Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

23 reviews

halierivers's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Oh man, this book got me emotional in the best/worst way. 

Firstly, let me address what I didn’t see ANYWHERE else and had to hunt down myself - one of the POV’s is not in American-Standard English. It’s written with Trinidad Folk Language/Grammar as one of the MC’s is from there. It took me a few chapters to move past this, as it is quite jarring, but your brain picks up smoothly after that. 

Secondly, THIS WAS SO SAD AND SO GOOD? Ughh I just am so glad I read this and thank the Muses that this book exists for teens and adults out there who stumble upon it. It’s about love, rejection, grief, death, and spirituality. And on top of that, we have a cast of (mostly) wholesome, loving, supportive parents which we do not see enough in media. 

Lastly, the ending was not my favorite. But it makes sense with the story. I just wish it were drawn out a bit more bc I didn’t feel like I got to really say goodbye to these amazing characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Homophobia

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Child death and Child abuse

happyblkhippie's review

emotional inspiring reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism, Car accident, Grief, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

kerstynleigh's review

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

5.0

This was so wonderfully beautiful. It broke my heart so gently and with such tenderness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Minor: Child abuse, Racism, and Homophobia

maxinekelly's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Cancer and Racism

dandeliongirl's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Grief, Sexual content, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Child death, and Police brutality

zombiezami's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This is what The Fault in Our Stars wishes it was

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Child abuse, Mental illness, Outing, Chronic illness, Confinement, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Death, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual harassment, Grief, Classism, Alcohol, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gun violence, Suicide, Colonisation, Addiction, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Slavery

hamstringy's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The prose is definitely very well written, but I didn’t love it. The audiobook in particular was really well done, though. I think listening to a Trinidadian accent was much better than just reading it would have been. I think I didn’t fully connect with it (definitely more ya than I could handle), and I think it definitely didn’t live up to the summary. 

I wish that they had spent more time on the magical realism and illness. I think that it just felt really misleading, especially as someone who picked up this book for those two reasons, that we just jump from Mabel not feeling well to her in the midst of off-screen cancer treatment. I can appreciate the ending for its themes of freedom on your own terms, but I do wish that they had further built up the magical realism so that it hadn’t felt so out of the blue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Cancer, Death, Religious bigotry, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, and Medical content

Minor: Pregnancy, Transphobia, Slavery, and Sexism

lunar_lapis's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Still remains the most beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking and empowering book I've ever read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Grief, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Sexual content

Minor: Drug use, Vomit, and Drug abuse

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Gosh I loved this. I didn't really know much going in, so one of the main plot points really took me by surprise. This book is so beautiful and it made me cry a lot. I'd definitely recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Homophobia, Child death, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Drug use, Confinement, Grief, Sexual content, Child abuse, Racism, and Transphobia

Minor: Slavery, Medical content, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Outing, Murder, and Mental illness

lettuce_read's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Child death, Death, Lesbophobia, and Terminal illness

Minor: Racism