Reviews

I have lots of complicated feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the first part of the book but then it fell off the rails for me and I got lost. I don’t think it knew what it wanted to be…thriller, true crime, mystery, horror?

It seemed like it was thriller/true crime but then I got ambushed by supernatural horror at the end. I wanted to like it, I appreciated the authors perspective and introspection on being a Black woman. However, to be honest, Liz wasn’t a super likable main character, although I was rooting for her and got incredibly frustrated with every obstacle she faced. The “best friend” was SO cruel to the main character but then they pick back up like it was nothing? Mel left Liz in the woods, the woods Mel KNOWS Liz is terrified of, after throwing her phone into the brush…what an absolute fucking asshole!!?

Sometimes the internal narrative was overly lyrical and flowery. It felt very forced and inauthentic and just isn’t my type of writing I don’t think. We spend more time in the main characters head than we do in the story.

Another aspect to this review is that I listened to the audiobook which I would not recommend for this book. I think my experience would have been much different if I had read it and maybe I will give it a second chance one day. The narrator struggled when reading the dialog. The sentences ran together and it was incredibly difficult to tell who was saying what at times. Her voice, while pretty and soothing, was very hard to follow and listen to in regard to the story. She was very soft spoken and mumbled her words sometimes and I just couldn’t follow at certain points.

I almost DNF’d at one point because I was so confused and frustrated. I powered through and while I didn’t *not* enjoy the book, it just wasn’t my favorite and I was left more confused than anything.

Content Warnings

ohyeahshebomb's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

10/5 stars.
Wow, just wow. Gripping from the start, this story is bigger than just the main character. Being a Black woman in this country is a constant battle. Except, here, the monsters are real.

I can not recommend this book enough. If you are Black, it's a must read, if you consider yourself an ally, it's a must read.

Please check trigger warnings.

midnight_toker's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

devonnkirby's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

willow_or_wonton's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

booksamongstfriends's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I was really looking forward to reading Jackal, but unfortunately, it fell short in several aspects. While I appreciated the dimensions of the main character, Liz, I ultimately felt she needed another character to balance her out. While the book touches on assimilation, self hatred, the exploration of Blackness, and white proximity. Nothing feels fully developed.

The story begins with Liz returning to her hometown for her white best friend Mel’s wedding. Throughout the novel, it seems like Liz is constantly bending for this friend until she finally snaps. Mel is the type of white friend who says, “I don’t see color.” From a reader’s standpoint, it’s obvious their friendship is shaky and borderline transactional, as they both provide each other with some kind of access or protection. It felt unrealistic that only now, during her best friend's wedding weekend, Liz starts coming to terms with these realizations.

When Mel’s biracial daughter, Caroline, goes missing, we embark on Liz’s journey of self-discovery and the unearthing of missing Black girls and violent crimes. It felt strange that Liz would be the one to discover these crimes, showing more passion than the victims' own mothers. The crimes are so violent, it's unfathomable they wouldn’t have been in the news. They’ve been happening for 20 years, and while it is a sad reality that Black bodies do go missing without much attention, the ritualistic nature of these crimes alone would’ve received some kind of notice or sent alerts to other counties and states. The parents of these children were all involved in the community at some point and were targeted. It made little sense that suddenly, Liz comes back home and now she’s the one to solve this case with ease. This only further highlighted her proximity to whiteness.

It also made figuring out who the killer was quite obvious. Given the town's dynamics, why would this person want to help her so badly? The ending really bothered me. I don’t mind the incorporation of supernatural or mythological elements, but they should be accurate. Including a jackal and Anubis didn’t make sense since Anubis, although a god of death, is also the protector of the dead and wouldn’t have approved of what was happening. If anything, the author could’ve depicted him as someone who would’ve protected these girls in the afterlife.

Some aspects of Liz’s character were compelling, and there were potentially great bits here. The concept and perception of the “good” Black girl and the burdens it carries was starting to be explored. But racism isn’t actually handled; it’s merely discussed. And when the discussion goes too far, Liz is left in the woods. A redeeming quality was the genuine relationship with her mother, which many readers might relate to. The use of her past relationship turned against her was interesting as well. Additionally, the incorporation of historical Johnstown folklore and events that inspired the writing was pretty cool.

The best parts of this book were the flashbacks capturing the voices of the missing girls, especially in the first half. However, there didn’t seem to be any powerful revelation or redemption for these missing girls. Only the “good” ones make it out, I guess.

More...