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annarella's review
4.0
I love book set in the Carabbean and this was a perfect book.
It's full of the smell, colours and whatever you expect from a Carabbean book.
I loved the main characters, the plot - even if there's some loose threads, and the setting.
A wonderful reading.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Blue Banyan Books and Netgalley for this ARC
It's full of the smell, colours and whatever you expect from a Carabbean book.
I loved the main characters, the plot - even if there's some loose threads, and the setting.
A wonderful reading.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Blue Banyan Books and Netgalley for this ARC
mfletcher's review
5.0
First of all I have to say that I know practically nothing about Trinidad. All I knew before going into this book was that it used to be a British slave colony and that it is in the Caribbean. And this book isn't really about Trinidad, but it is set there, so you can say that I had to Google many many things in order to understand what was going on. But that was actually one of my favourite things, as the author used Trini slang and hindu words to authenticate Rune's perspective.
One of my favourite aspects of this book is that it is just as much character driven as it is plot driven, so it's kind of perfect for me. I loved watching Rune grow and learn and really just become who she needed to be. The other characters are also really well written and each one has their own complexities. Nothing is black and white. Nick, for example, is irresponsible and an alcoholic but as we see him through Rune's eyes it's clear that he's not all bad.
There is only technically a romance element to this book and that's really just an awesome friendship that could lead to more at some point in the future. And I liked that. It was realistic, not all fifteen year olds have ever been in a relationship, in fact most haven't.
My one gripe (except it isn't really) is that we never get to find out who kills Dumpling. Rune laments that people will forget about Dumpling but along the way she stops being fueled by that death as well (in her defense she does have some crazy other shit going on).
One of my favourite aspects of this book is that it is just as much character driven as it is plot driven, so it's kind of perfect for me. I loved watching Rune grow and learn and really just become who she needed to be. The other characters are also really well written and each one has their own complexities. Nothing is black and white. Nick, for example, is irresponsible and an alcoholic but as we see him through Rune's eyes it's clear that he's not all bad.
There is only technically a romance element to this book and that's really just an awesome friendship that could lead to more at some point in the future. And I liked that. It was realistic, not all fifteen year olds have ever been in a relationship, in fact most haven't.
like_unto_a_leopard's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
I picked this book up at the library because I had never read a novel that took place in Trinidad and was rewarded with a gritty murder mystery that totally blew me away with veering plot twists and beautiful, rhythmic prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Death
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Vomit
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