Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
A very melancholy story but empowering and thought provoking.
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book that will enrage and ignite you into action!
“Women are hated here. Openly. Man can kill a woman anytime and know he will never face a courtroom. Man does beat their woman. Man does kill his woman too. Women go missing.”
For me, Passiontide felt like a changing of tides. You walk up to its waters, and you're immediately taken into a story, and as its tide gets higher, you realize you're sunk—fully immersed. You become part of the story, connecting with the characters in profound ways. Each character hits you like a new wave, with every part of the revolution crashing over you with force. Passiontide is both a dream and a harsh reality. It’s not only a book that inspires and demands community, support, and uprising, but also one that challenges complicity and conformity, showing how everyone plays a role—whether they challenge an unjust system or keep it alive.
When the story kicks off, we’re thrown into a world that feels too close to home. A world in which women can be hurt, abused, killed, and taken without consequence. When another woman is found publicly displayed after being murdered at the hands of a man, the book asks the questions: How does this keep happening? and When will it stop? From there, we follow a small island town as it begins to erupt. The women have had enough—enough of being taken for granted, enough of being ignored, and enough of being killed. What starts as a small act of achieving justice becomes a powerful statement of resilience, change, and unity.
This book has many strengths! One of the biggest is the environment it immerses you in—not only through its diverse and inclusive cultural representation, religious components, and vivid scenes, but also through its characters. Told through multiple points of view, we experience these characters in layers that provide depth and understanding. Though vastly different, every character feels intrinsically connected. Characters like Errol and Brian, who may seem distant in social stature, are both complicit in their beliefs and exemplify some of the scariest aspects of misogyny and oppression—how men in power can hurt us by not listening to us, and how even the lowest of men can be protected from the consequences of their atrocities.
Characters like Gigi and Daisy showcase the kind of women we need to come together. While one is a sex worker and the other a housewife, this story presents that these titles are never too far apart—through shared desires, grief, and purpose. Every character sparks discussion and, at times, controversy, making it no surprise that each feels like someone you can reach out and touch. Some parts of this book will definitely be triggering as the story is inspired by true events, but that just makes the impact even stronger.
So much appreciation to AAKnopf for this gifted copy and Monique Raffey for the captivating story.
“Women are hated here. Openly. Man can kill a woman anytime and know he will never face a courtroom. Man does beat their woman. Man does kill his woman too. Women go missing.”
For me, Passiontide felt like a changing of tides. You walk up to its waters, and you're immediately taken into a story, and as its tide gets higher, you realize you're sunk—fully immersed. You become part of the story, connecting with the characters in profound ways. Each character hits you like a new wave, with every part of the revolution crashing over you with force. Passiontide is both a dream and a harsh reality. It’s not only a book that inspires and demands community, support, and uprising, but also one that challenges complicity and conformity, showing how everyone plays a role—whether they challenge an unjust system or keep it alive.
When the story kicks off, we’re thrown into a world that feels too close to home. A world in which women can be hurt, abused, killed, and taken without consequence. When another woman is found publicly displayed after being murdered at the hands of a man, the book asks the questions: How does this keep happening? and When will it stop? From there, we follow a small island town as it begins to erupt. The women have had enough—enough of being taken for granted, enough of being ignored, and enough of being killed. What starts as a small act of achieving justice becomes a powerful statement of resilience, change, and unity.
This book has many strengths! One of the biggest is the environment it immerses you in—not only through its diverse and inclusive cultural representation, religious components, and vivid scenes, but also through its characters. Told through multiple points of view, we experience these characters in layers that provide depth and understanding. Though vastly different, every character feels intrinsically connected. Characters like Errol and Brian, who may seem distant in social stature, are both complicit in their beliefs and exemplify some of the scariest aspects of misogyny and oppression—how men in power can hurt us by not listening to us, and how even the lowest of men can be protected from the consequences of their atrocities.
Characters like Gigi and Daisy showcase the kind of women we need to come together. While one is a sex worker and the other a housewife, this story presents that these titles are never too far apart—through shared desires, grief, and purpose. Every character sparks discussion and, at times, controversy, making it no surprise that each feels like someone you can reach out and touch. Some parts of this book will definitely be triggering as the story is inspired by true events, but that just makes the impact even stronger.
So much appreciation to AAKnopf for this gifted copy and Monique Raffey for the captivating story.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
An enjoyable and inspiring read of the power of community in challenging societal norms. A bit cliché and optimistic at times, however, I could see this being on the Womens Prize shortlist.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
Could have been 50-100 pages shorter I think. Overall this was a moving book about the power of resistance and women. I grew to love the characters and the vital part each women played in the movement. Favorite character is Shareen who I low key want to be.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually came into this expecting to read a mystery, but turns out this is completely different! Did not damper my enjoyment of it though. I don't really read Caribbean literature, so this was very interesting to dive into. While femicide is a global issue, I liked that this was focused in one place and see how the death of one woman can really spark a movement. Loved that we got to see some of the inner workings of organizing/occupation. To see women from all different backgrounds come together and protest their government was nothing short of inspiring. Ultimately, the author made sure to end this as realistically as possible, which meant that the ending was bleak. Change does not happen overnight, and it is difficult to topple structures that have in place for many years. But I would like to think that the women in this book did spark a movement that will continue for years to come.
While at times I felt the book to be a little repetitive, overall this was solid.
While at times I felt the book to be a little repetitive, overall this was solid.