A review by caseythereader
Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the free copy of this book.

 - Whew, RAINBOW BLACK is a ride. I was fully gripped from page one and couldn’t read it fast enough.
- It’s extremely dark and gruesome, but also filled with black humor and little bread crumbs dropped to keep you wanting to read one more chapter.
- Every character in this book is a complicated person. You can fully understand why they are acting the way they are, and yet they are doing horrible, villainous things. It’s really a feat. (It’s also extremely queer.)
- I do want to note that a big chunk of this book is set among teenagers in 1990, and the language reflects that. It’s a bit shocking to read homophobic and ableist slurs tossed around so casually now, but it is true to what I remember of the time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Dementia

Minor: Cancer, Antisemitism