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oba's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Violence
101jazzy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Minor: Violence
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This book really reminded me of Elizabeth Acevedo's "The Poet X" but with less poetry but a lot of prose. Unfortunately it wasn't as riveting. This ending also reminds me of "Breathing Underwater" by Alex Flinn, which is another book about teenage domestic abuse that I liked more than this one.
This is the story of a young high school girl who escapes an abusive relationship. After a terrible attack happens she's sent to live with her uncle in New York (the main character, Angel, is from California.) Angel joins a reading program at her school called H.E.R. where she reads classic Black literature from authors like; Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Jason Reynolds, and more. Angel finds comfort in these author's words. In this program Angel meets other young women who are going through various issues.
This story seems like it's a letter to young Black people who are survivors. Even though we don't explicitly see Angel during the attack, we know that it happened and I think this is a good way to deal with trauma in fiction stories. Implied abuse is enough, all the terrible details don't need to be shared. The main character and some of the other characters were involved in dangerous situations like gun violence or domestic violence but those scenes or situations weren't described in too much detail.
I think with all the popular music references in this book means it could be very relatable to young adults, the target audience. The main character at one point looks to music to help her through her emotional issues.
All in all it was an okay book, I'm giving it 3 stars out of 5.
This is the story of a young high school girl who escapes an abusive relationship. After a terrible attack happens she's sent to live with her uncle in New York (the main character, Angel, is from California.) Angel joins a reading program at her school called H.E.R. where she reads classic Black literature from authors like; Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Jason Reynolds, and more. Angel finds comfort in these author's words. In this program Angel meets other young women who are going through various issues.
This story seems like it's a letter to young Black people who are survivors. Even though we don't explicitly see Angel during the attack, we know that it happened and I think this is a good way to deal with trauma in fiction stories. Implied abuse is enough, all the terrible details don't need to be shared. The main character and some of the other characters were involved in dangerous situations like gun violence or domestic violence but those scenes or situations weren't described in too much detail.
I think with all the popular music references in this book means it could be very relatable to young adults, the target audience. The main character at one point looks to music to help her through her emotional issues.
All in all it was an okay book, I'm giving it 3 stars out of 5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, and Violence
mmrohbock's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
4⭐ on 🎧
G for a truly YA book
Content warnings for physical violence from a partner and PTSD
I love listening to books written in verse on audio because it allows me to hear the cadence of the words and to get inside of the characters head more. The narration for this book is no exception as Mahogany L. Browne tells the powerful story of a black teen girl who moved from CA to NYC after being seriously injured by her then-boyfriend in a spurt of jealousy.
Mahogany beautifully captures what it's like to be a teenager in the world today surrounded by social media, the current racial tension in the US and the pressures and assumptions placed on black teenage girls. She shares the story of Angel finding solace in her new school as she finds teachers who introduce her to authors she relates to like Toni Morrison and friends who share similar interests and truly connect with her.
The biggest challenge for me with this book was that it tries to accomplish so much for a relatively short book. There were so many side characters that I found hard to keep track of and it wasn't always clear what was the past vs the present. This could be the downfall of listening to this book over reading it, but I wish this story had been a bit more streamlined to provide more cohesion.
Overall, this book is an important one to read in my opinion, especially if you have a skin color or body type that has never elicited judgement or derogatory comments. I think this is an important book on some of the experiences of being a young black woman growing up in America today and I'm glad I read it. I would check this book out if you liked With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo.
G for a truly YA book
Content warnings for physical violence from a partner and PTSD
I love listening to books written in verse on audio because it allows me to hear the cadence of the words and to get inside of the characters head more. The narration for this book is no exception as Mahogany L. Browne tells the powerful story of a black teen girl who moved from CA to NYC after being seriously injured by her then-boyfriend in a spurt of jealousy.
Mahogany beautifully captures what it's like to be a teenager in the world today surrounded by social media, the current racial tension in the US and the pressures and assumptions placed on black teenage girls. She shares the story of Angel finding solace in her new school as she finds teachers who introduce her to authors she relates to like Toni Morrison and friends who share similar interests and truly connect with her.
The biggest challenge for me with this book was that it tries to accomplish so much for a relatively short book. There were so many side characters that I found hard to keep track of and it wasn't always clear what was the past vs the present. This could be the downfall of listening to this book over reading it, but I wish this story had been a bit more streamlined to provide more cohesion.
Overall, this book is an important one to read in my opinion, especially if you have a skin color or body type that has never elicited judgement or derogatory comments. I think this is an important book on some of the experiences of being a young black woman growing up in America today and I'm glad I read it. I would check this book out if you liked With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
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