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Reviews tagging 'Racism'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

140 reviews

sarahreadssometimes's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

 When the Reckoning Comes is a brutally honest book that looks at the US’s history with slavery and does a great job paralleling it to the systemic racism that African Americans face in modern times. The book can be hard to read at times, but it is meant to be that way. The scenes are supposed to leave you shocked and devastated, so I think that aspect was really well handled. I also think that the evolution the main character went through in the book was interesting and well-developed. The back half of the book had a dark, eery atmosphere that I enjoyed, and it had a few twists and turns that surprised me. Overall, I think it was a really great thematic book, but I think the pacing and tone throughout was a bit off. 
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nicole625's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense

4.25

It didn't feel as gothic as I imagined it would be. The way that history and the modern story blend is very impactful. However, it felt like some of the character reactions were so mild that it almost dulled the impact. For example, Mira believes that
Jesse has been shot and killed by an angry mob
but the way it's written is so blunt and short, that it feels like it loses some of the emotional impact. Overall, a really interesting story that's difficult because of the absolute atrocities described throughout (literally like ALL the trigger warnings).
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brotestantethic's review

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dark 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? It's complicated

3.75

This is a hard, but very compelling, read. McQueen provides heavy insight into the antebellum and modern South that is often ignored. She discusses the harder and more gruesome aspects of enslavement, while bringing them back into the present. I very much enjoyed how she plays with time near the end of the novel. There are some good twists and turns.
All that said, I would have rated this lower before the final sixty pages or so. The explanation of what is happening at the Woodsman house is extremely rushed and far too convenient. Main character Mira knows exactly what to do to progress the story along, and there is no explanation why.
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olivias_bookrecs's review against another edition

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dark sad

4.0

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hillysreads's review

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dark sad 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? No

4.0

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

3.5

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libraryoflanelle's review against another edition

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3.0

Quick casual review ahead:

This book was very mid and honestly a little forgettable. I had a fun enough time listening and was definitely hooked enough to want to find out what happened. However, I felt like the themes around enslavement and white supremacy could have been explored in a lot more depth. I simultaneously felt that I could have enjoyed the storyline significantly more in a short story form as there were many aspects of the overarching plot that were predictable and drawn out.

Overall I had a fun enough time but was very much left wanting more! 
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bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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bookishkellyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Mira was an unlikeable FMC who gave ‘go along to get along’ vibes until 75% in, plus I wasn’t a fan of the romance subplot. This was less intentional horror and more like accurately writing about Black history is naturally horrific (i.e. the skinning scene). It felt like the author was overwhelmed with multiple ideas and didn’t know how to adequately wrap them up, leading to an abrupt ending. I wish there was more time spent on the character dynamics, but the rest of the premise was strong enough to balance it out for me.
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lindseyhall44's review

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challenging dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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