Reviews tagging 'Murder'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

63 reviews

yennsciri's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

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

megmccreery's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I wish the first half had been as good and interesting as the second half. The pacing was just weird overall, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Mira. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Murder

georgiaannereads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault

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

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

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

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