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A review by alltoomell
Muted by Tami Charles
4.0
Content warnings: physical and emotional abuse, homophobia, drug use, sexual assult/rape, death/murder.
Written in verse, Muted explores the darker side of the music industry - and although not explicitly stated - seems heavily inspired by the R Kelly allegations.
Denver, Dali and Shak are small-town girls with big voices and even bigger dreams. Led by Denver, the girls put themselves in the path of R&B legend, 'Merc' in hope that he can help them reach those dreams - and for a while, he does, but at a cost the girls aren't even aware they're paying.
This story was incredibly difficult to read but I applaud the author for her raw and evocative prose. In addition to the verses, we're also given text messages and news headlines which made the story feel really well-developed.
While this story is definitely not a romance, there were some really sweet and tender moments between Denver and Dali, including their own special way of saying I love you. It was incredibly heartbreaking to see the way Merc used their friendship and love for one another as a tool of manipulation.
The ending absolutely destroyed me. I thought Tiffany D Jackson's Monday's Not Coming couldn't be beaten as the most soul-destroying ending I'd read this year - but it turns out, I was wrong. Muted takes the cake.
While the synopsis does allow this to be compared heavily to Grown, I felt both authors delivered their stories with enough differences that you are able to enjoy both without feeling like you're reading a book you've read before.
Recommend if you enjoy:
- books told in verse
- books about music/fame
- hard-hitting contemporaries
- female/female romance
Written in verse, Muted explores the darker side of the music industry - and although not explicitly stated - seems heavily inspired by the R Kelly allegations.
Denver, Dali and Shak are small-town girls with big voices and even bigger dreams. Led by Denver, the girls put themselves in the path of R&B legend, 'Merc' in hope that he can help them reach those dreams - and for a while, he does, but at a cost the girls aren't even aware they're paying.
This story was incredibly difficult to read but I applaud the author for her raw and evocative prose. In addition to the verses, we're also given text messages and news headlines which made the story feel really well-developed.
While this story is definitely not a romance, there were some really sweet and tender moments between Denver and Dali, including their own special way of saying I love you. It was incredibly heartbreaking to see the way Merc used their friendship and love for one another as a tool of manipulation.
The ending absolutely destroyed me. I thought Tiffany D Jackson's Monday's Not Coming couldn't be beaten as the most soul-destroying ending I'd read this year - but it turns out, I was wrong. Muted takes the cake.
While the synopsis does allow this to be compared heavily to Grown, I felt both authors delivered their stories with enough differences that you are able to enjoy both without feeling like you're reading a book you've read before.
Recommend if you enjoy:
- books told in verse
- books about music/fame
- hard-hitting contemporaries
- female/female romance