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eonthebeat's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Murder
heyhoitsannayo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Transphobia
prescribedtoread's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
taylorfield's review against another edition
- 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
Craft: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
danreadingbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping
lil_wavy_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Murder
stephanielee's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
knoxmulder's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia
nattiemoff's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
With that being said, it’s a thought-provoking and emotional story that touches on a lot of sensitive topics aside from the lgbtq+ community. Racism, class disparity, addiction, and criminal history all play an important role in shaping the narrative. Hopefully this book can make someone who needs it stop and think a little deeper about these issues and the people they look down on.
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
brandilovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I almost quit about a third of the way into the book. I found the book to be very violent. I am not the targeted audience. I continued reading because it was a book club book. I am glad I did.
The characters are very well developed. Even if you didn't agree with their choices, you found yourself caring for Ike and Buddy Lee. I cried at the end.
S.A. Crosby has a beautiful way with words. He is able to create vivid images to go with his words. The name of the book comes from a description of Ike's tears after his son's funeral.
The genius of this book is that it has a very specific, very important, message that is probably uncomfortable for the targeted audience. There are many guys just like Buddy Lee and Ike who are going to pick up this book for the vigilante justice and the war with a biker gang. They are going to read it and they are going to hear that message over and over, starting out subtly but getting more direct by the end.
I wasn't a fan of the almost omnipotent point of view that happened during fight scenes. Although there were multiple points of view throughout the book, they were separated by scenes. During the fight scenes I was overwhelmed by knowing what too many characters were thinking and feeling. (Could be that I'm not the targeted audience.)
I recommend this book to people who like to read about vigilante justice and biker gangs. Sons of Anarchy fans should pick this up.
My content warnings-
Violence
Murder
Kidnapping
Torture
Racial slurs
LGBTQ slurs
Dead naming
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism