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tamunra's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm a middle-class white woman. Reading this made me uncomfortable, which arguably it should, and was intended to do. I was upset on Kev's behalf, despaired when he made a wrong decision which would direct the course of his life.
The 3 months I've waited to review this short book haven't helped me settle it in my mind. It still disturbs me, the injustice of our real world, in which Kev and Ella live, and the injustice of the future one. The future "dystopia," which really isn't the future, and really isn't that different from our world.
And that's a point, isn't it? When we read fantasy, we cheer for the protagonists when they come into their power and go to burn the world down. But it's different when it's the world that I, the reader, inhabit. I cheer for them, but I also worry about myself. What a selfish, privileged position to be able to hold.
The way the POV jumps is jarring, and it's hard to tell what's going on sometimes. It's a struggle for anyone who wants a linear narrative, but then again, that jarring jump is sometimes how it feels when we're tired, sick, exhausted. While I'm not generally a fan of that style, it fits here.
I was surprised when the book ended. It felt unfinished. Again, maybe that's the point - to come into your own power, and not necessarily what the end result is. To tie everything up would be to end that discordance, that discomfort that readers like me have built up after reading it. Comfort doesn't lead to change, but discomfort might.
Graphic: Racism and Violence
parsnipnectar's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, and Medical trauma
ancestrallizard's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and Racism
sophisticotton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racism, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt
jenna_justi2004's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Colonisation, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, War, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Torture, Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
sarahbethhh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Violence, Police brutality, Racism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Child death, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Death of parent
lexihworth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Alcohol, Slavery, Death, and Cancer
Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage
caseyjayner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A little faster than I would’ve liked- the magical components drive more theme heavy prose than I typically like but, still, being already familiar with the world and believing all the things written to be true made it still work well. Don’t have this be your first work on racism or poverty while Black or incarceration but if familiar with these things it’s perfecttttttt
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
booksjessreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
However, the transitions between experiences, people's perspectives, historical events, were all amalgamated into one, and through the audio, this made it so hard to transition between characters and stories. This felt disjointed and made me lose focus a lot. I appreciate the writing style and how it fits with the characters, but it made it really difficult for me to transition to different perspectives throughout the story.
I also felt as though the background to their dystopia could have been explored more, and so could Ella's powers, also known as her 'Thing'. I loved the magical realism dystopia vibes, but I just wanted more explanation of the world and Ella's powers and circumstances. There is a lot of emotion packed into the small book, but I felt this would have worked better if it had been longer also.
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts