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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
I have... no idea what to think about this book. It was definitely not for me, but that doesn't mean I don't see how it might appeal to other readers. Any major spoilers will be hidden, but proceed with this review with caution because there will be minor spoilers.
Let's get the big one out of the way right from the go, though.
Aside from that, a big part of what made this book confusing for me were the tonal shifts. I couldn't get a handle on what I was reading. It felt satirical at times, then at others it seemed like a mystery/thriller, but at a lot of points it also felt like a horror novel. I'm not opposed to genre mashups--in fact, I'm usually an enthusiastic fan of work that subvert genre expectations--but because I couldn't get a feel for what type of book I was reading, it was hard for me to really get into it.
This was especially true for me when it came to the inclusion of the ravens' point of view. I could see what the author was doing with regard to the animals, but I never bought it because I never understood exactly why the ravens had beefs with particular characters--at least not fully. The reader is told the people who die are bad people, but this is only obvious for a few of the victims. The book never offers details about what bad things the others did, so it's hard to see how the cosmic justice angle works.
I think another part of why this book didn't work for me is because it is such a kitchen sink. There are a lot of really meaty topics here, but throwing them all together means they mostly get short shrift. The book is really searing when it points out the hypocrisy of white people--and of privileged white women in particular--when it comes to things like cultural appropriation, or the ways in which white people will assume abuse against people of color is "cultural", as if there isn't plenty of abuse amongst white people. I thought the book was right to point out the hypocrisy of white feminism and its cries for women of color to liberate themselves from supposedly oppressive cultures, all while propping up the pernicious effects of patriarchal white supremacy.
The way it exposes cultural appropriation was also searing, making it clear how so many white people utterly refuse to see people of color as anything more than an amalgamation rather than people who come from diverse cultures and countries with their own histories and cultural mores. And it's spot-on in pointing out how white people can be so quick to accept spiritual beliefs and medical practices that have been lifted straight from other cultures, as long as these beliefs and practices are boxed up in nice, white packaging.
All of these elements were strong in the novel, and I was uncomfortable reading it at times because, as a white person, I recognized how spot-on it all was. I think I would have liked the novel more had the horror-like elements not been part of the novel as well, since horror is not a genre I particularly enjoy. That's my own preference, though, which I recognize, and I know horror can be used to great effect when exposing racism, classism, and other such prejudices that poison society. Even though this book doesn't work for me, I can easily see how it could appeal to many others.
Let's get the big one out of the way right from the go, though.
Spoiler
I knew immediately that Ronnie's aunt was dead and that Ronnie had killed her, so this revelation didn't shock me in the least. It just seemed obvious to me this was what the author was doing with the flashbacks, which was maybe part of my problem with the book in general: rather than many elements of it feeling organic, I could see the plot scaffolding behind them. It makes sense to have these flashbacks about Ronnie in order to better flesh her out as a character, but I could also tell there were huge plot reasons for showing the reader these glimpses.Aside from that, a big part of what made this book confusing for me were the tonal shifts. I couldn't get a handle on what I was reading. It felt satirical at times, then at others it seemed like a mystery/thriller, but at a lot of points it also felt like a horror novel. I'm not opposed to genre mashups--in fact, I'm usually an enthusiastic fan of work that subvert genre expectations--but because I couldn't get a feel for what type of book I was reading, it was hard for me to really get into it.
This was especially true for me when it came to the inclusion of the ravens' point of view. I could see what the author was doing with regard to the animals, but I never bought it because I never understood exactly why the ravens had beefs with particular characters--at least not fully. The reader is told the people who die are bad people, but this is only obvious for a few of the victims. The book never offers details about what bad things the others did, so it's hard to see how the cosmic justice angle works.
