Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Ring Shout: Càntic ritual by P. Djèlí Clark

146 reviews

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This novella is a gut-punch wrapped in spellwork. Ring Shout tears through genre to deliver a furious, fantastical reckoning with the violent legacy of white supremacy—and what it takes to fight monsters without becoming one. Set in 1920s Georgia, where the Ku Klux Klan's hate magic has literally birthed beasts, P. Djèlí Clark conjures a world where resistance is rooted in ancestral memory and righteous rage. But at its heart, this story is about pain—personal, generational, and political—and how we transmute it into power without letting it consume us.

Narrated by Maryse, a monster hunter armed with a spirit-forged sword and survivor's guilt that claws at her bones, Ring Shout wastes no time. It opens mid-action, with Maryse and her chosen family—Chef and Sadie—luring Ku Kluxes (yes, literal 9-foot hate demons) into an alley for extermination. What follows is a taut, explosive journey through Black Southern resistance, weaving Gullah magic and chosen kinship networks into an epic showdown with Butcher Clyde and the grotesque Grand Cyclops.

Clark doesn’t flinch. He names the horror for what it is and then dares to dream wilder: a world where we win. Where hate is revealed not as strength but as the hollow echo of grief unprocessed. Maryse’s refusal to let her pain be weaponized—her defiant reclaiming of her sword and her past—feels like a benediction for all of us clawing toward wholeness.

The prose is electric, the pacing breathless, and the world-building richly layered with historical specificity and speculative brilliance. I felt gutted by Sadie’s death and lifted by the aunties’ wisdom. And I need to see this adapted on screen—Clark’s vision deserves a visual legacy. This was another easy 5 star read that I’ll be thinking about for months to come. 

📖 Read this if you love: Black speculative fiction rooted in Southern resistance, historical horror that punches up, Tananrive Due’s books, or the movie Sinners.

🔑 Key Themes: Anti-Black Racism as Literal Horror, Generational Trauma and Ancestral Magic, Resistance and Reclamation, The Power and Price of Anger.


Content / Trigger Warnings: Slavery (minor), Animal Death (minor), Gore (severe), Gun Violence (severe), Alcohol (minor), Racism (severe), Sexual Content (minor), War (minor), Fire (severe), Blood (severe), Death (moderate), Grief (moderate). 

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adventurous dark reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I read this in probably under three hours. I appreciate the dialectical writing style, and the wonderful mythos that the story taps into. I think this is a beautiful example of art appreciating art: the way that this piece of writing emphasizes the importance and value of music, especially as a carrier of cultural traditions and memory. It's a minor facet, but still permeates the narrative. Obligatory mention of Sinners (2025)- if you enjoyed that movie, definitely read this. Putting both of their respective musical history scenes in conversation with each other is a beautiful thing <3

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adventurous challenging dark reflective 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: No

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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dark 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: Yes

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-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

Words fail me. Every time I read a book by Mr. Clark I am left speechless and in awe of him. Truly one of my absolute favourite authors on the planet and this book just solidified his place.

A poignant and impactful piece that has left me so deeply moved. This is a book that leaves you reluctant to read anything after it because nothing else could possibly measure up.

In the current political climate it's even more of an important read. The rising power and voice of right wing, white nationalist ideologies is a terrifying thing, but we need only remember those who came before us, who fought tooth and nail for any chance of a better future. Whether in the power of a Shout or the cry of a powwow, we're all intrinsically connected on this continent, and we need to remember that right now.

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challenging dark emotional funny 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: Yes

If you ever hummed a hymn that had no name, no words… it just carried a moan and followed its own tune… you saw your grandma do it amazed at how   it conveyed more emotion than words ever could… how you understood every moan this book is for you. 


This book is one of those 5/5 that only come so ever often. 

I am still reeling. Only 185 pages?!?!?! This book accomplishes in such a short time the things 800 pages barely manages. My heart is sobbing because I finished this. 

The diversity, the historical details, the language, the ancestoral history, THE RAGE, the black feminism, the Gullah culture, etc etc etc . This book is dark, unfortunately a portion of our history and our nation’s complete history is dark. But the ending… the ending is our resilience. Our heart. 




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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

loved this :) gave me the vibes of sinners but with a grady hendrix writing style 

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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