You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
I started out loving this exactly as much as I loved The Hate U Give, and I ended up loving it, just not quite as much.
THUG felt completely seamless. Starr was entirely individual and yet completely relatable as a narrator. Her gift for communicating the sights and sounds and smells and flavors of her experiences made her life leap off the page. Khalil's murder and Starr's proximity to it and to everything that unfolded in its wake formed the nucleus of the story without defining Starr.
The early parts of Concrete Rose are quieter, but just as powerful and perfect in their own way. L'il Don's life before he becomes Big Mav is so much more precarious than Starr's, despite the tragedy that drives her story. I loved the love letter to Mav and his family. His relationship with his mother and with Dre are beautifully frustrating and realistic as the two try to help him see beyond the next few moments of his life to the bigger picture. The life he builds with Seven as he tries and fails, tries again and fails better, are heartbreaking because we already know what Seven's life will be by the time he is Mav's age.
But there are aspects of this that, for me at least, just don't live up to THUG. Lisa reads as very flat here. Part of that, I assume, is deliberate. Mav is growing into his empathy and his perspective-taking, so Lisa's wants and needs appear mercurial from his perspective. But Thomas might overplay that a bit. It often reads as a kind of "game mechanic" to complicate Mav's life.
Intersecting with that, the revelation that Mav's mother, Faye, is bisexual feels clunky. I definitely appreciate that Thomas gives her her own identity, complications, and needs, rather than having Faye be a kind of architectural stereotype of the Black woman/Black mother, but Moe, her lover, is trotted in and out at awkward intervals. Alongside Lisa reading as the "magically mature" young Black woman (and, come to think of it, Iesha whipsawing between overwhelmed young mother with postpartum depression and utterly selfish freeloader, with nothing in between), I was mildly disappointed with the female characters here.
Finally—and this sounds odd—the way that Dre's murder figures into the novel was sort of surprising to me. There's so much wonderful focus on building Mav's world as a young father that him being drawn, several times, to avenge Dre felt like a distraction, rather than the central conflict. Mav's grief seems like enough. His struggles to support Seven, to prepare for his second child, to help his mother—and the choices he makes that are no choice at all—seem like enough.
I was thrown off balance by the sudden appearance of Dre's watch and the second "call to vengeance" after Mav seemed to have heeded Shawn's instructions to stand down. As a result, I found it hard to get swept up in the tension of the book's final act. Part of this, I think is the fact that I didn't make the connection between Baby Khalil here and the Khalil of THUG, which is pretty terrible. Mav's fixation on leaving children fatherless—Dre's, his own, Red's—should be enough without me needing to connect events to a specific individual.
But in the end, I was more invested in Mav's day-to-day struggles with Dre's murder than "solving" that murder.
THUG felt completely seamless. Starr was entirely individual and yet completely relatable as a narrator. Her gift for communicating the sights and sounds and smells and flavors of her experiences made her life leap off the page. Khalil's murder and Starr's proximity to it and to everything that unfolded in its wake formed the nucleus of the story without defining Starr.
The early parts of Concrete Rose are quieter, but just as powerful and perfect in their own way. L'il Don's life before he becomes Big Mav is so much more precarious than Starr's, despite the tragedy that drives her story. I loved the love letter to Mav and his family. His relationship with his mother and with Dre are beautifully frustrating and realistic as the two try to help him see beyond the next few moments of his life to the bigger picture. The life he builds with Seven as he tries and fails, tries again and fails better, are heartbreaking because we already know what Seven's life will be by the time he is Mav's age.
But there are aspects of this that, for me at least, just don't live up to THUG. Lisa reads as very flat here. Part of that, I assume, is deliberate. Mav is growing into his empathy and his perspective-taking, so Lisa's wants and needs appear mercurial from his perspective. But Thomas might overplay that a bit. It often reads as a kind of "game mechanic" to complicate Mav's life.
Intersecting with that, the revelation that Mav's mother, Faye, is bisexual feels clunky. I definitely appreciate that Thomas gives her her own identity, complications, and needs, rather than having Faye be a kind of architectural stereotype of the Black woman/Black mother, but Moe, her lover, is trotted in and out at awkward intervals. Alongside Lisa reading as the "magically mature" young Black woman (and, come to think of it, Iesha whipsawing between overwhelmed young mother with postpartum depression and utterly selfish freeloader, with nothing in between), I was mildly disappointed with the female characters here.
Finally—and this sounds odd—the way that Dre's murder figures into the novel was sort of surprising to me. There's so much wonderful focus on building Mav's world as a young father that him being drawn, several times, to avenge Dre felt like a distraction, rather than the central conflict. Mav's grief seems like enough. His struggles to support Seven, to prepare for his second child, to help his mother—and the choices he makes that are no choice at all—seem like enough.
