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mdemanatee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I legitimately don’t know what to make of that ending. This book is and rough and raw. Well done but lots of warnings. But it also feels like it meets YA readers at both the hope and horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Confinement, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual violence, and Violence
mitzybitzyspider's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
readingwordsmith's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Scholastic Press for the free ARC copy of Muted. Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. I was sent a free copy by the publisher Scholastic Press as an early review copy, however, that does not affect or influence my review of the book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it.
Synopsis:
Muted by Tami Charles is a YA novel following Denver and her two close friends, Shak and Dali who are trying to fulfill their dreams of becoming famous singers. Inspired by the R. Kelley events, this book explores the dark, hidden side of the music industry. It shows how a young girl’s dreams are used and exploited against her.
Content Warnings: Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse, Eating Disorder, Body Shaming, Rape, Grief, Murder, Toxic Relationship
Note: This book contains mature and alarming content, please proceed with caution.
Review:
Muted by Tami Charles takes place over the span of a short two-hour plane ride. The entire story is told in flashbacks after all the events have occurred. I loved that we get some good character development on Denver, Shak, and Dali before things start to happen. It really helped me understand their motivations and what really drove them to seek success in the music industry.
I love that the side characters were well fleshed out and developed. I really felt like I could empathize and understand where Denver’s, Shak’s, and Dali’s families were all coming from. There are subtle clues throughout the entire story that I picked up on before any of the main cast that revealed the true nature of Sean “Merc” Ellis. I was surprised it took Denver SO LONG to see what was actually happening. She just closed her eyes to reality because of her DESPERATE desire to become famous which is understandable but frustrating.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it was written in verse. It didn’t feel like flowery poetry which was what I feared going into the book. Instead, it was a brilliant way of telling the story. I also loved that the songs that were written in the story, were included and it really helped immerse me into Denver’s world. The format that the story was written in was really consumable and easy to read which also helped to immerse me into the story and the events that were occurring.
The entire plot was leading up to a climax and an UNFORGETTABLE ending. There were a few moments of shock leading up to the main reveal in the story, but they did NOT prepare me. I bawled my eyes out for a good hour after reading the last 30 pages of the story and discovering where the airplane’s final destination was. This book really illustrated the problems with relationships that feature a MAJOR imbalance in power. It also showed the corrupt nature of the music industry in a way I’ve not seen anywhere else. I will continue to reflect on this story and recommend this book for a long time to come.
Rating: 5/5 stars (also 5/5 in terms of tears)
Author: Tami Charles
Genre: YA, hard-hitting contemporary
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Synopsis:
Muted by Tami Charles is a YA novel following Denver and her two close friends, Shak and Dali who are trying to fulfill their dreams of becoming famous singers. Inspired by the R. Kelley events, this book explores the dark, hidden side of the music industry. It shows how a young girl’s dreams are used and exploited against her.
Content Warnings: Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse, Eating Disorder, Body Shaming, Rape, Grief, Murder, Toxic Relationship
Note: This book contains mature and alarming content, please proceed with caution.
Review:
Muted by Tami Charles takes place over the span of a short two-hour plane ride. The entire story is told in flashbacks after all the events have occurred. I loved that we get some good character development on Denver, Shak, and Dali before things start to happen. It really helped me understand their motivations and what really drove them to seek success in the music industry.
I love that the side characters were well fleshed out and developed. I really felt like I could empathize and understand where Denver’s, Shak’s, and Dali’s families were all coming from. There are subtle clues throughout the entire story that I picked up on before any of the main cast that revealed the true nature of Sean “Merc” Ellis. I was surprised it took Denver SO LONG to see what was actually happening. She just closed her eyes to reality because of her DESPERATE desire to become famous which is understandable but frustrating.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it was written in verse. It didn’t feel like flowery poetry which was what I feared going into the book. Instead, it was a brilliant way of telling the story. I also loved that the songs that were written in the story, were included and it really helped immerse me into Denver’s world. The format that the story was written in was really consumable and easy to read which also helped to immerse me into the story and the events that were occurring.
The entire plot was leading up to a climax and an UNFORGETTABLE ending. There were a few moments of shock leading up to the main reveal in the story, but they did NOT prepare me. I bawled my eyes out for a good hour after reading the last 30 pages of the story and discovering where the airplane’s final destination was. This book really illustrated the problems with relationships that feature a MAJOR imbalance in power. It also showed the corrupt nature of the music industry in a way I’ve not seen anywhere else. I will continue to reflect on this story and recommend this book for a long time to come.
Rating: 5/5 stars (also 5/5 in terms of tears)
Author: Tami Charles
Genre: YA, hard-hitting contemporary
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, and Drug abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racism, and Cursing
blossomjin's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I am a huge fan of verse novels because they are such fluid mediums and give authors a chance to tell a story in a less linear way. In the case of Muted, verse worked perfectly to enhance the lyricism of Charles’ story. The verse in question was well written and flowed seamlessly building up to the novel’s climax.
I was so surprised by the novel's ending, however it did highlight an issue I had with how Denver’s relationships with her family were written. The impact of the novel’s climax relied heavily on the complex relationships Denver had with her family especially her father, but I felt like even though she mentioned her family throughout the story I just didn’t know enough about them other than some very basic facts and a very surface level conflict.
Denver’s main conflict with her family is that she wishes to pursue music professionally instead of taking the same route her parents and her older sister took, namely Stanford. This is not a new concept, but it can be an interesting concept if developed enough. If I knew more about her family it could have been an interesting concept.
For example, it is heavily implied that her parents who are both people of colour feel a pressure to comply with the strict cookie cutter image of the perfect family set by the small town standard even as their marriage is crumbling. If I knew more about her parents it would all matter, but I could count what I knew about them on one hand.
I felt like I didn’t know her family enough to care about how they felt. I could not imagine how Denver’s father was feeling in the ending. He was the one who apparently inspired Denver with music when she was younger, yet all I know about him was that he was a pilot who knew how to play the piano. Even with her mother and sister there was little development with a few small anecdotes which didn’t leave a lasting impact.
Overall I did find this a powerful read. The manipulation of young women, especially young women of colour, in the music industry is a deep rooted issue which is sadly still pervasive to this day. Denver and Dali’s story was powerful and needed to be told. This novel deals with a number of sensitive topics including rape, grooming, manipulation, fatphobia and many more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape
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