Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Ring shout, or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the end times

This was such an interesting concept and I loved how the author blended Lovecraftian horror with the actual reality of the KKK in America. Also special shout out to the narrator because listening to this as an audiobook was fantastic, especially with all the singing and character of it all. Super intelligent and just overall really enjoyable.

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dreareads_'s review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

There is something so chilling about fictional horrors reflecting the real darkness in our society.

Ring Shout was the perfect book to begin my journey inside of the horror genre and not only because it was short and action packed.

What made Ring Shout special was how it grabs you with the masterfully depicted imagery of horror, and it fully submerse you with the horrors inside of humans.

As a book that centers around supernatural KKK demons in the 1920's, the book never lets your forget that the true evil is the racism and violence that was endemic at the time. Yes the monsters were scary, and yes the demonic aspects heightened the tension of the story, but it was the undercurrent of reality that sticks with you after you have read it.

But it is not simply a horror book with pain, it is also a story of love and perseverance. Of honoring those that have fallen, and coming to terms with your trauma. What differentiates hate from need for revenge? What about justice and revenge, is one purer than the other?

And although the story was fast paced, Clark still took the time to show us the love and connection that existed between the characters. How a supportive and welcoming community is the greatest defense against the most evil forces.

This isn't a 5 star read. this is a 100 star read, and I need everyone to read it asap.

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peachani's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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bealmg's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.0

I think this totally deserved a full-length novel. I really liked the premise and I thought it was really thought-provoking in its discussions of hate vs justice. I went into this feeling a bit scared because I'm not into horror, but I was actually okay with even the most gruesome of elements of this story (I think I stopped myself from imagining those things and it helped). Were this a tv show or film, I would have skipped those parts!
However, the storyline and the characters were not as fleshed out as I would have liked - I think this is, in part, due to this being a novella and, thus, necessarily shorter. I wanted to be more emotionally connected to these characters, but everything happened so fast and the plot was so condensed that it lacked the necessary emotional depth for me. Nevertheless, considering this is a novella, I was pretty impressed with the creativity, the world-building and the themes it explored!

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