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sadiereadthat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This book follows a Jamaican teen who receives a scholarship to an American college to study engineering. He has a plan and ideas to help his people and his town. When something bad happened in his family, he has to start making some hard choices and it is hard to know if he is making the right ones.
I ended up really enjoying this. This young man is in a very challenging situation and I don’t event the choices he has to make. I learned a lot about some of the situations people have in Jamaica and I have a better understanding that it is more than a vacation destination. It also made me think a lot about what we owe to our families and how much we should be expected to sacrifice for them. I think this is deep and dark and may not be a good for fit all teens, but I also think very many would really enjoy it.
This book follows a Jamaican teen who receives a scholarship to an American college to study engineering. He has a plan and ideas to help his people and his town. When something bad happened in his family, he has to start making some hard choices and it is hard to know if he is making the right ones.
I ended up really enjoying this. This young man is in a very challenging situation and I don’t event the choices he has to make. I learned a lot about some of the situations people have in Jamaica and I have a better understanding that it is more than a vacation destination. It also made me think a lot about what we owe to our families and how much we should be expected to sacrifice for them. I think this is deep and dark and may not be a good for fit all teens, but I also think very many would really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Police brutality
destdest's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally, at least for me, because I was so upset to see Frankie pulled into to some gangster-mess. It’s frustrating but also sad with Frankie dealing with his father, his wanting to study in the US, and keeping an eye on his friend Winston. There are some sparks of romance, but ultimately, it’s in the background until the latter half. The love interest is an artist, but she’s no manic-pixie girl. She does political art and social commentary in her work and is very focused. I also loved that Frankie wanted to be an engineer. The few moments we see Frankie’s analytical mind work is well-done.
In this story, the familial relationships drew me in. I loved learning about Frankie’s Uncle Joe (who I want to stomp out!) and his Aunt Jenny. The relationship between Frankie and Samson, his father, was so interesting to me. I just wanted to know more about their strained interactions and how things were before Frankie’s mom passed.
Overall, I have had my fill of street-life and/or drug culture media, but I read this because it was set in Jamaica. A lot of mainstream books are in the US or UK, so it’s a welcome change of pace. I wasn’t aware that political parties got gangs to back them. I thought this was a good page-turner because you know everything’s going to go off the rails, it’s just a matter of when. I couldn’t put this down, so I had to finish this with sleepy, tired eyes in one night.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
mfieldshalva's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Gun violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
ashandtheink's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Grief
bahareads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.5 stars
"'Yes, yu' corner dark,' she said"
Your Corner Dark is a book I could not put down. From the first few pages I was hooked!! It legitimately made me start tearing up within the first ten pages. Desmond Hall writes a book with characters you are invested in. They are complex and contradictory- human in every way. Frankie is my heart; I was cheering for him throughout the whole book. I laughed for him and I cried for him. AUNT JENNY IS MY GIRL; I WON'T HEAR ANY SLANDER PERIOD. Samson and Uncle Joe both cared for Frankie in their own way and it was interesting to see how the choices they pushed Frankie to do played out.
Your Corner Dark showed how politics and gang life in Jamaica are interconnected. "It wasn't about who had the better plan or better idea; it was all about connections. He had guessed at this before but now it was bone-chillingly clear." Frankie as a dark-skinned young man does face some discrimination from some of the other characters in the story. He is "black boy" and sneered at. Your Corner Dark shows the struggle for international students when it comes to going off to college. There are some dark scenes in this book that are very vivid and tense. It shows the dark side of inner-city life to the full extent.
quotes I liked from the book
"Jamaica was like a messed-up parent: You loved it, but at the same time you wanted to leave it. You said bad things about it, but you'd get mad if anyone else said anything bad about it."
"Exhaling, he was oddly proud of Aunt Jenny, the way he had been of his mother. They were Jamaican women, hips forward."
"...The sweet mountain breeze caressed his face. He could smell the positivity. All Jamaicans breathed it. Out of many, one people."
Thanks to Hear Our Voices Book tour and Atheneum for the ARC.
*Quotes taken are from an ARC; may not match with final copy.
"'Yes, yu' corner dark,' she said"
Your Corner Dark is a book I could not put down. From the first few pages I was hooked!! It legitimately made me start tearing up within the first ten pages. Desmond Hall writes a book with characters you are invested in. They are complex and contradictory- human in every way. Frankie is my heart; I was cheering for him throughout the whole book. I laughed for him and I cried for him. AUNT JENNY IS MY GIRL; I WON'T HEAR ANY SLANDER PERIOD. Samson and Uncle Joe both cared for Frankie in their own way and it was interesting to see how the choices they pushed Frankie to do played out.
Your Corner Dark showed how politics and gang life in Jamaica are interconnected. "It wasn't about who had the better plan or better idea; it was all about connections. He had guessed at this before but now it was bone-chillingly clear." Frankie as a dark-skinned young man does face some discrimination from some of the other characters in the story. He is "black boy" and sneered at. Your Corner Dark shows the struggle for international students when it comes to going off to college. There are some dark scenes in this book that are very vivid and tense. It shows the dark side of inner-city life to the full extent.
quotes I liked from the book
"Jamaica was like a messed-up parent: You loved it, but at the same time you wanted to leave it. You said bad things about it, but you'd get mad if anyone else said anything bad about it."
"Exhaling, he was oddly proud of Aunt Jenny, the way he had been of his mother. They were Jamaican women, hips forward."
"...The sweet mountain breeze caressed his face. He could smell the positivity. All Jamaicans breathed it. Out of many, one people."
Thanks to Hear Our Voices Book tour and Atheneum for the ARC.
*Quotes taken are from an ARC; may not match with final copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence
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