Reviews

A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney

hiimkayte's review

1.0

This book was not for me. I was excited about reading it- black, queer, quilting, all things I’m interested in. Within the first chapter, I had a definite “dude’s writing women” vibe, that left me with a bad taste.
I struggled to picture the art that was described. As a quilter I wanted more details, it felt like the author didn’t actually know anything about quilting.
The characters and concepts were interesting, but it just didn’t go anywhere. It was an interesting setup but no story.
At least it was relatively short. It was definitely a relief to get to the end.

flaminggecko's review

mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

scrow1022's review

4.0

What a question to think about, the nature of this particular haunting, its manifestations over decades (centuries!), the people it affects. So grounded in land and history.

cecilowo's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

2.5

pipbiz's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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

3.75

queerfelicity's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely ADORE this kind of horror! It's bright, colorful, and vibrantly descriptive. But still creeping and strange. I would say the book itself is around medium paced but it all comes together very quickly at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Trafficking

Moderate: Drug use, Death, and Sexual content

jb_fletcher's review

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

irenemarie's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

carrienation76's review

4.0

This is a hauntingly beautiful book, weaving a tale of generational trauma, love, spirituality, and fixation. I'm still mulling over the symbolism. Gidney manages to pack a lot into roughly 200 pages, leaving a lot unsaid. This adds to the mystery within the book and makes this a whirlwind read.

blitzjess's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75