racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, ageism, and basically the oppression of nearly every marginalized group, there were a few topics that aren’t as often addressed so clearly in works of this nature. 1. Intersectionality! Even among Others, some people have safety nets that not all Others have. For example, queer white people can pretend to be straight. Black and brown people cannot pretend to be white. And the more marginalized groups you belong to (queer, trans, Black, brown, female, elderly, disabled) the harder things can be. 2. Ally-ship! There is a lot of discussion about what it takes to be a true ally, to work to unlearn the prejudice you were born being taught every single day, to take real action, make real stands, and to not make it about yourself and not expect praise for doing the right thing. 3. I live in the US and there is this idea a lot of people here have that Canada is a utopia of politeness, a safe haven. When bad things happen here people will say “If x, y, z happens, I’m moving to Canada!” So I really appreciated how this book broke down the idea that “these kinds of things don’t happen in Canada” is false. Prejudice exists everywhere.
This was a slow burn and it did take me a while to really get sucked in but then I couldn’t put it down. I loved the voice of Queen Kay, I loved every interaction with every other character on his journey, even the horrible ones, because the characters were just so well-written. I would definitely recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not going to summarize the book because you’ve probably already read the description. So I’ll just start with what I liked about it.
Besides the big themes of racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, ageism, and basically the oppression of nearly every marginalized group, there were a few topics that aren’t as often addressed so clearly in works of this nature. 1. Intersectionality! Even among Others, some people have safety nets that not all Others have. For example, queer white people can pretend to be straight. Black and brown people cannot pretend to be white. And the more marginalized groups you belong to (queer, trans, Black, brown, female, elderly, disabled) the harder things can be. 2. Ally-ship! There is a lot of discussion about what it takes to be a true ally, to work to unlearn the prejudice you were born being taught every single day, to take real action, make real stands, and to not make it about yourself and not expect praise for doing the right thing. 3. I live in the US and there is this idea a lot of people here have that Canada is a utopia of politeness, a safe haven. When bad things happen here people will say “If x, y, z happens, I’m moving to Canada!” So I really appreciated how this book broke down the idea that “these kinds of things don’t happen in Canada” is false. Prejudice exists everywhere.
This was a slow burn and it did take me a while to really get sucked in but then I couldn’t put it down. I loved the voice of Queen Kay, I loved every interaction with every other character on his journey, even the horrible ones, because the characters were just so well-written. I would definitely recommend.
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
catalindegaard's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
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
4.75
goofymango's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Oh, gosh. This is one of those books where it's so difficult to write a review, because it doesn't feel like there's enough words to convey just how deeply moving and impactful it was. You know a book is going to make you feel when you're already tearing up at the opening author's note.
I won't dance around it - the overwhelming feel of this book is one of tragedy, of heartbreak and trauma. But there are those glimpses of authentic joy, peace, and the wonders of human connection hidden throughout the book, something that adds to the incredible realness of it all. It's that realness that makes this story so gut-wrenching, because it isn't far removed. You can so very, very easily picture this happening in our reality, our timeline. It makes it difficult to get through at times - upsetting as it is in it's plausibility - but all the more important to really take it in, too. I wept, I had goose-bumps, I felt glimmers of hope. I felt every word of this book in my bones, and - provided you are in the right headspace - recommend anyone to read/listen to it.
The audiobook was read by the author, and gosh, what a performance. Engaging, captivating, raw and filled with emotion, the narration was some of the best I've ever had the joy to listen to.
I won't dance around it - the overwhelming feel of this book is one of tragedy, of heartbreak and trauma. But there are those glimpses of authentic joy, peace, and the wonders of human connection hidden throughout the book, something that adds to the incredible realness of it all. It's that realness that makes this story so gut-wrenching, because it isn't far removed. You can so very, very easily picture this happening in our reality, our timeline. It makes it difficult to get through at times - upsetting as it is in it's plausibility - but all the more important to really take it in, too. I wept, I had goose-bumps, I felt glimmers of hope. I felt every word of this book in my bones, and - provided you are in the right headspace - recommend anyone to read/listen to it.
The audiobook was read by the author, and gosh, what a performance. Engaging, captivating, raw and filled with emotion, the narration was some of the best I've ever had the joy to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, and Genocide
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
dispositionpictures's review against another edition
5.0
I am honored to have received an ARC copy of this novel. Let me start off by saying that this felt real. It felt as real as my wife sitting by my side. My mind raced thinking about how the occurrences in this book could actually happen. It’s even scarier in our current climate because every day I fear we are getting closer to this outcome. As a woman in the LGBTQ community I connected with Crosshairs on the highest of levels. While reading the last few chapters my heart rate started at a resting point of 83bpm and ended at a high 112bpm. Yes, I am a white woman in a minority community and that gives me privileges many others lack. Safe to say reading Catherine’s writing made me check my privilege times 1000, and I will continue to do so every day until the day I die. Allies, read this book as an example of how to show up for minority communities. My fellow LGBTQ people, stay strong.
the_literarylinguist's review against another edition
Too real about extreme fascism to bear reading - I get reminded every day of dystopian possibilities and don't want to read dystopia too