Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

5 reviews

marioosa517's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Slavery, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Police brutality, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Torture, Bullying, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Medical content, Terminal illness, Dementia, Rape, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Drug use

mavemarie's review

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

The journey of this story's structure mimics both what we expect, and what we fail to see in the world around us. It highlights the flaws in doing so.

It sets out to unravel a traditionally coded crime mystery, simply from a black perspective on the surface, but instead, the story lulls and expands to showcase a background with ranging intricacies and a more prominent, and more worthy, story instead. It is tense and uncomfortable. Heartwarming and soothing. Prideful, encouraging and sometimes disappointing as well. And it is a love note to music in every single page. I wish I had more of a musical background to appreciate it more.

As a contemporary piece, it makes the encounters within the story that much more jarring. We have all gone to school with Ray. We have sat next to him on the plane. Listened to him play at our aunts wedding. We have all seen him on the side of the road next to some flashing lights. Hearing the authors life experiences as they inform the story and these moments... is beyond heartbreaking.

The time spent diverging from its genre makes rating it as a simple thriller/mystery... almost lackluster. But this is not just a story about a missing violin. It is about connection, trust, perseverance, family, and friendship. It is about race, culture, heritage and hardship. It is about love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, Torture, Classism, and Bullying

Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness

jmross10's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.5

I am not generally a thriller reader given the genres most common tropes. I stumbled on this book when looking for one that didn’t revolve around murder and was instantly hooked by the premise. 

Slocumb did a great job of bringing his passion for music to the page and making that love understandable not only to people who share it but also to those who might be experiencing it through his/Ray’s eyes for the first time. 

Across the pages of this book readers are confronted with unconditional love, respect, and dedication but also the brutal honesty of what it is to be black, well off, and accomplished. Slocumb doesn’t shy away from Ray’s struggles and it gives the readers a point of view they may never have considered or could never have the personal experience to understand. 

It was real without feeling so over the top that it came across as comical or unbelievable. The pacing was good and I like the way the timeline was rearranged to tell the story in a more fitting way. I also appreciated that the mystery wasn’t obvious from page one. 

An all around excellent book. A really good read for those who enjoy contemporary stories, books about music or musicians, and/or sociopolitical conversations. There’s plenty to unpack from beginning to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Terminal illness, Bullying, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Slavery

copiani's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Cancer and Dementia

andloveistoolong's review

emotional hopeful informative mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Cancer, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Child abuse

Minor: Cultural appropriation and Deportation