I was thrown off balance by the sudden appearance of Dre's watch and the second "call to vengeance" after Mav seemed to have heeded Shawn's instructions to stand down. As a result, I found it hard to get swept up in the tension of the book's final act. Part of this, I think is the fact that I didn't make the connection between Baby Khalil here and the Khalil of THUG, which is pretty terrible. Mav's fixation on leaving children fatherless—Dre's, his own, Red's—should be enough without me needing to connect events to a specific individual.
But in the end, I was more invested in Mav's day-to-day struggles with Dre's murder than "solving" that murder.
I really hope she writes another book that takes place between this and The Hate U Give. Watching Maverick grow up and learn to parent makes me want to spend more time with him and his family. Angie Thomas is such an enjoyable writer to read.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
I bought this book on sale from Audible and let it sit for a quite a while because I loved The Hate U Give so much that I was nervous about reading this prequel. There was nothing to be nervous about. I enjoyed listening very much. The novel is told from the viewpoint of 17-year-old Maverick Carter. Maverick's father is in prison for gang related activities. He lives with his hardworking and very loving mother. They struggle to make ends meet. Maverick is a member of the same neighborhood gang as his father for safety reasons, but is mostly kept away from dangerous activities by older gang members. He is living a normal teenage life until a girl he had sex with one time gets him to take a paternity test. Maverick's life changes in that waiting room with the results of that test.
Maverick's coming of age story is beautifully written by Angie Thomas. His struggles with the realties of being a teenage father are realistic and at times very humorous. I also felt for him as he struggled with his self esteem, as he learned to understand other people's perspectives, as he experienced jealousy and overwhelming grief, and to see new possibilities for his future as a responsible father. I think that this is a wonderful book for teenagers to read and discuss.
Ms. Thomas has Maverick speak using an abbreviated speech pattern that is not grammatically correct. It seemed authentic to me. I have heard folks speak that way frequently. It works for Maverick's character. The narrator, Dion Graham, does a wonderful job with Maverick. His interpretation of the female characters speaking to Maverick was annoying at times, but I have no personal experience with how teenage boys interpret women's voices. I know it is hard for men to do women's voices.
Maverick's coming of age story is beautifully written by Angie Thomas. His struggles with the realties of being a teenage father are realistic and at times very humorous. I also felt for him as he struggled with his self esteem, as he learned to understand other people's perspectives, as he experienced jealousy and overwhelming grief, and to see new possibilities for his future as a responsible father. I think that this is a wonderful book for teenagers to read and discuss.
Ms. Thomas has Maverick speak using an abbreviated speech pattern that is not grammatically correct. It seemed authentic to me. I have heard folks speak that way frequently. It works for Maverick's character. The narrator, Dion Graham, does a wonderful job with Maverick. His interpretation of the female characters speaking to Maverick was annoying at times, but I have no personal experience with how teenage boys interpret women's voices. I know it is hard for men to do women's voices.
I love the way that Thomas tells Maverick's story, the characters in the story feel believable and well developed. I want to re-read The Hate U Give while this story is fresh on my mind just to spend more time with Maverick.
Edit (2-09-21) to add - I would love to read New Adult sequel to this, Maverick's relationship with King at the end of Concrete Rose is nowhere near the animosity that I remember from T.H.U.G. I would love to see how he and Lisa handle parenting two children while in college and starting businesses.
Edit (2-09-21) to add - I would love to read New Adult sequel to this, Maverick's relationship with King at the end of Concrete Rose is nowhere near the animosity that I remember from T.H.U.G. I would love to see how he and Lisa handle parenting two children while in college and starting businesses.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
A beautifully written story that frustrated me to no end at times. You find yourself screaming for Maverick that his thinking is backwards, that he’s not seeing clearly. But then you take the step back and realize he’s only reacting the way his circumstances have taught him to engage with his world.
Reading along to a prequel can be daunting, especially if the gap between the original is sufficient enough (I read The Hate U Give almost 6 years ago), but Angie Thomas’ penchant for characterization and bringing warmth to the darkness is unparalleled as always in this stunning work.
Reading along to a prequel can be daunting, especially if the gap between the original is sufficient enough (I read The Hate U Give almost 6 years ago), but Angie Thomas’ penchant for characterization and bringing warmth to the darkness is unparalleled as always in this stunning work.
Love the way Angie Thomas brings her characters to life. She shatters stereotypes and let's us into their lives - loving them like she does. Thank you! More please!