Reviews with content warning for Violence - You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

74 reviews

rockyroadbutch's review

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emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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joconklin's review

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book pulled me in so hard and deep I had to go back and re-read some scenes three times just to relish the craft of them.

Feyi's breathtaking strength and vulnerability, her messy path to healing after loss, and her visceral processing of grief through her art and life all hit hard. Whether or not I would have made the choices she did, I understood on a fundamental human level why she did, and admired her ability to reclaim what control she had over her life, and not relinquish that control to anyone under pressure. It's a response anyone with trauma may recognize. She draws lines and gets her needs met, and demands respect for her boundaries as she finds her own path forward to healing. Not everyone is going to be happy with that uncompromising control and many will feel entitled to more, and Feyi is right to deny them say over her body and heart. When she finds the one worthy of compromise, she does the work to learn how to be vulnerable.

This book is divisive for many as a romance, but this is my hill. Feyi's romance is two-fold, and while I can't discuss the one without spoilers, the second romance, Feyi's love for herself, is just as richly explored and developed as the external one. And the sensual, visceral exploration of grief and attraction through art and food left me with a powerful book hangover that left me unable to read anything else for a week.

I read this through the DC public library, but purchased a copy for myself to re-read.

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more_1415's review

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dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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smartcookiesca's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

A gorgeous, steamy, messy, emotional read about love and grief. I loved Feyi’s character, how she’s so straightforward and to the point with everyone she talks to and how she uses her grief to power her art, and I really felt for her with everything that happens/has happened to her in the story. I do wish we got to see more of Joy and had her character be a little more fleshed out, but I understand that’s hard to do when she’s on Facetime for most of the book.

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paidays's review

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emotional 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

4.5

Beautiful and lush, brave, and hopeful even in the face of immense grief

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flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

3.75

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felixmarauder's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Beautifully written and gripping. My only complaint is that I wish Feyi and

Alim's

story was more developed. That we saw more of what makes their relationship tick, outside their shared experience of grief. I really enjoyed the descriptions of her art, her artistic process, and would have loved to learn more about that, even though I know it's not necessary to the story. The queer representation was a beautiful example of inclusion without exploitation and avoiding the common tropes and clichés. Very well done. I was entranced throughout, and I would have happily read another hundred pages to flesh it out more. I will be hunting down more of Akwaeke Emezi's books because I love their writing style.

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readingwithgoose's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Absolutely floored by this book, by its unflinching perspective on love and grief and how we can keep living through any kind of mess.

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em_h_ma's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

1.0

The story was rich, opulent, hot but I hated the main character so much. Even with all the reasoning, I just couldn’t get behind her actions. The story was quick and easy to read.

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