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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So good - but it felt like it stopped in the middle! Grrr!
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
an incredibly impressive debut novel! i had to read this for class and i can see why. despite this being a fiction novel, it’s scarily grounded in a reality that feels all too familiar and richardson does a great job at creating a lived-in world (although it does become very expositional at time.)
i was really loving this novel up until the second part. cw: sexual assault why the hell was it necessary for rowan to make sexual advances on elimina in exactly the same way her sexual abuser did?? right after she disclosed that to him on the SAME page?? it was incredibly disappointing especially given it drove the rest of the novel’s plot.
that scene soured my opinion on the novel for a while, especially because it never addresses it again, but other than that, i’d say this is an essential read. a heartbreaking and visceral look into systemic racism.
i was really loving this novel up until the second part. cw: sexual assault
that scene soured my opinion on the novel for a while, especially because it never addresses it again, but other than that, i’d say this is an essential read. a heartbreaking and visceral look into systemic racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Colonisation
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Classism
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
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:
No
For the longest time, I wasn't drawn to this book. But I am not really sure why. It was available to borrow from my library as an ebook, so I picked it out for Black History Month. And wow, wow, wow! It was not what I was expecting, but was so much more. I feel Richardson has a masterpiece on her hands. I truly don't know what more to say. It was beautifully done all around. Not an easy read, but an important one that frames injustice in a whole new light. Please read it and don't sit on it like I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Rape, Forced institutionalization
Minor: Racial slurs, Classism
Stunning, heartbreaking, and enthralling. I could not put this book down. For all its beauty it left me devastated. But that is the lesson this book aims to teach. Those who read this and think of it as a dystopian miss the point. It is a metaphor, fiction based on a truth that we live through everyday. If you wanted a closed ending, one where the world is righted, then work in your real lives to see to that end.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF at 19%
While it’s not marketed as YA it really read that way to me. Nothing wrong with YA, it’s just not what I’m looking for.
While it’s not marketed as YA it really read that way to me. Nothing wrong with YA, it’s just not what I’m looking for.