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honeywaffles's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
An intriguing story. Sometimes the characterization of the foibles the protagonist encountered seemed cartoonishly villain. The racism was quite overt. I think it would have been interesting to unpack more of the micro aggressions he experienced, but I also admire his perseverance to overcome them and defy expectations. The protagonist’s dedication to his craft and effort to open doors for other musicians, especially POC, was inspiring. The mystery about who stole the violin seemed pretty obvious throughout the book, to the point of distraction about why that wasn’t investigated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
passionatereader78's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? Yes
3.5
This book is an emotional read. It's so sad. Ray is a great violinist! His mother hates that he plays and wants money. He faces racism at every turn. The only light is his grandmother. She tells a story about her grandfather playing a fiddle like Ray plays the Violin. She loves hearing Ray play. She gives Ray the fiddle and asks him to use that as his instrument. When Ray has the instrument cleaned and appraised he finds out it is a rare Violin worth millions. Ray wants to honor his grandmother and great grandfather and play the instrument. Everyone else has other ideas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Grief, Slavery, and Terminal illness
sfunk's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the best books I've read in a while!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Minor: Deportation
disguisedposer's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Police brutality
Minor: Torture, Physical abuse, Gore, Violence, and Murder
dominiq_ec's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I LOVED this book, despite how re-traumatizing it is to read as a Black person. On that front, i strongly recommend readers be careful with that book.
Also, the only reason it’s not getting 5 stars is because it uses the term/slur “g*psy” a handful of times. I’m unsure if this is an acceptable term to use when describing classical music and/or its methods, but because it was never explained in-depth, it reflected poorly on the author and publishing company
Also, the only reason it’s not getting 5 stars is because it uses the term/slur “g*psy” a handful of times. I’m unsure if this is an acceptable term to use when describing classical music and/or its methods, but because it was never explained in-depth, it reflected poorly on the author and publishing company
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Racism, Police brutality, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death
Minor: Deportation
xoxo__adr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Great book, excellent writing! I really enjoyed the story. I did, however, have to deduct a star for describing a woman’s body as “violin-shaped.” I just…absolutely hated that. Thanks!
⚠️‼️SPOILER AHEAD‼️⚠️
It was so obvious that Nicole was the one who stole his violin. Like painfully obvious from the moment she was introduced. The story is still enjoyable though.
⚠️‼️SPOILER AHEAD‼️⚠️
It was so obvious that Nicole was the one who stole his violin. Like painfully obvious from the moment she was introduced. The story is still enjoyable though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
jmross10's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
I am not generally a thriller reader given the genres most common tropes. I stumbled on this book when looking for one that didn’t revolve around murder and was instantly hooked by the premise.
Slocumb did a great job of bringing his passion for music to the page and making that love understandable not only to people who share it but also to those who might be experiencing it through his/Ray’s eyes for the first time.
Across the pages of this book readers are confronted with unconditional love, respect, and dedication but also the brutal honesty of what it is to be black, well off, and accomplished. Slocumb doesn’t shy away from Ray’s struggles and it gives the readers a point of view they may never have considered or could never have the personal experience to understand.
It was real without feeling so over the top that it came across as comical or unbelievable. The pacing was good and I like the way the timeline was rearranged to tell the story in a more fitting way. I also appreciated that the mystery wasn’t obvious from page one.
An all around excellent book. A really good read for those who enjoy contemporary stories, books about music or musicians, and/or sociopolitical conversations. There’s plenty to unpack from beginning to end.
Slocumb did a great job of bringing his passion for music to the page and making that love understandable not only to people who share it but also to those who might be experiencing it through his/Ray’s eyes for the first time.
Across the pages of this book readers are confronted with unconditional love, respect, and dedication but also the brutal honesty of what it is to be black, well off, and accomplished. Slocumb doesn’t shy away from Ray’s struggles and it gives the readers a point of view they may never have considered or could never have the personal experience to understand.
It was real without feeling so over the top that it came across as comical or unbelievable. The pacing was good and I like the way the timeline was rearranged to tell the story in a more fitting way. I also appreciated that the mystery wasn’t obvious from page one.
An all around excellent book. A really good read for those who enjoy contemporary stories, books about music or musicians, and/or sociopolitical conversations. There’s plenty to unpack from beginning to end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Terminal illness, Bullying, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
xoxo__adr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Great book, excellent writing! I really enjoyed the story. I did, however, have to deduct a star for describing a woman’s body as “violin-shaped.” I just…absolutely hated that. Thanks!
⚠️‼️SPOILER AHEAD‼️⚠️
It was so obvious that Nicole was the one who stole his violin. Like painfully obvious from the moment she was introduced. The story is still enjoyable though.
⚠️‼️SPOILER AHEAD‼️⚠️
It was so obvious that Nicole was the one who stole his violin. Like painfully obvious from the moment she was introduced. The story is still enjoyable though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
thissagreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I give this book a 2.5/5 for concept but it was NOT a thriller. Mysterious yes, but nothing close to a thriller like I thought. I liked getting to know the world of a professional violinist and that the main character -Ray- was so in love with classical music. That being said, I think the book moved a bit too slow for me, and I wanted to see Ray thrive and put up some actual boundaries with his family. But he never did, and that was incredibly frustrating. It also felt like we learned a lot about his past and upbringing (including the event that led to the missing violin) but it didn’t seem like Ray had much personality. Honesty he was stiff, tense and boring in my opinion, and the way Ray handled all the hatred from his family, and racism from white people was mostly frustrating. Yes there were some moments that he definitely did a great job handling, but as a black person myself who’s been dealing with racism and classism my entire life, I think his lack of personality and (in my opinion) how he navigated bigots and racists, was lackluster. For me, it is why the booked seemed to drag on longer than it needed. Lastly: finding out the “why” behind his violin being stolen. It was disappointingly rushed and brushed over. All that time the writer talked about Ray’s past, but he didn’t flesh out the ending enough!? So frustrating. Not to mention, as the reader, I pretty much assumed who it was fairly quickly so that was a bummer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Racial slurs
ladyzbyrd's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a fun and emotional read. I was so angry and sad the whole way through, scattered with bits of joy, only to be turned to rage again and again. What a way to mess with a reader’s heart and still come out of the book and say yes, this was an amazing read!
There were definitely some parts that’s defy realism when it comes to procedures in various fields that made certain scenes difficult to believe, and I had to set that aside. Reading this slower on my second go around with a group, I ended up in several rabbit holes, mostly due to the above-mentioned procedures in different scenes.
There were definitely some parts that’s defy realism when it comes to procedures in various fields that made certain scenes difficult to believe, and I had to set that aside. Reading this slower on my second go around with a group, I ended up in several rabbit holes, mostly due to the above-mentioned procedures in different scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Stalking, and Bullying