Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

17 reviews

bcope84's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, War, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Murder, and Racism

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

chaoticnostalgia's review

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Hate crime, Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Slavery, Gore, Death of parent, Blood, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit 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

thegayestghost's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, Violence, Slavery, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Hate crime, Blood, and Body horror

wordsareworlds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

This is a masterfully written alternate history cosmic horror. Clark reclaims space in a genre that has too often tried to force Black people into the role of monster, turning the mirror back on those racist tropes while celebrating Black culture and history in a multitude of ways. 

I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a face paced, gripping story that incorporates both mystical and actual horrors with a strong sense of heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, and Body horror

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

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

alexalily's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring tense 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: Body horror

Moderate: Racism, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Violence, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, and Slavery

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