Spoiler
Honestly, this all struck me as a weird justification anyway. Maybe the point of the book was to show that everyone has shades, that no one is ever entirely good or bad, but I always have a hard time with books where I'm supposed to see some people's actions as justified because they're good while others aren't because they're bad, with the problem being that the "good" guys end up behaving a lot like the "bad" guys. Like, it's fine for Star and Ronnie to murder people because they're "good", but Marley is bad? Aren't they all bad? If what you're going for is to show how people justify their own actions, this might work, but the inclusion of the ravens lends to the impression that there's some kind of natural world justice being carried out here.I think another part of why this book didn't work for me is because it is such a kitchen sink. There are a lot of really meaty topics here, but throwing them all together means they mostly get short shrift. The book is really searing when it points out the hypocrisy of white people--and of privileged white women in particular--when it comes to things like cultural appropriation, or the ways in which white people will assume abuse against people of color is "cultural", as if there isn't plenty of abuse amongst white people. I thought the book was right to point out the hypocrisy of white feminism and its cries for women of color to liberate themselves from supposedly oppressive cultures, all while propping up the pernicious effects of patriarchal white supremacy.
The way it exposes cultural appropriation was also searing, making it clear how so many white people utterly refuse to see people of color as anything more than an amalgamation rather than people who come from diverse cultures and countries with their own histories and cultural mores. And it's spot-on in pointing out how white people can be so quick to accept spiritual beliefs and medical practices that have been lifted straight from other cultures, as long as these beliefs and practices are boxed up in nice, white packaging.
All of these elements were strong in the novel, and I was uncomfortable reading it at times because, as a white person, I recognized how spot-on it all was. I think I would have liked the novel more had the horror-like elements not been part of the novel as well, since horror is not a genre I particularly enjoy. That's my own preference, though, which I recognize, and I know horror can be used to great effect when exposing racism, classism, and other such prejudices that poison society. Even though this book doesn't work for me, I can easily see how it could appeal to many others.
clairekatb's review against another edition
2.0
The more I think about when I read this book the more I don't remember what happened and it's just making me more and more confused
afid81's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
arem419's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed the book and definitely was compelled to keep reading. The thing that put me off the most when it would switch to the viewpoint of the ravens. Idk how I feel about all that, but found myself rolling my eyes through those chapters. Then in the end I felt that Ronnie was kind of a fraud.
angorarabbit's review against another edition
4.0
TW: verbal, emotional, and physical abuse of a child by the guardian of the child. These are my triggers, the book is a thriller so you may have other triggers. I do not speak my triggers in this review.
This book was recommended and I was warned about triggers before reading the book. The sections are easy to spot and for the most part can be scanned quickly to get the important plot points. I skipped a few entirely.
The book was well written, the characters were relatable and not cardboard cutouts. I particularly enjoyed the ravens though they seems to speak in a group not as individuals. While there were only a few settings they were described well. The plot was believable and the twist was a surprise. No "good" people died in the book.
I appreciated that the book was written from the veiw point of a woman of colour and that there were no male heroes rescuing the fragile female. I also liked the book pointing out the blatant casual racism that is prevalent in some tourist areas.
I liked the ending very much though there were a few beats that seemed to be entirely forgotten and I had a few questions after the last chapter.
This took me a long time to read, I need to make more time for reading. It is a good book though from someone who typically does not like the thriller genre.
This book was recommended and I was warned about triggers before reading the book. The sections are easy to spot and for the most part can be scanned quickly to get the important plot points. I skipped a few entirely.
The book was well written, the characters were relatable and not cardboard cutouts. I particularly enjoyed the ravens though they seems to speak in a group not as individuals. While there were only a few settings they were described well. The plot was believable and the twist was a surprise. No "good" people died in the book.
I appreciated that the book was written from the veiw point of a woman of colour and that there were no male heroes rescuing the fragile female. I also liked the book pointing out the blatant casual racism that is prevalent in some tourist areas.
I liked the ending very much though there were a few beats that seemed to be entirely forgotten and I had a few questions after the last chapter.
This took me a long time to read, I need to make more time for reading. It is a good book though from someone who typically does not like the thriller genre.
daisystitch's review
I tried to get into this one a few times. The premise seemed very interesting but I couldn't get past the bland style, & found the characters unlikeable. Not for me.
stephreadsalotontiktok's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
emb2857's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bossungcj's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, Grief, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence