Scan barcode
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
I listened to the first 40 minutes of the 8 hour audiobook. While I am a fan of the author's Dread Nation book and look forward to reading the sequel, her middle grade historical fiction ghost novel is not for me. From what I heard of the story, it sounds like a great fun way to teach tweens about the history of the 1920s in the USA with a supernatural element. The detailed explanation of the history is more than I personally want, because I do not need lessons on what I already know to understand the character's situation. The intended audience age group of 8-12 years old could really enjoy this haunted way of learning history, though. This is a lesson that middle grade books are usually not good fits for me due to being written in a way that is geared for much younger readers. Unless reading this for content or comprehension check for a younger reader, I would not recommend the book for adults' recreational reading. Academically speaking, I think the book could potentially be a solid choice for cross-curricular connection in teaching history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
iamsammie27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs, Murder, Violence, Racism, and Death of parent
Minor: Slavery
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Hate crime
Minor: Slavery, Murder, and Violence
naomiysl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
SO so amazingly deep. I'ts not that common to find such a heavy set of topics handled so well and gently without minimizing their depth in the least. The last 3rd of the book features a slow build to disaster that becomes more and more inevitable, tension drawn out masterfully. World building is entirely on-point, both for historicity and for the fantasy elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Minor: Child death, War, and Alcoholism
Explicit and pervasive treatment of the racial realities and tensions in place in 1920s USA.writtenbydnicole's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Cursing and Gore
erine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I loved Dread Nation and a lot of what appealed to me in that series hit hard here for me, too. The fierce, flawed main character and the rich historical details combined with the supernatural (ghosts here, zombies in Dread Nation) were captivating enough that I could forgive some of the creakier or clunkier parts of the story. There were certainly moments in this one where I felt that Ophie was being unnaturally obtuse, or when her Aunt Rose only grudgingly told Ophie the bare minimum of information which (of course!) set Ophie up to make potentially catastrophic mistakes as she learns to deal with the dead. But that aside, I loved the backdrop of the Great Migration and the concept of refugees within one's own country (this made me think of both Caste and The Four Winds); the snarky cousins fully infuriated me; the sad Clara was both pathetic and terrifying.
The discussion of what creates a ghost was intriguing, too. Do they haunt places or people? How do they gain power? (Cookies!) How can Ophie encourage them to finish their journey to the afterlife, and does she even want to? The whole ghostly conceit allows Ireland to demonstrate both the ephemeral and the very real connections and consequences of centuries of human enslavement. The connection between Colin and Mr. Henry, the contrasts between the overt, de jure racism of the South and the more subtle de facto racism of the North. It all comes through very well, down to the subtle "we were here first" vibes of Ophie's cousins.
A perfect October read, full of historical horrors and mysterious spooks.
Takes place in Pittsburgh, PA.
The discussion of what creates a ghost was intriguing, too. Do they haunt places or people? How do they gain power? (Cookies!) How can Ophie encourage them to finish their journey to the afterlife, and does she even want to? The whole ghostly conceit allows Ireland to demonstrate both the ephemeral and the very real connections and consequences of centuries of human enslavement. The connection between Colin and Mr. Henry, the contrasts between the overt, de jure racism of the South and the more subtle de facto racism of the North. It all comes through very well, down to the subtle "we were here first" vibes of Ophie's cousins.
A perfect October read, full of historical horrors and mysterious spooks.
Takes place in Pittsburgh, PA.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Frank -- but not graphic -- discussion of slavery, death, murder, and violence.
More...