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whizardreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Body horror, Police brutality, Racism, Cursing, Torture, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death
mavemarie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.25
The journey of this story's structure mimics both what we expect, and what we fail to see in the world around us. It highlights the flaws in doing so.
It sets out to unravel a traditionally coded crime mystery, simply from a black perspective on the surface, but instead, the story lulls and expands to showcase a background with ranging intricacies and a more prominent, and more worthy, story instead. It is tense and uncomfortable. Heartwarming and soothing. Prideful, encouraging and sometimes disappointing as well. And it is a love note to music in every single page. I wish I had more of a musical background to appreciate it more.
As a contemporary piece, it makes the encounters within the story that much more jarring. We have all gone to school with Ray. We have sat next to him on the plane. Listened to him play at our aunts wedding. We have all seen him on the side of the road next to some flashing lights. Hearing the authors life experiences as they inform the story and these moments... is beyond heartbreaking.
The time spent diverging from its genre makes rating it as a simple thriller/mystery... almost lackluster. But this is not just a story about a missing violin. It is about connection, trust, perseverance, family, and friendship. It is about race, culture, heritage and hardship. It is about love.
It sets out to unravel a traditionally coded crime mystery, simply from a black perspective on the surface, but instead, the story lulls and expands to showcase a background with ranging intricacies and a more prominent, and more worthy, story instead. It is tense and uncomfortable. Heartwarming and soothing. Prideful, encouraging and sometimes disappointing as well. And it is a love note to music in every single page. I wish I had more of a musical background to appreciate it more.
As a contemporary piece, it makes the encounters within the story that much more jarring. We have all gone to school with Ray. We have sat next to him on the plane. Listened to him play at our aunts wedding. We have all seen him on the side of the road next to some flashing lights. Hearing the authors life experiences as they inform the story and these moments... is beyond heartbreaking.
The time spent diverging from its genre makes rating it as a simple thriller/mystery... almost lackluster. But this is not just a story about a missing violin. It is about connection, trust, perseverance, family, and friendship. It is about race, culture, heritage and hardship. It is about love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Body horror, Torture, Classism, and Bullying
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
ladyzbyrd's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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
4.0
This was a fun and emotional read. I was so angry and sad the whole way through, scattered with bits of joy, only to be turned to rage again and again. What a way to mess with a reader’s heart and still come out of the book and say yes, this was an amazing read!
There were definitely some parts that’s defy realism when it comes to procedures in various fields that made certain scenes difficult to believe, and I had to set that aside. Reading this slower on my second go around with a group, I ended up in several rabbit holes, mostly due to the above-mentioned procedures in different scenes.
There were definitely some parts that’s defy realism when it comes to procedures in various fields that made certain scenes difficult to believe, and I had to set that aside. Reading this slower on my second go around with a group, I ended up in several rabbit holes, mostly due to the above-mentioned procedures in different scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Stalking, and Bullying
meganpbennett's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.0
The Violin Conspiracy is a very tightly-paced, well-plotted thriller. You want to know what happens next, eagerly turning the pages until the very end, when it all comes together.
Ray is a young black man playing a rented school fiddle when his grandma remembers her grandfather's fiddle, hidden away in the attic for years, and he plays the violin at a few concerts and competitions, winning a scholarship to college. And then he learns that the violin is.... a Strad. A legit, $10 million dollar Italian-made Stradivarius violin. He's immediately famous - the black kid playing a priceless family heirloom that is actually a priceless violin - and plays around the world.
In the first few chapters - which are set after the violin is stolen from his New York City hotel room - we learn that there are numerous suspects, including his own family. Those chapters are difficult to follow, as Ray is our POV character, and Ray is totally distraught, which means the stream-of-consciousness writing is hard to follow. The first section is really one to power through. The book starts getting really good once the violin's provenance is established, and the Marks family walks into the picture.
Ray is a young black man playing a rented school fiddle when his grandma remembers her grandfather's fiddle, hidden away in the attic for years, and he plays the violin at a few concerts and competitions, winning a scholarship to college. And then he learns that the violin is.... a Strad. A legit, $10 million dollar Italian-made Stradivarius violin. He's immediately famous - the black kid playing a priceless family heirloom that is actually a priceless violin - and plays around the world.
In the first few chapters - which are set after the violin is stolen from his New York City hotel room - we learn that there are numerous suspects, including his own family. Those chapters are difficult to follow, as Ray is our POV character, and Ray is totally distraught, which means the stream-of-consciousness writing is hard to follow. The first section is really one to power through. The book starts getting really good once the violin's provenance is established, and the Marks family walks into the picture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Torture, Death, Racism, Slavery, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Classism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Body horror
fireinherveinzz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Body horror, Racial slurs, and Slavery
Moderate: Racial slurs
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