Reviews tagging 'Death'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

52 reviews

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

This book grabs the reader by the throat and forces us to reckon with the horrors of the past along with the characters and understand how these structures loom over us today. Like the FMC Mira, we are witnesses, and how can we just go along with our complicity after we’ve seen, heard and felt our way through this story?

Overall, this was powerful, necessary, unrelenting, brutal and harsh. This was also the first book I’ve ever read that had satirical elements that were so deeply unfunny and made me realize that satire doesn't hinge on humour. 

A note on format:

I read this 50/50 audio and physical. I did prefer the physical, but only because I needed more time with the book. To read and re-read, to sit and think about the passages I read. To re-visit certain chapters for reflection. And to immerse myself in the lyrical writing of LaTanya McQueen.  

That being said, the narration was superb, and I think there were certain performance elements the narrator made that increased the horror of the book. My preference for the physical was despite the fact that the narrator was great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

skogsheks's review against another edition

dark sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

hopiedee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment

elfcurrentlyreading's review against another edition

challenging dark sad

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

beasneaz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Rape, Suicide, and Torture

mmguinane's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

I never really read any sort of mystery/thriller/horror (90% of what I read is romance) as I am very easily startled or scared, but I am glad that I read this one. This was wonderfully written, and though the beginning is a bit slow-paced, I found myself unable to put it down once I read further. LaTanya McQueen created a sense of foreboding right from the start that carried throughout the book, and I hope to read more from her soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

f18's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

The writing in the "intersitial" sections was excellent. 

Disappointed that most of what happens with the wedding guests is offscreen and we don't find out

if they end up alive or dead.

While I usually don't mind open endings esp in horror, this instance didn't work for me. It felt abrupt and unsatisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Gore, and Blood

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, and Torture

nicole625's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense

4.25

It didn't feel as gothic as I imagined it would be. The way that history and the modern story blend is very impactful. However, it felt like some of the character reactions were so mild that it almost dulled the impact. For example, Mira believes that

Jesse has been shot and killed by an angry mob

but the way it's written is so blunt and short, that it feels like it loses some of the emotional impact. Overall, a really interesting story that's difficult because of the absolute atrocities described throughout (literally like ALL the trigger warnings).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, and Cannibalism

libraryoflanelle's review

3.0

Quick casual review ahead:

This book was very mid and honestly a little forgettable. I had a fun enough time listening and was definitely hooked enough to want to find out what happened. However, I felt like the themes around enslavement and white supremacy could have been explored in a lot more depth. I simultaneously felt that I could have enjoyed the storyline significantly more in a short story form as there were many aspects of the overarching plot that were predictable and drawn out.

Overall I had a fun enough time but was very much left wanting more! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, and Pedophilia

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense

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

3.5

Mira was an unlikeable FMC who gave ‘go along to get along’ vibes until 75% in, plus I wasn’t a fan of the romance subplot. This was less intentional horror and more like accurately writing about Black history is naturally horrific (i.e. the skinning scene). It felt like the author was overwhelmed with multiple ideas and didn’t know how to adequately wrap them up, leading to an abrupt ending. I wish there was more time spent on the character dynamics, but the rest of the premise was strong enough to balance it out for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Hate crime

Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Rape