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graceev's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Child death, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
zombiezami'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
3.5
Graphic: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Violence, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Child death, Mental illness, Medical content, Police brutality, Terminal illness, and Stalking
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
orladonnelly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Police brutality and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
caseythereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Police brutality, and Violence
catapocalypse'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
4.0
I seldom read YA, but the premise of this book sounded super fun and the cover is beautiful! In the wake of her father's untimely death, Alice is attacked by a monster from another world. Wonderland is a world formed from the collective imagination and fears of humanity, and the latter risk becoming Nightmares that threaten both worlds. She's recruited to help battle these creatures, which she must balance with school, her social life, and being a good daughter. Then the return of an old villain believed to have been destroyed long ago threatens that balance, as well as that between the two worlds.
This is a high energy book, and Alice is a fun, endearing heroine! My fear with YA is often that the level of angst or energy of the characters may annoy me, but this book kept the characters realistic without becoming obnoxious. It mixes in heavier topics like grief and police brutality, but also revels in the whimsy of the Alice in Wonderland-inspired setting and the kickass action. Some of the names, like "Addison Hatta," are a little cheesy, but it felt like part of the fun.
As an adult reader, I am more aware of the flaws here and there. My main disappointment was the time jump at the start. I would have preferred a little more world building beforehand. Still, it wasn't hard to navigate the setting or story. If this had come out when I was a teenager, I can tell it would have been a major favorite for me, especially since I loved the classic Alice books! I had a great time with this!
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Police brutality, and Blood
Minor: Child death and Vomit
girlonbooks's review
- 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
4.0
đđđđ (four stars as rated in hearts so broken because THAT ENDING đ)
âKnowledge is power, and the world is set against you knowing anything, so when someoneâs trying to teach you something, pay attention.â
If you peruse the one star reviews for A Blade So Black as I have done, you will quickly realize that there is basically one reason for any and all low ratings: white readers were made uncomfortable that this book challenges their idea of privilege or race AND that a Black woman dared to speak up about it. Now that white people, and white feminists especially, have had their big âanti-racism awakening,â where are the apologies for McKinney? Where is the accountability from the black-square-posters and hashtag-iâm-listening-ers that flooded her reviews with hate and threats less than three years ago?
âPromise me youâll be careful. I know you already are, justââshe lifted her hand from Aliceâs knee, made a fist, then forced her fingers loose to pat her knee again, squeezingââeven when youâre careful, even when you play by the rules, it might not be enough. Gotta go the extra mile out here.â
⨠Rep in this book: Black Protagonist, own voices, queer side characters
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Racism
jashanac's review
3.25
But I think it works well as a fun, adventurous young adult fantasy novel and the characters were enjoyable - the protagonist especially was a great character. I don't know if I'll read the second one or not.
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Child death, and Gun violence
mymillionpages's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Child death and Police brutality