A review by hannaws
The Black Queen by Jumata Emill

challenging dark 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

3.5

“Why is video evidence never enough to convict white people of killing us, but suspicion alone is enough to gun us down and lock us up?”

I had a major deja vu while reading this book. I don't know what triggered that exactly, but during the last half of the book, I felt like I've seen/read all this before. So much so that I knew how it would end. That was weird, very weird.

I don't think I've ever put a book on hold as quick as I put this one. I did that immediately when I saw they were going to order it when it's published. I was excited, to say the least. But it was kind of a let down. 

I really didn't think this book would turn out to be a book about Tinsley. Yes, she is the main suspect. I get that. But I still hoped for it to be something else rather than just pretty much all about Tinsley trying to save her behind. Duchess's POVs where really short and there were very few of them. You mostly read the book from Tinsley's POV.

I would have hoped to get more into everyones lives. Especially into the relationship between Duchess and his dad. But we barely scratched the surface. All the other characters and the relationships were left shallow as well.
Even with Tinsley. She has a relationship with the boy, whose name I cannot remember, but that was pretty much that. Her mom is a monster. Yet we don't really dive into her character either.

All in all it was a nice book. I would have hoped for more of the promised mystery but that was a little shortlived aspect for this book. It's not a bad book by any means, and the topic is very important. But I like my mysteries to be exactly that, a mystery. Now the culprit was discovered very early on in the book which left the end flat.
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