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A review by mariakureads
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm a fan of Acevedo's work, but there is a beauty in listening to her narrate her work, and in this case, along with Melania Luisa Marte, it was taken to another level.
To hear both voices narrate the story of the two protagonists, who are worlds apart, yet closer than they could know, was fascinating. Each one brought out the emotion in each chapter, and with each character owning a chapter at a time, the story battled back and forth between the book, giving each one equal time and, in some cases, overlapping thoughts and words. And I do mean literally overlapping as Acevedo and Marte had stanzas in which they matched breathe and tone.
To hear both voices narrate the story of the two protagonists, who are worlds apart, yet closer than they could know, was fascinating. Each one brought out the emotion in each chapter, and with each character owning a chapter at a time, the story battled back and forth between the book, giving each one equal time and, in some cases, overlapping thoughts and words. And I do mean literally overlapping as Acevedo and Marte had stanzas in which they matched breathe and tone.
The story did have a slow build-up, but once I got past that, it was such a quick read. I enjoyed how this book sounded more of a spoken-word piece due to the stanzas and how it was narrated and produced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Stalking