Reviews

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

caitgriff's review

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2.0

As someone who has not read The Horror at Red Hook, I can acknowledge that this wasn’t written for me, and that I likely missed a lot of the nuance and the nods to original Lovecraft in it. That being said, I felt that the non-narrator characters were very hollow and beyond Ma Atta’s presence, there wasn’t a single female character (she had the whole supreme alphabet for a WHILE before it was stolen back from her— why didn’t she use it at all?). While the tale of revenge was compelling, and certainly made juicer for the racial overtones, it lacked enough clarity for me to be able to get through many parts without wondering what was going on.

As a reinterpretation of Lovecraft, I’m sure this book is on point. As an entry point, it did not thrill me.

lsparrow's review

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4.0

I love the mash of genres. You are never sure of what is reality, myth, magic, the mind. You can feel the influences of fairy tales, folk lore and gothic horror in this book. Like all good fantasy has powerful statements on our world.

romelgarcia's review

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

5.0

elenamariethirteen's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dancpharmd's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

tricapra's review

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4.0

Honestly, get it Tom. Do your thing.

destiniev's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense 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

4.5

kingmantis's review

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dark mysterious 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

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

foreverbeautifulbooks's review

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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? Yes

4.0