Reviews with content warning for Violence - She Would Be King

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore

22 reviews

rayofhope's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I was absolutely enamored by this book. I don't know if I'm going to be able to adequately express my feelings about it.
I think it's important to acknowledge that this is the kind of book that feels "important." It's telling stories of marginalized people, set during a part of history that doesn't often get taught in-depth in the United States. I'm certain many beautiful and engaging essays could, and will, be written about it.
And also, the characters just kick ass!
I fell in love with Gbessa, Norman, and June-Dey as soon as they were introduced. Each of them had such unique backgrounds and upbringings from each other, and the way they fell into each other's lives and fought against oppressive forces was so wonderful to watch. I don't often imagine things when I read, but the scenes of Norman and June-Dey fighting to protect people were vivid and epic action scenes in my mind. These three felt like superheroes, and I have an urge to draw them in formation as if they were on the cover of a comic book.

I enjoyed the way the book was formatted, with their three stories happening in separate countries, seemingly so unrelated, but tied together by the voice of the wind, June-Dey's mother. I also appreciated the nuanced way everything was handled: the formation of Liberia and the conflict with the indigenous peoples and everything. The way it's clear that the Black Americans needed to escape America, and also the ways in which they brought the oppressive society with them. The joy that Gbessa found when she was taken in by Liberians, and also the sorrow she feels for changing. It touched on a lot of very difficult and human themes. Every decision made was understandable. And every decision had consequences.

I would recommend this book to truly anybody. It's exciting, it's magical, it's terrifying, it's complex.

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aweekinthelife's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

not my general vibe of book but it did get me interested in reading and learning more about Liberia's history. (and actually, had me reading some wikipedia pages in the midst of reading, something that i don't usually do!)

the book weaves between more fantastical and more realistic moments seamlessly and the realistic fantasy fits the narrative well. one of those books where you might be a little confused in the beginning and it takes some time to figure out the relationships between the main characters, although it doesn't quite weave together as solidly as my general book preference.

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olulelule's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

wow… this is an absolutely remarkable novel and i can’t believe we aren’t all raving about it every chance we get

a million stars✨

“and most men i knew before, in that place, laid their spirits to rest the first time the cat-o-nine-tails flew into their backs. and without a spirit, you cannot feel. you react, but the longer you exist in a world without your spirit, the less you feel. … laughter was a reaction. tears were a reaction. those screams were a reaction. but the source of them - the mother of joy, of sadness, or terror - was a ghost like me.”

it has very similar vibes to The Shadow King, Kindred, and Homegoing, connecting the truth of enslavement and liberation from the Americas to Liberia, giving breath and life to the complexities that exist within this historical time period. Wayétu Moore is able to tell these stories with such dedication, love, and compassion through a fierce and empowering female narrative

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solenekeleroux's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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fionaengelson's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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treesnpeace's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Beginning of the book was a bit confusing , but once I knew all the character - it was super beautiful. A mix of history about freedom fighters of Liberia and magical realism

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