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ayamtshali_97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mweir710's review
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book and the narrators set the scene for me as they put the perfect amounts of emotion into their vocal inflections and didn't overdo the voices of the multitudes of characters throughout Benton-Walker's book. I will say that I found this book to be a little uncomfortable in areas - part of that could be me dealing with my own white fragility and not wanting to even partially align myself with the white characters in this book (they're all pretty terrible people).
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the mystery of the story that came together piece by piece. Even if it was a little predictable at times, I never quite felt like I had all the facts needed to say whodunit and why. A couple of things I didn't love about this book: (1) There were too many POVs to switch between (although I did like that there were multiple narrators to separate some of these POVs). I enjoyed the switch between Cristina and Clem, and even Valentina, but there was a random chapter from the POV of the kid who torments Clem in school, which didn't seem super relevant to the story itself. (2) There was ANGER woven throughout this book, which is to be expected when looking at the experiences with racism and the corrosion from absolute power. However, the anger experienced through the injustices that our characters have to endure quickly turns to pettiness, which takes away from the depth of the characters. I also didn't love Cristina's blood-thirsty "attitude," for lack of a better word, as this book progressed as I felt like "an eye for an eye" wasn't a good look for Cristina when used for every encounter she had with the people who have crossed her.
3.5/4 - I would definitely read the next in the series as the cliffhanger seemed intriguing to me!
Thank you to Terry J. Benton Walker, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book and give my honest review!
Overall, though, I really enjoyed the mystery of the story that came together piece by piece. Even if it was a little predictable at times, I never quite felt like I had all the facts needed to say whodunit and why. A couple of things I didn't love about this book: (1) There were too many POVs to switch between (although I did like that there were multiple narrators to separate some of these POVs). I enjoyed the switch between Cristina and Clem, and even Valentina, but there was a random chapter from the POV of the kid who torments Clem in school, which didn't seem super relevant to the story itself. (2) There was ANGER woven throughout this book, which is to be expected when looking at the experiences with racism and the corrosion from absolute power. However, the anger experienced through the injustices that our characters have to endure quickly turns to pettiness, which takes away from the depth of the characters. I also didn't love Cristina's blood-thirsty "attitude," for lack of a better word, as this book progressed as I felt like "an eye for an eye" wasn't a good look for Cristina when used for every encounter she had with the people who have crossed her.
3.5/4 - I would definitely read the next in the series as the cliffhanger seemed intriguing to me!
Thank you to Terry J. Benton Walker, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book and give my honest review!
bumblebeewhisper's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
troys_bookshelf's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jacehan's review against another edition
dark
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
3.5
bookishpapercuts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dinnureads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.75
New Orleans, magic, revenge...Quite a few good ingredients for a nice fantasy YA story. 😊
I must say, most of the characters had some egoistic moments and were set on revenge through anything and everything and it got a bit much at times. I prefer my characters to show some restraint and be better than their enemies to give me something to root for. And the centre family wasn't close at all and kept fighting over the weirdest things. Greyer than grey characters, I guess...Good discussion point for moral dilemmas though...🤔
Other than that this was a very well written story with quite an interesting magic system and I was hooked quite fast. Based on Voodoo it was a darker story and some scenes got a bit bloody. For I book I picked solely based on cover (it's a very pretty cover) I enjoyed it quite a lot and I will continue with the series. 😊
I must say, most of the characters had some egoistic moments and were set on revenge through anything and everything and it got a bit much at times. I prefer my characters to show some restraint and be better than their enemies to give me something to root for. And the centre family wasn't close at all and kept fighting over the weirdest things. Greyer than grey characters, I guess...Good discussion point for moral dilemmas though...🤔
Other than that this was a very well written story with quite an interesting magic system and I was hooked quite fast. Based on Voodoo it was a darker story and some scenes got a bit bloody. For I book I picked solely based on cover (it's a very pretty cover) I enjoyed it quite a lot and I will continue with the series. 😊
manaledi's review against another edition
I wanted to like this. I'm always looking for more Black YA novels, but there are too many points of view and too many secrets for me. I'm realizing I don't like mysteries and this is more mystery than anything with an edge of creepy. I also like communication and there's none here. Too much family drama.
queenlxve's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.5
tavvyink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0