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tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Outing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Excrement, Genocide, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion, Incest, Suicide, Mental illness, Vomit, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug use
Moderate: Religious trauma, Environmental degradationnoahsingh's review against another edition
3.75
Pros:
-Everyone has already said this but yeah obviously the writing is really good.
- Enjoyed that we get a perspective chapter from almost every enslaved character. Especially enjoyed Maggie and Sarah's perspectives.
-Samuel and Kayodes relationship is beautifully written. Its the first book I've read set during the transatlantic slave trade with focuses on queer black characters, and it was really interesting to read a perspective on that.
-I loved loved loved the King Asuka chapters, my only complaint there is that I wish there had been a lot more of that narrative in general. Same for Sarah's narrative. The exploration of black queerness and transness as not yet warped by slavery and colonialism is definitely one of the strongest aspects of this book to me.
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Cons:
-Not enough time spent with each characters, and I didn't see the need for Paul's chapters being so long.
-I personally don't enjoy too much description/poetic language which gets in the way of the actual narrative, which I think this book suffered from a bit. Its all very well-written but I think some of it could have definitely been cut down. But this is a personal bias of mine obvy.
-Some elements of the book were underdeveloped, for example the Beulah/Be Auntie connection, the Seven/Vs the Seven aunts, etc
-So so so much (trigger warning) rape. I understand it's historically accurate to the enslavement of black individuals in America but the explicitness and repeated graphic descriptions seemed unnecessary and kinda excessive for me. For example,
-A lot of the characters don't get a conclusive ending, of course that's hard to do when most of the characters are enslaved individuals and escape from slavery was practically impossible.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Outing, Rape, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, Sexism, Suicide, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Excrement, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, and Suicide attempt
lisztaffe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Torture, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Abortion, Gore, Racism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Torture, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Physical abuse, Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Sexual content
bruhbruh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Deportation, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Trafficking
badmom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Slavery, Rape, Racism, Outing, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Religious bigotry, Excrement, Alcohol, Ableism, Genocide, Suicide, Miscarriage, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Cannibalism
kirstenf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Racial slurs, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Blood, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Infidelity, Colonisation, and Pregnancy
kshertz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, and Racial slurs
theskyboi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Part of the pacing comes from the emotional weight of assessing the relationship we have to past cultures erased and exploited in the name of greed and power. Part of the pacing comes from the lyrical prose and poetry that Robert Jones Jr. expertly crafted on the pages of his debut novel. As an author, he utilizes each character's voice for the purposes of an emotional about-face between terror and tenderness.
I absolutely consider this book an essential addition to my shelf, and I feel enriched after having delved into the world of these forbidden lovers. However, the brutality of slavery cannot be ignored, so I present a brief notice to readers who know themselves to be sensitive in regard to such acts of violence.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Violence, Slavery, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage
taria's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
amberinbookland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Suicide, Pregnancy, Murder, Miscarriage, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Excrement, Death of parent, Confinement, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, Rape, Infertility, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny