Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - When the Reckoning Comes

This was a heavy read for me- nothing can be scarier than what humanity has done to each other over the centuries. While the book was tense and even a bit scary at times, I also couldn’t help feeling so sad because even though the story is fiction, the atrocities that happened to enslaved people were real. It did take me a bit to get though, but I enjoyed the story and would read this author again.

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yennsciri's review against another edition

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2.0

I started writing a full, long review but I felt like I just started ranting and was no longer coherent. I do not believe this book is well-written, nor do I think it does its subject a service. I don't think it's harmful per se, but it feels like a first draft and it's frustrating to read. Inconsistencies in tone, characters that are either caricatures or barely fleshed out at all, a romantic subplot that just pissed me off in how meaningless it felt, and horrible pacing all made this book infuriating.

What's worse is there are moments where I see good shine through. Specifically, whenever we are not following Mira. But when we're with her (which is 90% of the book), this book feels like very little. I'm disappointed :( I thought this would be so much more than it is.

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bookishwitherin's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was an uncomfortable but important read. The author did a great job setting the atmosphere and that yucky feeling in your gut as you are reading it. I felt angry, frustrated, sick, sad & so many other range of emotions. As a white person who grew up in the NE, I always wondered why these celebrities and white people get married at plantations. I so want them to read this book and see exactly how messed up it is that they would want their wedding day at a place that was a dark time during our history. The horrors that were felt made my stomach churn.

The only thing I wished that happened was that the ending was a bit different. I was hoping for more revenge.

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mmguinane's review against another edition

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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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georgiaannereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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nicole625's review against another edition

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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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brotestantethic's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

This is a hard, but very compelling, read. McQueen provides heavy insight into the antebellum and modern South that is often ignored. She discusses the harder and more gruesome aspects of enslavement, while bringing them back into the present. I very much enjoyed how she plays with time near the end of the novel. There are some good twists and turns.
All that said, I would have rated this lower before the final sixty pages or so. The explanation of what is happening at the Woodsman house is extremely rushed and far too convenient. Main character Mira knows exactly what to do to progress the story along, and there is no explanation why.

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libraryoflanelle's review

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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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