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albernikolauras's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was a solid blend of thriller and murder. You follow Mira as she comes back to her hometown for a wedding of one of her childhood friends. While they hadn't talked since Mira left, she is drawn back in for this extravagant wedding on a local plantation. From there, you are drawn into the mystery of this plantation and the reasons behind this wedding.
I found the start of this to be slower than I expected, but as the end starting coming together, all of the groundwork in the beginning fell into place. The book did an excellent job alternating between the horrors of simply being black in America and the horror of the what might be lurking at the plantation itself. It was tense and it kept you on your toes.
Highly recommend for a thriller, and if you want to pair it with a non-fiction, I would recommend 'How the Word is Passed' as the themes between the two find a lot of overlap.
I found the start of this to be slower than I expected, but as the end starting coming together, all of the groundwork in the beginning fell into place. The book did an excellent job alternating between the horrors of simply being black in America and the horror of the what might be lurking at the plantation itself. It was tense and it kept you on your toes.
Highly recommend for a thriller, and if you want to pair it with a non-fiction, I would recommend 'How the Word is Passed' as the themes between the two find a lot of overlap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime and Classism
devynvictoria's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
kellyp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
bandysbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Recently, I've been working on expanding the genres that I read. In the past, I've avoided horror as I always thought it wasn't for me, but after trying a couple of different books I'm finding that I really enjoy it. In particular, I like horror that roots itself in history or the real world. When The Reckoning Comes does exactly that.
The story follows Mira as she returns to her hometown for her ex-bestfriend's wedding. There are threads of mystery and horror that get pulled into the story almost from the beginning, but as the plot picks up the horror really amps up with it. The wedding is held on a historic plantation where slaves were brutalized, tortured, and raped and Mira's discomfort and disgust with the location is immediately apparent. The majority of the guests remain oblivious to the ghosts haunting them until it becomes unavoidable.
I am finding that I really love horror built on reality. I think the idea of being haunted by trauma and horrific events is much more terrifying than zombies, ghosts, and devils. This also creates a lot of social critique within the story which makes it even better.
All in all, I found this a very relevant and scary horror story. If you like a more gothic vibe, current themes, and a compelling main character, you should definitely check this one out!
The story follows Mira as she returns to her hometown for her ex-bestfriend's wedding. There are threads of mystery and horror that get pulled into the story almost from the beginning, but as the plot picks up the horror really amps up with it. The wedding is held on a historic plantation where slaves were brutalized, tortured, and raped and Mira's discomfort and disgust with the location is immediately apparent. The majority of the guests remain oblivious to the ghosts haunting them until it becomes unavoidable.
I am finding that I really love horror built on reality. I think the idea of being haunted by trauma and horrific events is much more terrifying than zombies, ghosts, and devils. This also creates a lot of social critique within the story which makes it even better.
All in all, I found this a very relevant and scary horror story. If you like a more gothic vibe, current themes, and a compelling main character, you should definitely check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
This book is about the ghosts of slavery on a particularly brutal plantation. Torture, murder, rape, and other dehumanizing acts are described in explicit detail. If you are sensitive to violence, please consider carefully before reading.laura_crowther's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation
thehireader's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
I'm so torn between 4 and 4.5 stars right now and think I'll need to sit and think on this one to fully unpack how I'm feeling.
RECKONING is one of the creepiest books I've ever read. I had actual chills on more than one occasion while reading, and while I'm a complete scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies, it generally takes a lot to creep me out when it comes to horror books. I was completely gripped by this book and think it's one of the best horror books I've ever read, but I almost put this book down at several points in the beginning because it was too slow. I'm so glad I kept reading, however.
It is gut wrenching at several points and absolutely brutal; it is evidence of my privilege that I had not known the full extent of the cruelty and vileness (and those don't feel like strong enough words) of slave owners, overseers, all of the individuals complicit, both in the time of slavery and all the way to the present, that I had not had to be confronted by it.
RECKONING is phenomenal at points, but it also didn't feel like a complete story and I wish I could put my finger on why. I'm going to be vague so as to avoid any spoilers, but I wanted more explanation of certain things and I felt like certain scenes could've, and should've, been expanded on. Still, I'm so glad I didn't put it down, and I would absolutely recommend this book.
TWs: racism, slavery, torture, gore, rape and sexual violence, abuse, body horror.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
RECKONING is one of the creepiest books I've ever read. I had actual chills on more than one occasion while reading, and while I'm a complete scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies, it generally takes a lot to creep me out when it comes to horror books. I was completely gripped by this book and think it's one of the best horror books I've ever read, but I almost put this book down at several points in the beginning because it was too slow. I'm so glad I kept reading, however.
It is gut wrenching at several points and absolutely brutal; it is evidence of my privilege that I had not known the full extent of the cruelty and vileness (and those don't feel like strong enough words) of slave owners, overseers, all of the individuals complicit, both in the time of slavery and all the way to the present, that I had not had to be confronted by it.
RECKONING is phenomenal at points, but it also didn't feel like a complete story and I wish I could put my finger on why. I'm going to be vague so as to avoid any spoilers, but I wanted more explanation of certain things and I felt like certain scenes could've, and should've, been expanded on. Still, I'm so glad I didn't put it down, and I would absolutely recommend this book.
TWs: racism, slavery, torture, gore, rape and sexual violence, abuse, body horror.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
anoldharmonica's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
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? Yes
4.75
“Mira saw the history of her people, of this country, of all the violence forgotten and ignored. It was here again. No, it was always here.”
This is a harrowing book, full of interesting characters, smart social commentary, and ghosts! I have a few minor quibbles but overall I’d recommend this book to fans of horror and southern gothic lit.
This is a harrowing book, full of interesting characters, smart social commentary, and ghosts! I have a few minor quibbles but overall I’d recommend this book to fans of horror and southern gothic lit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Torture
Minor: Rape
lisas_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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
4.5
Wow! I really loved this book. It went much deeper into both the issues and soul of the events than I had anticipated. This is no mere thriller (though it works very well on that front too), it’s a thriller that also informs us of some of US history’s major events in terms of race and slavery. It certainly does not shy away from difficult subjects, and I really appreciate the way the author chose to deal with America’s current stance on and history of slavery, racism, prejudice and abuse. Very brave and very important!
Some have called this a ghost story, I would not. I interpreted what is portrayed as ghosts more like history speaking to the characters through different means, the ghosts mere echoes or representations of the past rather than actual apparitions. So, if you’re not into ghost stories, don’t let that hinder you reading this excellent book!
I listened to the audio edition, and loved the narration.
Some have called this a ghost story, I would not. I interpreted what is portrayed as ghosts more like history speaking to the characters through different means, the ghosts mere echoes or representations of the past rather than actual apparitions. So, if you’re not into ghost stories, don’t let that hinder you reading this excellent book!
I listened to the audio edition, and loved the narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Torture
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Colonisation
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, and Gaslighting