Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Black Girl Unlimited

thinks i disliked:
- the concept of echo being a wizard (the magic system and the idea wasn’t fully executed
- a lot of ideas and things mentioned in the story did not add to the plot line and felt very watered down. other goodreads reviews does a good job at explaining it so i would direct you to @BangBangBooks review on goodreads
- it often felt confusing at times and it was hard to keep up

things i liked:
- that it was an own voices novel
- the narration done by the author. i highly recommend the audiobook
- the bravery it takes to share a story like this
- the discussions of how often Black women are left out in the community by Black men
- discussions on rape culture and how it can be perpetuated by the Black community

Content Warnings

renee_reads_books's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

There's a lot going on in this book and it sometimes feels chaotic for that reason, but I didn't mind that. I think that actually played into what the book is representing, which is, to me, that black girls and women are wizards, performing acts of magic to help them survive in a world that is against them. Of course, they aren't *really* wizards, but the elements of magical realism help to show how they cope with all the unfair and cruel cards they're dealt.

Echo grows up in a poor black community in which her stepfather is frequently drunk and her mother is always strung out on "the white rocks" (crack cocaine). Echo works to overcome the odds that are stacked against her: the disadvantage, the addiction, the access to quality education, the sexual abuse -- all things that affect black communities more than white people often feel comfortable acknowledging -- and she thrives.

I'm certain there are own-voices reviews of this book that are more useful than my review here, and I encourage you to read them. I found this book to be very moving and also thought-provoking because it isn't often that the focus is placed on black women in society (what I mean is, even though it's something we hear about, it's not something I've often seen in books). This had me learning a lot more about all the ways that systemic racism exists and all of the hardships people endure because of it. As a former teacher, I was particularly interested in the education angle and how Echo was able to piece her education together, as well as how she saw school as her safe space.

This book was really well done and I'm surprised that I haven't seen more people talking about it.

Content Warnings

locdbooktician's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Wow! This book was so challenging and covered so much. The lessons that were in each chapter were vital to survival and generational trauma. Learning about the plight of the black woman and it being overshadow by black men enraged me while reading this book. The sexual violence was difficult to listen to in this books listening to the author’s end remote at the end of the book broken and had me crying big girl tears.

Content Warnings

rachelsbusyreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book. I am so sad that it was so recently written because i would LOVE a sequel that chronicles her in college!

Content Warnings

tanzreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

FUCK. This book was everything. Echo Brown skillfully reached inside of me and performed a miracle with every single lesson of wizard training. And taught me so, so much.

Content Warnings

glains's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

booksteaandchocolate's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. This is a book I plan to pass on to my nieces in hopes of them gaining a smidge of the author's perseverance and strength. I think this is told in such a unique way. It can be a bit jarring at first but once you get used to the flow it's kind of mind blowing how moments just bleed in to each other.

The content is very serious. I knew what this book was about and knew it could be very difficult for me to read with the triggers in it, but felt it was a story that I needed to know. I'm glad I pushed myself even with my struggle. I had to give myself what I refer to trigger breaks to keep myself reading. If you have anxieties like me or have problems with triggers (such as, drug usage, alchoholism, abuse, rape, talks of suicide, and near death experiences) please try to push through to the end. It is genuinely worth the read.

Content Warnings

More...