Reviews tagging 'Torture'

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

56 reviews

ecn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gore, Colonisation, Classism, Body horror, Grief, Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

_egg_wash's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

albernikolauras's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was a solid blend of thriller and murder. You follow Mira as she comes back to her hometown for a wedding of one of her childhood friends. While they hadn't talked since Mira left, she is drawn back in for this extravagant wedding on a local plantation. From there, you are drawn into the mystery of this plantation and the reasons behind this wedding.

I found the start of this to be slower than I expected, but as the end starting coming together, all of the groundwork in the beginning fell into place. The book did an excellent job alternating between the horrors of simply being black in America and the horror of the what might be lurking at the plantation itself. It was tense and it kept you on your toes.

Highly recommend for a thriller, and if you want to pair it with a non-fiction, I would recommend 'How the Word is Passed' as the themes between the two find a lot of overlap.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Body horror, Physical abuse, Child death, Blood, Sexual assault, Confinement, Torture, Racism, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Child abuse

Moderate: Classism and Hate crime

tnociti's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Torture

Reallllly good Southern Gothic.

mysterymom40's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Rape, Violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Racism, Death, Confinement, Child abuse, and Body horror

Minor: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

forced prostitution, carving/cutting away skin

ripxw's review

challenging dark emotional 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Racial slurs, and Racism

cleches's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Torture, and Murder

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this story and the lens it uses to demonstrate how slavery is still around in a way, we just call it different things now. When the Reckoning Comes gives us a glimpse of the daily horrors that people of color and minorities deal with day in and day out. Some of the most horrifying scenes on this novel had nothing to with the supernatural and were all just everyday evils, both present and past. 

The true horror in this novel is society, racists, and the dark past of our country. With that said, I did enjoy the social commentary and the topics covered however, when it came to the horror elements, I was a little disappointed. This story wasn’t scary in the traditional sense, the ghosts never really do anything and when they do you don’t see it. If they kill someone you never find out how. You just read about Mira finding their dead body. The ghosts are not scary, and honestly I don’t know why this was even horror to begin with and not a thriller. 

The beginning of the book was amazing and I was immediately invested, but halfway through, once the “horror” begins the story starts to drag, the characters become flat, and I honestly just wanted it to end. Overall, I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a horror book but more for someone that’s interested in the more literary themes or into thrillers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Torture

irenemarie's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual assault

justnei's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• 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

3.0

Pretty decent overall, but I found that it felt unfinished in a way. I'm not sure what it is but I just don't feel like I've finished reading the book? I feel like the ending fell flat for me with a few loose ends still floating around..

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Torture