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A review by bibliobrittish
Muted by Tami Charles
4.0
I am gutted. Muted is a powerhouse of a novel, the verse fully charged and ready to rip you apart. For me (someone who was manipulated by men promising stardom in the form of record deals and late nights in the studio), it hit way too close to home. But then again, I knew it would.
This is a story that too often makes headlines and is promptly forgotten because it feels ethereal and statistically irrelevant. Tami Charles grounds those headlines in characters that jump off the page and pull you into their world of big emotions and even bigger dreams. She tackles how easily one can fall victim to manipulation and abuse, almost especially when made to feel empowered and mature. But Muted isn't just a rise to fame gone wrong - it's an endearing friendship story, a coming-of-age story about how confusing it can be to grapple with one's own sexuality. It's terrifying and dark and an undeniably difficult read, but also incredibly gripping and well-written.
If you devoured Tiffany Jackson's Grown or Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X, this one's for you. But be mindful as you read, and take the breaks you need.
This is a story that too often makes headlines and is promptly forgotten because it feels ethereal and statistically irrelevant. Tami Charles grounds those headlines in characters that jump off the page and pull you into their world of big emotions and even bigger dreams. She tackles how easily one can fall victim to manipulation and abuse, almost especially when made to feel empowered and mature. But Muted isn't just a rise to fame gone wrong - it's an endearing friendship story, a coming-of-age story about how confusing it can be to grapple with one's own sexuality. It's terrifying and dark and an undeniably difficult read, but also incredibly gripping and well-written.
If you devoured Tiffany Jackson's Grown or Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X, this one's for you. But be mindful as you read, and take the breaks you need.