Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

51 reviews

christine_d11's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Violence

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

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

kati_armstrong's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery

sarahreadssometimes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

 When the Reckoning Comes is a brutally honest book that looks at the US’s history with slavery and does a great job paralleling it to the systemic racism that African Americans face in modern times. The book can be hard to read at times, but it is meant to be that way. The scenes are supposed to leave you shocked and devastated, so I think that aspect was really well handled. I also think that the evolution the main character went through in the book was interesting and well-developed. The back half of the book had a dark, eery atmosphere that I enjoyed, and it had a few twists and turns that surprised me. Overall, I think it was a really great thematic book, but I think the pacing and tone throughout was a bit off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Murder

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

brotestantethic's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

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

calatheacat's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gun violence

amandinesophie's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was loving this one until the last part. It went all over the place and I just wasn't as engaged anymore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Blood

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This isn’t horror like scary ghost and slashers. It’s the horror of history and men. 

The start of this was kind of boring I’m not going to lie because nothing really happened. But the last like 20% had my jaw on the floor multiple times and not because it’s necessarily shocking, but because it was so disturbing and anger inducing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism