Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Nightcrawling

This story is heartbreaking and absolutely unnerving but so beautifully written it’s hard to put it down once you pick it up. Kiara is a character I’ll think back on for years to come. An unbelievable debut novel.

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emilinaballerina's review

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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thisbookrox's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

this book captivated me with it’s really beautiful writing. it was challenging but well worth the read. the author’s note at the end was great as well. i read this on audio and the narrator was amazing.

definitely read CWs before reading.

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sidekicksam's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Kiara is on the cusp of adulthood, but has been dealing with adult issues for most of her life. Since her father died, her mother is at a halfway house, and her brother is chasing a dream of becoming a rapper, coming up with the rent falls to mostly her.

What a stunning debut novel. It is apparent that Mottley is a poet, as her writing style is lyrical and explores themes as racism, sex work, poverty and oppression without making it overly graphic or horrifying to read, which is quite a feat.

For me personally, the lyrical/poetic writing style also made it more challenging to get through, as I kept zoning out and took quite a bit of time to read each section, but the story grabbed me by the collar and made me keep reading.

If you liked this, watch The Florida Project or read On The Savage Side, and if you particularly liked the writing style I recommend Caleb Azumah Nelson or The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

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tesslw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

TW; prostitution, coercion, sex / relationships with a minor, sexual assault, drug use and addiction, police misuse of power, police brutality

17 year old Kiara and her big brother, Marcus are living on the brink. With their father dead, mother in a halfway house and rents rising, Marcus’ decision to quit his job and commit all his time to his promise to ‘break through’ as a rap artist is wearing as thin as the clothes on their backs. Desperate, and seeking ways to pay their rent and buy food as well for 9 year old Trevor next door, whose mother is rarely home (more often out searching for her next fix) Kiara begins to walk the streets of Oakland to try to stay afloat - and keep everybody housed. What begins as a dark curiosity quickly becomes a necessity, and then the circle tightens and Kiara finds herself unable to leave - until things turn really sour.

Let me be really clear when I say that this book is BLEAK. Beautifully lyrical in its searching desperation, but it is cold, and barren in so many ways other than the language in which Kiara’s story is told. It’s heartbreaking and uncomfortable but so compelling. I’ve seen a few reviews say the same thing but I genuinely don’t think I can do this book justice in a short review - I would urge you to read it for yourself (but please be wary of trigger warnings and content - this is about as far from an upbeat read as you can get!). It’s an incredibly important story, even more so knowing that the author took inspiration from a true case in which the Oakland police department were embroiled in a scandal involving the sexual exploitation of a minor at the hands of a number of serving officers - from which no criminal charges were faced.

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jamieruwen's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

A true freight trains of misfortune hits our protagonist and boy is this novel a powerhouse full of trauma, love, and resilience. I loved Kiara so much; her strong personality and convictions, as well as the care and love she has for Marcus, Trevor and Alé are so admirable and I deeply empathised with her. I had such a clear picture of what the environment and the characters looked like without there being obtrusive descriptions; this novel is simply very well constructed.

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selenyigini's review

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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