A review by nightnurselit
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

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

5.0

This book absolutely destroyed me. I love a book with a deeply flawed main character. Even though you know she’s wrong, you understand why she made the decisions she did. Kiara has a lot on her plate at 17. She’s  caring for her brother who is what’s left of her family because he is too damaged and focused on becoming a big time rapper to be bothered with a paying job. Without many options as far as a job, she literally stumbles into prostitution after a few too many drinks one night. While not the most ideal form of income it’s something she can stomach to care for the ones she loves. Eventually she ends up in an entanglement with the Oakland Police Department mostly against her will. When it brings her more problems than anticipated she looks to her mother, her uncle and everyone in her life that should be dependable for guidance. This story is raw and real and brings you to a place where hopelessness and limited choices are daily life. These characters struggle to do the bare minimum of surviving and the writing is beautiful definitely a must read. 
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