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hipsterhildog's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
meh697's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Atmospheric and tense! I felt completely pulled into the plot. I also appreciated the conversations surrounding missing persons in the BIPOC community.
stuffhanreads's review
4.0
Rating: 4 Stars
”Danger for Black girls was different. It didn’t obey the boundaries of stories. For them, it was always real.”
Black girls in the remote town of Jonestown have been disappearing for years on the same day in Summer like clockwork. When Elizabeth’s god daughter Caroline goes missing too, she uncovers a history of brutal murders that has the girls murdered labelled as “troubled” and “addicts”. This book shows what racism and segregation can do to communities and how far someone will go to keep things separated.
Jackal by Erin E. Adams, had an amazing story and I couldn’t get enough of it. It made me so angry to see how black people were treated in this book. The thinly veiled anger and prejudice was hard to stomach and I couldn’t imagine what it’s like for those of you in real life who have to deal with this kind of thing.
The main reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars, was just the ending, I wasn’t expecting a supernatural element after pretty much 80% of the book being about racism and a chain of murderers that were seemly done by people for no reason other than race. So when we see things about shadows and a “jackal” who turns out to be some sort of god, I was pretty thrown off. Apart from that the book was amazing and it’s on my favourites of 2023 list.
”Danger for Black girls was different. It didn’t obey the boundaries of stories. For them, it was always real.”
Black girls in the remote town of Jonestown have been disappearing for years on the same day in Summer like clockwork. When Elizabeth’s god daughter Caroline goes missing too, she uncovers a history of brutal murders that has the girls murdered labelled as “troubled” and “addicts”. This book shows what racism and segregation can do to communities and how far someone will go to keep things separated.
Jackal by Erin E. Adams, had an amazing story and I couldn’t get enough of it. It made me so angry to see how black people were treated in this book. The thinly veiled anger and prejudice was hard to stomach and I couldn’t imagine what it’s like for those of you in real life who have to deal with this kind of thing.
The main reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars, was just the ending, I wasn’t expecting a supernatural element after pretty much 80% of the book being about racism and a chain of murderers that were seemly done by people for no reason other than race. So when we see things about shadows and a “jackal” who turns out to be some sort of god, I was pretty thrown off. Apart from that the book was amazing and it’s on my favourites of 2023 list.
soflo365's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.25
theybie_spice's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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
4.75
zlwrites's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
kaylajcj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.25
readingindc's review
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
God this was dark! I enjoyed the first half a lot, I just wish this had landed the ending a bit better… I’m also now slightly afraid of the dark?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Racism
gilbertbg1's review
4.0
3.5 out of five, rounded up! This book was recommended to me by Tailored Book Recommendations!
This was such a great read, honestly. It felt just high stakes enough to be engaging and keep you drawn in, had just enough mystery to keep you guessing, and just enough twists and turns to earn a gasp every now and then! The intentional discussion of the violence against black women, the loss of black girls, and the threat white people feel when Black people achieve were perfectly woven into a story drenched in anxiety and bone chilling darkness. I loved Liz as a protagonist. She was relatable and her determination and fire was infectious. She wanted to find Caroline and solve the mystery of the murdered black girls, and god damn it you wanted to solve it right along with her! The mystery/thriller element was deftly woven. I fell for every misdirect, I was willing to blame every suspect Liz came up with! The slow creeping fear that the killer could be right there in the room with her at any moment was perfectly done! I would have LOVED more of the mothers/sisters of the other girls who were taken/killed, I think that was an element of the story that was really strong and the book would have benefited from more of that!
My only real complaint keeping this from being a strong 4 stars was the way the supernatural element landed. It was sprinkled throughout the story in a really nice way, but when we finally got to the climax of the story where everything was exposed, it felt rushed and lacked the punch I was hoping for. Overall though, it was a very cool concept and I just wanted a little more of it to really make it sing.
All in all, though, a great thriller, with really interesting supernatural elements, a smash of a climax, and strong emotional weight that kept you pulled in until the last word.
This was such a great read, honestly. It felt just high stakes enough to be engaging and keep you drawn in, had just enough mystery to keep you guessing, and just enough twists and turns to earn a gasp every now and then! The intentional discussion of the violence against black women, the loss of black girls, and the threat white people feel when Black people achieve were perfectly woven into a story drenched in anxiety and bone chilling darkness. I loved Liz as a protagonist. She was relatable and her determination and fire was infectious. She wanted to find Caroline and solve the mystery of the murdered black girls, and god damn it you wanted to solve it right along with her! The mystery/thriller element was deftly woven. I fell for every misdirect, I was willing to blame every suspect Liz came up with! The slow creeping fear that the killer could be right there in the room with her at any moment was perfectly done! I would have LOVED more of the mothers/sisters of the other girls who were taken/killed, I think that was an element of the story that was really strong and the book would have benefited from more of that!
My only real complaint keeping this from being a strong 4 stars was the way the supernatural element landed. It was sprinkled throughout the story in a really nice way, but when we finally got to the climax of the story where everything was exposed, it felt rushed and lacked the punch I was hoping for. Overall though, it was a very cool concept and I just wanted a little more of it to really make it sing.
All in all, though, a great thriller, with really interesting supernatural elements, a smash of a climax, and strong emotional weight that kept you pulled in until the last word.