Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

16 reviews

katekatiekait's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Addiction

Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

Minor: Islamophobia, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.25

This was a book that was recommended to me by someone at my local library. It's something like a political, police procedural, bequest-mystery, sci-fi? But unfortunately I don't think it does those things very well. The book rates ok, and seems to have been received well, but I can see why publishers weren't keen to take it the first couple of times she submitted it for publication.

I felt like the dialogue was middling to bad. There was a lot of exposition to the ignorant characters in the room that could have been done better. Perhaps I'm a stylistic snob, but the one line about Americans being a dichotomy of tech leaders whose people are also anti-academic, really rang throughout the entire book. An expert commenting that they found something interesting is invariably followed by the room asking for a translation for those who don't have a degree.

A major theme that is wallowed in, is tech being used for military purposes. This is specifically applied to genetics research (a loaded topic in Christian America), while deftly dodging the point that most of USAs technological advances have been made due to military funding. The idea that genetically heritable illnesses could be treated with gene therapy is not a new one to me, nor is the idea that similar techniques could be used for eugenics. 

Poverty and addiction also seem to be a stereotype in this. It's all a bit of a lumbering shambles. If someone tells you their alias is Wilma, isn't anyone over the age of 30 going to guess their real name is Betty? This book feels like it's trying to be smart, but isn't very. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Confinement, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Classism, Gun violence, Dementia, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Mental illness, Islamophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

badmom's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Abrams’s writing style is engaging - I was immediately drawn into the story of this young law clerk struggling to make her way in D.C. while maintaining her integrity. She and the other characters are plausibly outlined if a bit cardboard & stereotypical for the Legal Thriller genre. The plot quickly generates too many complicated threads to follow easily though; I appreciate that the author consulted experts in the areas she covered but they  still felt a bit too convoluted (and the resolutions too easily made) to thoroughly enjoy in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Drug use

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Dementia, Medical content, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, and Emotional abuse

eleasereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Death, and Gun violence

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, War, Death, Racism, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Grief, Murder, Hate crime, Addiction, and Misogyny

mnatale100's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Addiction, Kidnapping, Medical content, Drug use, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Islamophobia, Genocide, and Vomit

Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Cursing, and Classism

waterwolves's review against another edition

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Stalking, Addiction, Violence, and Terminal illness

kcarney86's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Murder, Confinement, Drug use, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, Sexism, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Islamophobia, Classism, and Emotional abuse

_belty_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Hate crime, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Racism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, and Genocide

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

2.5

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

When Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynn falls into a coma, the world is shocked to learn he has left his power of attorney in the hands of his law clerk, Avery Keene. Avery herself has no idea why Wynn would have done such a thing…and in her quest to find out uncovers a conspiracy that will threaten her life and the lives of everyone around her.

Oof. I need to preface this by saying I absolutely adore Stacey Abrams the person/politician and none of the following changes that. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly as big a fan of this novel as I am of Abrams personally. The entire thing felt contrived and impossible to believe—even factoring in the suspension of disbelief inherently necessary for most politico-legal thrillers. The characters were unlikable and the stakes felt shockingly low (they were not) because no one seemed particularly invested in uncovering the mystery until the end. Worst of all, one recurring riddle, discussed several times by the characters and presented as key to the entire story, was never adequately solved and instead was entirely forgotten by the end. It’s possible I would have enjoyed this more if I was a bigger fan of this type of thriller (I’m really not) but as it was it still fell significantly short of my expectations.  

Recommended if you are already a fan of politico-legal thrillers.

CW: Medical experimentation; government oppression; death/violence/blood; drug abuse/addiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent