A review by stephanieanneauthor
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I love a horror book that can wreck me, and this one did just that. Even without the supernatural elements at play, the mere setting (both time and place) are enough to fill the story with tension and discomfort. Even better, this book is beautifully written. It is worth the hype and I NEED more books by Due in my collection now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Slavery, Classism

This book takes place in Jim Crow America, so that plays a huge part in the horror that occurs.