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jaqxun's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Cursing, Blood, Death, Torture, Gun violence, and Murder
kathygotpugs's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
adiajamille's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Gore, and Misogyny
minaopal's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Murder, Mental illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, and Alcohol
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
I don't want to say too much because this is one of those books where the reader should start reading this with as little information on the book as possible. Overall I'll say that this was really creative and I really enjoyed LaValle's writing style. I felt creeped out a few times so this is the perfect read for spooky season! This wasn't my favorite book and I didn't feel completely fulfilled by the ending, I do however respect and appreciate the creativity that went into this story.
I'm going to give this 3.5 stars out of 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Blood, Body horror, Physical abuse, Racism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Murder
bandysbooks's review
- 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
During the first part of this book, I was a bit confused and honestly a bit bored. It just seemed like a story about a family, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Once the story is set, it picks up quickly and gets really interesting.
I thought the way that this book explored trauma was very unique as well. We See two people who are really struggling and are not receiving the support that they need. The consequences of that ripple throughout the story.
All in all, if you like horror and fairytales mixed with real life, I think you’ll like this book. There are some difficult topics in it, so please check the trigger warnings.
TW: Murder, Death of a Child, Mental Illness, Blood, Assault, Guns
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
foxo_cube's review
- 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
3.5
Nonetheless, it wasn't a dealbreaker, and I'm very glad I continued reading because it's a HELL of a story. If ever you think you know where the plot's going - which, for me, was often - you are proven wrong pretty quickly. It heavily telegraphs one thing, then does something else entirely. The book narrowly avoids going into the territory of silliness, and I mean that in a good way. At least, I like that sort of thing.
I do think some of the "Internet bad" messaging is a little heavy-handed. It's not preachy, or even totally anti-Internet - part of the book's sentiment is simply about caution when using social media, which is a pretty important thing. Still, I can't not mention it. The troll bit is especially obvious as a metaphor. The only other big criticism I have of this book is that the characters are a little flat. They're enough to be invested in - what shines through most is Apollo's absolute adoration of his son, and that is beautifully expressed - but it's sort of... just enough for that, if that makes sense.
The thing that made this story work for me is how curious it made me to find out the truth. Because you mostly know only what Apollo knows, and uncover things along with him, you will often find yourself led to believe one version of events only to discover, later, a whole different truth entirely. The way that LaValle pulls that off is fantastic.
I think this will be a book worth re-reading because, having read this in two sittings, more-or-less, I noticed that there was a sort of breadcrumb trail for the curveballs in the plot, and I'd like to see if this is more visible the second time round.
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Body horror, Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Racism
madarauchiha's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I read LaValle's 'The Ballad of Black Tom' in an anthology I don't even recall the name of. And I was hooked. Instant fan, I'll follow LaValle's works ANYWHERE.
PHEW. Jeus christ. This was so much. It was a mildly slow, meandering start, but it benefited from laying down the groundwork. Everything you'd want to know gets answered in a satisfactory way. It does cover some heavy topics like child abuse, but it's not over the top graphic, romanticized, or gorey.
The book summary is a lil misleading in that it's not a straight up fairy tale. It has modern settings, and the fairy tale portions are relayed as just that: fairy tales. It was fantastic when the fairy tale and modern settings come together and you finally get the whole picture. This really needs a reread or three because there are LAYERS to this onion, baby! Please for the love of montressor, read this book!
Content warnings:
minor toxic masculinity, NSFW, alcohol, slavery,
medium diseases, insects, NSFW, throat trauma, suicide attempt,
police brutality, murder, gun violence, breast feeding, gun violence, hostage attempt, sharps,
major breast feeding, house fires, demolition, fire, cyber bullying, unsanitary, body horror, religion christianity, toxic workplace, sexual harassment, child neglect, pregnancy, childbirth, child abuse, domestic abuse, police, unsanitary, antiblack racism, police brutality, murder, child abandonment, mass murder, demolition, misogyny, domestic abuse, stalking, violence, drowning, torture, gore, confinement?, violence, domestic abuse, child death, prisons, child death, animal death, animal gore, police, unsanitary,
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism and Slavery
rorikae's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Suicide attempt