A review by lvd92
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

This book was such a strong work. Honestly, it was so raw, so human, so honest. However, I would not widely recommend it. This book deals with some very heavy topics, and one needs to be in a state of mind in which that can be dealt with healthily. Don't go in expecting a ghostly horror book with jump scares, etc. This is a horror book in the sense that it deals with some of the worst things white people have done to black people in the time of slavery, the lingering racism towards black people, and attempts at whitewashing how monstrous people were and still can be against those we deem other. It is such an important topic, such a vital lesson, particularly as some of us still appear to find it very hard to learn to know and do better. 

As for my review of the actual book - In my opinion, this is a really strong work. The writing style worked very well for me; no purple prose, but just a very natural flow of invocative phrasing. The author uses flashbacks here and there, which I think were handled well. I love how skilled the author took us into Mira's experiences, not always knowing what she saw. The characters were very well-developed, too. I'd say that the author was pretty successful in developing particularly Mira, Celine and Jesse into complex and flawed but likeable characters. The plot may have had some pacing issues here and there, but I did not mind the slow parts. They helped me connect more with the characters and process some of the darker occurrences in the plot, and their real-life underlying inspiration. Just really solid.
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