Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

13 reviews

bejeweledmeli's review

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Rape

haley49's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.5

I really wanted to love this book more than I did. The premise was great and the mystery was amazing. 

However, having a book advertised as the black queen and having her be murdered and then centering her self-centered white counterpart was a disservice. If it was marketed as a girl coming to terms with her internalized racism while attempting to find out who really killed her rival for queen would have been much more honest and engaging. Instead there is a focus on a rushed redemption arc for our main character with a side plot of the victim’s painful backstory. In the end I understand and like our fmc but I feel so bad for the victim and her story gets used a bit for another’s character development. 
On the other hand, Duchess’s character was really interesting. I just wish we saw a bit more of her. It was advertised as her book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Racism

Moderate: Abortion, Pedophilia, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Toxic relationship

walrus420's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Cursing, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia and Incest

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape

kaerene's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

This was another recommendation from one of my favorite BookTok-ers, @zai_rambles, and I loved it. The Black Queen is a YA murder mystery that is told through two perspectives, the murder victim’s best friend and the girl who is accused and suspected of the murder. The twists in the book are great and I highly recommend it as well. Warning though, I would check the triggers on this book as it’s pretty heavy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Hate crime, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Abortion, and Racism

jillkaarlela's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas meets “Ace of Spades” by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé! I loved this murder mystery, because not only was the mystery really complex, unexpected and nuanced, but the overarching themes of systemic racism opinions towards the police were really well explored. I thought it was a really interesting and smart choice to have this in a dual POV with the friend of the main girl who died as well as a rich white girl who seems to be a “villain” at the beginning, and doesn’t understand how racist and privileged she is. It provided and interest contrast, as we get to see Tinsley’s character growth as she is doing the work and research needed to better herself (although we do hate her quite a lot at times). I also liked the talk about the relationship with the police, especially since the main character (Duchess’s) black father is also a police officer. This is a story full of secrets, lies, deception, twists and turns, important political issues, and tons of nuance. 

Another fun fact about the author, Jumata Emill is that he used to be a crime reporter! I think this really helped his story, and made him able to write such a great mystery.  

Age rating: 14+ (language)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide

clare072's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Abortion, Rape, and Vomit

trishupaper's review against another edition

Dnf @ 30%

Something about this book felt off to me, and after reading some reviews, I know why. But it’s better to know from Black reviewers first hand, so please check their reviews out for a more concise breakdown.
I did skim until the end just to know who did what, and I’ll say that I don’t like the idea that a white character was centralised in a story that’s supposed to be about a Black character. I got more of Tinsley than I got of Nova and Duchess, and this was supposed to be their stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

This was a great book. For once the person I suspected of being the murderer wasn't the murderer, none of my suspects were. And most of what I'd figured out was kinda flipped a bit at the end. I was still right on some parts but not most of it. 

I really liked how Tinsley finally figured out that you don't have to be overtly racist to be racist. And how Duchess and her friends didn't take any of her shit. The characters weren't all lovable but they were real, which I think is more important. They weren't all horribly unlikable either which is something that would have made me put down the book immediately. 

Overall an amazing book! With two excellent narrators.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault

mals_reads's review

challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

Minor: Abortion, Incest, Pedophilia, Bullying, and Adult/minor relationship

jillianelis_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

I had been waiting for this book for a LONG time, so I was thrilled that I got an advance copy and didn’t have to wait on my library’s hold  list! 

The Black Queen absolutely lived up to my expectations. While I kind of figured out the killer really early on, the story still had me on the edge of my seat! Nova slightly reminded me of Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks (murdered homecoming Queen who was full of secrets), and I wish we got to see more of her in life before she died. I would absolutely read a book about Nova’s life because I wanted to know more about her, her life in Virginia, how she became friends with Duchess, etc. All of the characters felt very real and fleshed out as well, and the handling of difficult topics was both sensitive and honest at every turn. I can’t wait to read whatever Jumata Emill writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, Murder, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Cancer, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Infidelity

Minor: Police brutality and Abortion