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leonroslyn's review against another edition
5.0
I have finally finished this book and wow did it hit me at the end.
This is one of those books that f*cked me up emotionally and makes me want to fight harder for those who weren’t able to. I don’t usually pick up horror especially when it’s also historical because now i want to scream.
Will be writing a better review on my instagram because yeah i need to gather my thoughts.
This is one of those books that f*cked me up emotionally and makes me want to fight harder for those who weren’t able to. I don’t usually pick up horror especially when it’s also historical because now i want to scream.
Will be writing a better review on my instagram because yeah i need to gather my thoughts.
eralbesu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Wooow. This book took me through it. This story was wonderfully told but it was so upsetting.
penkay's review against another edition
4.0
I am really not fond of books set in the past, but I have loved this author’s books in the past and went ahead and requested this. I did enjoy this in spite of this aversion although probably “enjoy” isn’t a fitting word. The author has done a great job with the writing as there are many points at which I was uncomfortable, and I’m hard to make uncomfortable. The descriptions and acts on children are just hard to take, but really, it’s all necessary to show what did happen in real life. Yes, this is supernatural, but it’s based on a real-life place. However, even the uncomfortableness of this does not make this preclude reading this. The author does a wonderful job with weaving the dual POVs together in a way making this an engrossing read. Not for the faint -of-heart, but a well-written, thought-provoking book. Recommend.
katiearcher's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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
This book is heartbreaking and so difficult but worth every second. It’s the perfect combination of horror, supernatural, and historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Death of parent
iheartchickenss's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
abelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape
kimabill's review against another edition
4.0
In this book (based on the real-life story of a relative of the author), 12-year-old Robert, a Black boy living in Jim Crow-era Florida, gets sent to the Reformatory after kicking a white teenager who was harassing his older sister Gloria. Not only does Robert have to deal with the incredibly sadistic and violent warden, but he is also confronted with the many ghosts that haunt the grounds of the Reformatory. The history of the school/prison is dark and violent so the ghosts are plentiful and angry. While Robert tries simply to survive, his sister Gloria is on the outside trying to figure out how to break him free. She faces her own cast of racist townspeople and is also helped by a cast of social justice advocates (many of whom are actual real-life people). This book is scary in so many ways- the ghosts are terrifying in a horror-movie kind of way, and Robert and Gloria’s circumstances are terrifying in a being-surrounded-by-racists kind of way. One of the most harrowing scenes is just Gloria and a relative driving down a street and realizing they have been spotted by a police officer. This is not an easy book to read but it is very gripping and propulsive and well-written. Since I knew it was based on a real-life person, I started googling the names of some of the ACLU lawyers and racial justice advocates in the book and reading their Wikipedia pages and it made me mad to see how little we learned about these kinds of things in school. There’s so many inspiring stories beyond MLK and Rosa Parks and we never learn any of them. What a missed opportunity.
schleumel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5