Reviews

When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari

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booksjessreads's review against another edition

I just don't think I got on with this book. I think the narration style threw me off and I found it hard to concentrate. I thought the audio would be better but I actually found it harder to follow.

abbeysbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

booksjessreads's review against another edition

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I think this book will be better as an audio for me so I have requested it on BorrowBox. Excited to read but just wasn't in the mood for the print book.

nicolelilac's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

5.0

kbread's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

lizzillia's review against another edition

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4.5

Shortlisted for this year's Carnegie Prize and this is a very emotional read and covers topics such as mental health, grief and death. It is also a novel about growing up and the value of friendship. Kai is a year behind his friends, they are waiting for their A'Level results while he won't take his exams until the following year because his education was disrupted by a family trauma/tragedy. At this point we don't know what it is, but Kai needs to write down his story to help himself to really heal and this is what the book is - his story. But at times he also needs input from his friends - they lived through this with him and he needs their perspectives and insights. And so what we have is Kai's story in his words and the words of his friends Om, Zak and Orla. The story they tell us raw and painful and even though we know that these are memories, it doesn't stop the words piercing us. We even have the addition of ravens and their connection to Kai, they are almost his protectors. The format of the book is an intermingling of prose and verse with black and white illustrations which added an extra dimension. A powerful and raw read.