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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was an engaging, intense read. The only reason I didn’t give it a full 5 stars was the length, some sections felt unnecessarily drawn out and could have benefited from tighter editing.
While a few plot points left me with questions, it didn’t take away from how immersive and satisfying the story was. It was a true page turner, packed with suspense that had plowing through each chapter to find out what would happen next.
Trigger warnings for those considering reading: child abuse, implications of sexual assault, and racism.
While a few plot points left me with questions, it didn’t take away from how immersive and satisfying the story was. It was a true page turner, packed with suspense that had plowing through each chapter to find out what would happen next.
Trigger warnings for those considering reading: child abuse, implications of sexual assault, and racism.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's not the book's fault that I suck at reading long novels. It really is quite good!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due takes place in 1950 Jim Crow Florida. Robbie is only 12 years old when he gets sentenced to 6 months in the Gracetown School for Boys. He kicked a white boy who was harassing his sister, Gloria. The school is known as The Reformatory, and is a place full of horrors. Many boys have died there, and the ones that survived have endured terrible things. Robbie is able to see ghosts, and the school is full of them, adding extra torment. Meanwhile, Gloria is doing everything she can to get Robbie released, having to deal with the klan targeting her and her loved ones. This is a sorrowful and powerful read. Due based the school and characters on real life. The author had a family member who died at a school like this. These characters grab onto your heart and don’t let go. I spent the last fifty or so pages crying. The writing is wonderfully executed. I felt the suspense and fear. It is an emotional read. It shattered me several times. This is an intense and complex book, but I think it is an important one. This may be a fictional account, but it is rooted in very real experiences that need to be remembered. 4.5/5 stars.
dark
emotional
sad
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:
No
3.75
Like a dish made with a few ingredients I'm not the most fond of but it turned out great. Trauma and ghosts don't usually do it for me but this was a really good read
Like a dish made with a few ingredients I'm not the most fond of but it turned out great. Trauma and ghosts don't usually do it for me but this was a really good read
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No