Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

118 reviews

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

olivias_bookrecs's review

dark sad

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Rape

hillysreads's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

kaneebli's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse

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

bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Rape

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

veeples's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

3.0

Truly just an OK book. I was surprised by the addition of

ghosts being a literal plot point

which was interesting, but otherwise, its just fine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Slavery, and Blood

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail