Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Wings of Ebony by J. Elle

46 reviews

bkwrm1317's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

What a fierce young femme protag we have in Rue, who shows up for her people, no matter the personal cost or risk. 

When Rue’s mom is killed, she is whisked away by a father who she’s never known to a strange land called Ghizon, where there’s magic, and only one other Black or Brown face - Aasim, the man she doesn’t even want to speak to, let alone bond with. 

As Rue learns more about Ghizon, Aasim, and her own ancestry, she is tasked with fighting back against 100+ years of her peoples’ subjugation - on East Row in Houston, as well as in Ghizon. Tough as nails, street-wise and funny, tender hearted and loving, Rue is absolutely the type of heroine we need in these times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Gun violence

Moderate: Death, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Violence, and Abandonment

frog_appreciator's review against another edition

3.5

I picked this book up from the library because of its gorgeooous cover. I got instantly pulled into the story and was invested. The main issues for me were the magic system not being fully fleshed out, in regards to the plot twist at the end maybe contradicting somethings? And the romance alluding to a love triangle wasn’t it for me. However the meat of it dealt with the real world/the real world’s issues represented in the magical world, and it was emotional and impactful. I’m not a huge fan of the chosen one trope but it deserves to have diverse stories under it.  An emotional tale
of a Black girl torn between two worlds. I picked up the second book from the library at the same time so I’ll be reading it as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Drug use

corncake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Car accident, Kidnapping, and Grief

tjazz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, and Death of parent

v4mpstarzz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Hate crime, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence and Racism

Minor: Death of parent

liferhi_inspired's review against another edition

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

4.5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5 Stars
📝 1st Person; C/W- Violence, Gangs, Death of Parent

I have to admit that urban fantasy isn’t a genre that I read often, but I love how this one was done. This is told between a modern day inner city and a hidden magical island, with flashback to the past as the story unfolds.

Rue’s character felt so real, I’m sure that there are a lot of kids out there that could relate to her and can see themselves reflected in her story. I can also appreciate the part that East Row as a community played in shaping these characters and their story.

I also loved all of the symbolism that was written into Wing of Ebony. So many social issues were woven into this story, some more obvious than others. There were several moments where I though “I see what you did there J. Elle”. 

I really enjoyed this book by itself, but I appreciate it even more for the representation that it brought with it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Violence

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Classism, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Abandonment, Murder, and Grief

Minor: Cursing

ashlislibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Violence, and Death of parent

mattyb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Racial slurs

ceilidhwilliams's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Death of parent, Grief, Racial slurs, and Racism