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noahsingh's review
3.75
Pros:
-Everyone has already said this but yeah obviously the writing is really good.
- Enjoyed that we get a perspective chapter from almost every enslaved character. Especially enjoyed Maggie and Sarah's perspectives.
-Samuel and Kayodes relationship is beautifully written. Its the first book I've read set during the transatlantic slave trade with focuses on queer black characters, and it was really interesting to read a perspective on that.
-I loved loved loved the King Asuka chapters, my only complaint there is that I wish there had been a lot more of that narrative in general. Same for Sarah's narrative. The exploration of black queerness and transness as not yet warped by slavery and colonialism is definitely one of the strongest aspects of this book to me.
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Cons:
-Not enough time spent with each characters, and I didn't see the need for Paul's chapters being so long.
-I personally don't enjoy too much description/poetic language which gets in the way of the actual narrative, which I think this book suffered from a bit. Its all very well-written but I think some of it could have definitely been cut down. But this is a personal bias of mine obvy.
-Some elements of the book were underdeveloped, for example the Beulah/Be Auntie connection, the Seven/Vs the Seven aunts, etc
-So so so much (trigger warning) rape. I understand it's historically accurate to the enslavement of black individuals in America but the explicitness and repeated graphic descriptions seemed unnecessary and kinda excessive for me. For example,
-A lot of the characters don't get a conclusive ending, of course that's hard to do when most of the characters are enslaved individuals and escape from slavery was practically impossible.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Outing, Rape, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Gore, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia, Vomit, Sexism, Suicide, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Excrement, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Blood, and Suicide attempt
lisztaffe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Torture, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Abortion, Gore, Racism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Torture, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Blood, Cursing, Physical abuse, Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Sexual content
peachani'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Death, Excrement, Suicide, Cursing, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Vomit, Classism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Alcohol, Genocide, Infertility, and Sexual content
amberinbookland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Suicide, Pregnancy, Murder, Miscarriage, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Excrement, Death of parent, Confinement, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Colonisation, Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, Rape, Infertility, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
davidrb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
emilybolivia's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
jbraith's review against another edition
- 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, Child death, Death, Excrement, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
jouiselouise's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, and Infidelity