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charlottejones952's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Colonisation, Slavery, and Panic attacks/disorders
sofiajearally'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? It's complicated
4.0
The thing that I enjoyed the most was Alex's and Isiah's relationship and how it blossoms as the story goes. How gentle Alex gets with his little brother, and how loving and trusting Isiah is... How they show their love for each other without any shame, because there shouldn't be any shame in that, despite what society says. The softness and the tenderness shine through. It made me teary and even weep many times. I wish we had more of it, but that's the whole point of the book, so...
Unfortunately, that was just 200 pages out of more than 300. The pacing felt off to me, especially the beginning which was dragging. The last 40 pages, after the main event, were also tedious to go through; I honestly didn't care for it and it seemed weirdly laid out to me.
The writing was repetitive, I honestly got sick of Alex "cancelling visions of him unlocking his phone then unlocking it". I think the author should have given more credit to her readers and assume that we would remember how these visions work without spelling it out for us every single damn time. Repetitive also in the concepts and ideas that the characters have, especially concerning how to break the curse. They seemed to have a breakthrough every time but it was always the same idea. Again. We get it.
There were also elements that I personally didn't care that much about, like the romantic subplot but that's personal I guess. The take of the author on the other themes explored in the book: family, legacy, racism, anxiety, was nicely done. The "joy in the face of adversity" theme was, I thought, beautiful, and written with true sincerity and love from the author. I hope she gets to write that book about Black boy joy because I have no doubt it will be amazing.
Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations and I feel like so much more could have been done with the same premises, plot and characters.
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Police brutality and Blood
elwirax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"A man who doesn’t protect his family is no man either but one man can’t protect everyone, and a boy shouldn’t have to try"
"The Cost of Knowing" was a difficult book both in terms of subject matter and giving an overall rating. Alex's anxiety throughout was so strong it was almost palpable. He was constantly worried that his brother, Isaiah may die at any moment and there was no way he could stop it. These types of emotions were bound to put the reader on edge as well, which made it that much harder to read about.
Despite this, there were moments where these stresses were somewhat aleviated. I loved seeing Alex and Isaiah grow closer as brothers through their shared powers and rap music. The scene at Shiv Skeptic's concert was amazingly written and I loved seeing Isaiah's character so happy. Their love for eachother is particularly evident here and it really hit hard especially when paired with the ending.
The author did an amazing job of addressing slavery and Black history, as well as the difficulties of being a Black boy in todays society and having to grow up too fast as a result. Ancestry was incorporated into "The Cost of Knowing" really well and brought a deeper meaning to story.
However, many of the side characters such as Talia fell flat and the world building wasn't really fleshed out. This book relied heavily on repetition particularly in terms of Alex's power (which was understandable) but quickly got tiring. I also think the last 15% was slightly rushed and could've been drawn out more for a better conclusion.
Overall, it's clear the authors intent was to focus on familial love and the struggles Black people face due to racism and this is exactly what was accomplished. I would definitely recommend reading "The Cost of Knowing" to those who can.
Graphic: Racism, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Car accident
Minor: Slavery and Rape
caidyn'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
kaidoz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Car accident, and Cursing
Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Self harm and Slavery
betweentheshelves'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
4.5
This is a book about Black boys who have to grow up too fast and white people who don't think they're racist. Morris's take with the visions felt really unique and added to the overall discussions happening in the book. My only complaint is that at times, Alex's explanations of his visions felt a little repetitive. But everything else was spot on.
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Hate crime
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Slavery, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing, Rape, and Police brutality
nicknelson07's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Grief, and Death
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Slavery
belleden'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
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
http://starredpages.com/2021/04/12/book-review-the-cost-of-knowing/
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Rape