Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

90 reviews

marthadude's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

Plenty of gore and body horror.

solspringsreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

This book is definitely intense, set in a rich alternate-world like ours with demons and monsters. It's graphic in its violence--understandably so, given the genre and topics--but I really enjoyed and appreciated the way that so many of the themes are investigated in the story. I'm not a fan of horror but I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone with this one, so I enjoyed myself pretty much as much as I could considering the content. I had previously read another short story by this author, and I didn't really enjoy the style or world-building in that one as much; I could definitely see the growth in his writing, which was definitely a treat and makes me excited for any future releases. This was a great introduction to social horror, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone who wants a more historical, fast-paced horror to keep them up at night.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

lynneliu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

jayisreading's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

4.75

Well damn, Ring Shout is one hell of a ride. This novella is so well researched to inform the reader of the culture and history of this time period, while weaving in horror that’s both fantastical and a little too realistic for comfort when it comes to the racial injustices that Black people faced (and continue to face). Ring Shout will send chills down your spine as Maryse and her friends set out to defeat monsters known as Ku Kluxes, their goal in particular being to stop the horrors to come out of the screening of The Birth of a Nation in their area.

In less than two hundred pages, Clark created incredibly memorable characters as well as a fast-paced storyline that will have you fully immersed (it might even be a little too fast-paced, but that’s likely because there are only so many pages one has in a novella to cover all grounds). And, again, I can’t emphasize enough how Clark brilliantly blended reality and fiction/fantasy to really establish the horrors of the Ku Kluxes and the way their hate manifests. And while this novella is set in the early twentieth century, the message is clear that it carries to this day, making this story all the more unsettling.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Death, Slavery, and Grief

raebelanger's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Grief and Medical trauma

dianna_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder

wrenxavier's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury

archaicrobin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely fantastic! Set in the 1920s in the south during the racist hype of the film “The Birth of a Nation”, our main characters battle monstrous Ku Kluxes, klan member that’s have turned into literal monsters as a result of their hate.

This dark fantasy is short but full of history, culture, characters, and horror that keeps you enthralled. I loved this novella and think everyone should read it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Y'all. I am so glad I read this novella. It was so amazing! I saw it recommended by saidbyjess (Jess) and bookslikewhoa (Mara) on YouTube and I am soooo glad that I picked it up. 
The concept is so incredible. The writing is just so well done and really brings the concept to light. I can't even put into words how amazing it was. And it's a short read! Definitely recommend that more people  read this. 
It explores hate and racism but in a fantasy setting - with those elements at the core of explaining what's going on. 

Definitely recommend. Check out trigger warnings though!

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Vomit

Uses the 'n' word a lot

maryellen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder