Reviews tagging 'Death'

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

187 reviews

tales_told_in_gold's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful fast-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? Yes

5.0

When you find a book that checks all the boxes for you, what do you do?

Why, you give it five stars, of course! And then plan the day that you'll be rereading it which is exactly what I'll be doing for "Ring Shout."

Honestly, if you're looking for a story about a group of strong-willed women ready to face against Hell itself to defend the world and take down as many demons (including their own personal ones) as they can, then THIS is for you. But let me explain...

This novella sucked me into a world so imaginative that it gave me the notable feeling that "Harry Potter" once gave - you just know there are magical beings and places existing around you, but you haven't quite figured out how to spot them... yet.

Clark does a fantastic job of laying out the voice and setting of 1920s Georgia. He places specific attention to the narrative voice and dialogue which is structured after the dialects of both southern Black people and the Gullah people (think Black people but on the coast). His choice to do this brings the characters more to life while also providing some historical context to where these folks originate from in the US. Amazing. But that's enough of me fangirling over language. Let's get into the juicy part!

From shape-shifting demons to ancient horrific beings, the creatures lurking in this tale are my favorite. They are intriguing on their own, but then Clark layers in some symbolism and creates the perfect recipe for his readers to analyze what the monsters' true purposes are and witness how they plague the protagonist. After all, they are there to rip and tear at the characters to their very cores so we can see what lies hidden beneath the fragile skin and tender muscles (both literally and figuratively). Call me a sadist, but I love it, I love it, I LOVE it.

But yeah, I can rant and rave about this book all day, so I'll just leave it at that. Check this one out and let me know what you think below ;)

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typedtruths's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-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

p. djèlí clark is a genius. brilliant.

▷ Representation: Black protagonists & scs; sapphic secondary character.

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chellyfishing's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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ehmannky's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Ring Shout takes the horror of the Ku Klux Klan mixed with Lovecraftian monsters and creates a beautiful horror novella that is well-paced, interesting, and with a great theme of "vengeance and rage does not justice make." This book packs a lot into a short amount of time, but it never feels rushed or overcrowded. 

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carriedbythecosmos's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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

5.0


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chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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sapphiccatacombs's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

the violence and gore that came with the book is chilling and gave me goosebumps but it also important to the plot of the story and the choices the characters make as well. i fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the writing but also need to research more and learn more as this book provoked me on wanting to expand more on learning.

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courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring fast-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

4.5

Wow. I was blown away with the world building in this short book! It felt like a story that could be longer, and I would still eat it up. I'm not usually one to read magical realism, but man P. Djèlí Clark really knocked it out of the park. It was so enjoyable. I connected with the characters so fast. I will read anything by them in the future.


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annadelph's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-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? Yes

5.0


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