Reviews

Arpenter la nuit by Leila Mottley

doesitcomeinpurple's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.0

santhanakana's review against another edition

4.0

What a harrowing read! The prose was everything! Lit poetic! Why is it that police and sexual exploitation and abuse is paired together often?? Extremely disturbing. This book will stay w me!!! Trevor and Kiara, you will be happy! 

mxyfrzn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.25

julia11's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not going to go into the synopsis, I really can't word it any better than it's been laid out and I went into it totally blind and enjoyed not knowing where it was heading!

The writing of this book is really what got me hooked. It's so beautifully written and the descriptions of things are so creative. Yes, at times it seemed like it was maybe trying to hard, which is why it wasn't a 5 star for me. It almost made the main character feel less authentic- we're supposed to be in her head but her thoughts vs her speech just didn't line up for me.

The constant turmoil, the injustice, the heartbreak- it's all heavy. This isn't a usual genre for me, but I think the story is important.. especially as the main storyline of this book was based on real events. Also worth noting this author was 17 when she began writing and 19 when it was published. An amazing accomplishment and she has so much talent. Looking forward to what she has coming next.

tessoaks's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

booksamongstfriends's review against another edition

4.75

I know I’ve been putting off writing this because I have so much to say…

Firstly, I must say this book is not for everybody. There will be people who will only see Kiara as another character and prose to critique, while others that see her as a harsh reality that too often exists in spaces often ignored. 

LETS TALK ABOUT IT🗣️: This book was a harsh alarm and a slap in the face to WAKE UP. In some moments I was a distant passenger, in others it was all too real. Nightcrawling is unapologetically visceral, descriptive, and heartbreaking. It sits you in conversations you can’t disregard and scenes your eyes cannot avert.

Nightcrawling stalks the life of our main character Kiara whose life we enter already in peril. Her brother Marcus, who she loves valiantly, has become unreliable since the death of their father, abandonment of their uncle, and removal of their mother. She lives next door to an abandoned child who she assumes responsibility for mostly in part due to her loss of a sibling. This simultaneously occurring while living in a run down apartment building that they can’t afford to stay in. As Kiara struggles to find work, her brother prioritizes his struggles to stardom. Though with bills to pay and mouths to feed, chasing fame doesn’t position itself in Kiara’s future, and the reality is much more haunting. After a failed attempt to land a job at a strip club waitressing/bartending, a random encounter introduces Kiara to the world of sex work. From one cheap customer to a corrupt police force. It’s here we begin a harrowing journey of abuse of power, assault, over sexualization, abandonment, and injustice. 

The first conversation one should have when reading Nightcrawling is one of innocence. At what age are black teen girls no longer seen as black teen girls? We see this explored heavily in Nightcrawling, most obviously through her underage experiences with clients and police officers, but in addition her interactions with the men in her life. Tony who wants to save her for himself. Her brother, who actively refuses to help her while centering his false future. Her uncle who sees her family as past not to be revisited. Yet upon the discovery of her new profession, no one is there to help her. Tony can’t see her outside of his vision, Marcus can’t see beyond his own, and her uncle isn’t looking back. 

Continuing on, my next thoughts were: at what age do black girls become mothers? At what age does a girl learn how her body is viewed? That it can be transactional? At what age does a black girl realize she has to save herself? That justice isn’t for you? Nightcrawling answered: 13-17. 

These were only the beginning of my thoughts. Not even diving into the real life case, and the abuse of power, authority, and wealth. There’s so much to be said, and no matter what I say, I’m not saying enough.

vihaandsouza's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

mskibba's review against another edition

Tough read and I’m bored 

michellechien930's review against another edition

4.0

"Nightcrawling" by Leila Mottley has such an interesting prose and an intrinsic way of setting the scene- just so that the beautiful writing slightly dims in comparison to the dark subject matter, in which Mottley writes about social justice, police violence, sexism, racism, sex work, etc. It's an important book and expertly written, focusing on 17 year old Kiara, who navigates through dark waters of prostitution while later coming across a police scandal (inspired by real-life events of the Oakland PD scandal), where events transpire out of her control. It's a dark and very gritty, but depressingly realistic book, where the importance lays in the awareness of social surroundings and criticism of the justice system.

mangokiin's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25