Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

21 reviews

30something_reads's review

dark tense 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

4.0

Who is to blame for the hate that hate made?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Body horror, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Animal death

meaghanelizabook's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death, Gore, Body horror, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Alcohol

audc's review

adventurous dark emotional informative lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

It was short with sweet twists and turns. 
I really liked the way the characters were described. 
Noticeable that a man wrote a female character but all the same a likeable heroine. 
I did not feel that attachment to the characters which can happen with short books. 
The focus on racism was not the main picture, but the pain of slavery was mentioned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Blood, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Cursing

tifftastic87's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really liked this story and the horror was on point. The writing style wasn't for me though. There were times I needed more to understand what was happening and the narration would jump past it. I understand this was done for a reason, and in some cases it worked great, but in others I struggled. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: War and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content and Slavery

bishopbox's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Torture, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, and Slavery

Moderate: Vomit

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I had no idea what this book was about, except Race friction/violence, and was surprised to find that it was a supernatural fantasy/horror story set in an alternate world version of North America. In a world where Racial hatred has been fomented by the KKK (who have actual Grand Wizards) only those people with The Sight can see the true form of the monsters awakened in men filled with hate. Foul Magicks are worked and in a horrid twist of the knife a popular movie contains the Workings to bring forth all sorts of horrid beings through the Veil (by inciting people to Hate).

A group of scrappy monster-hunting girls lay traps for the awakened monsters that they call "KluKluxes" which they attempt to dispel with bombs, guns and a magical sword. Back home, people are using whatever resources they can to keep their families safe, from science, to the elders' gris-gris and ancestral rites.

The main character has dream visits with other beings who she relies on as spirit guides, and who she sees as "Aunties". It seems that her destiny is tied up, and she is called to action to stop the re-release of that popular old movie, which will allow the KKK to raise an old god. She must use her power and wisdom to defeat the manifestations of Racial Hatred.

Some parts of this story are pretty trippy, and it's got a whole monster killing Buffy vibe, but in a much less White girl context lol.

The end of the story seems to indicate that there is possibly another would-be hero out there.. and from the gist of it I could see the follow up being from the point of view of a personal journey of a White boy who needs to turn his back on the lure of bigotry.. but I really don't know how the vibe would work that way around.. could go either way if there was a sequel, but the creepy otherbeing world, and the slipping in-between, going inside flesh-trees,  and vision quest type feel, is a really cool interweaving of fantasy elements.. and there are emotionally resonant bits in the end of the story that deliver nicely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Physical abuse, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Hate crime

Minor: Slavery

qqjj's review

challenging dark tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

I thought this was well-written and had important themes....but it was a stretch for me in terms of the horror and gore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Animal death, Vomit, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Murder

ellornaslibrary's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Animal death, and War

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent

Minor: Cursing

Please read all content warnings.

heather_harrison's review

dark 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? Yes

3.5

This is my second attempt at tackling Ring Shout, and for such a compact novella it really does pack a punch. 

The story and world-building is dense and heavy. 
The language and use of the "Gullah woman" was a bit disorientating. The audiobook version helped a bit with that. 

The Lovecraftian KKK monsters were creepy and unsettling, more like a dark and twisted epic fantasy.
Violent and action packed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Gore, Violence, Slavery, Cursing, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Death

ruthiedr89's review

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Animal death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Police brutality, and Cursing