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raethereviewer 's review for:
SLAY
by Brittney Morris
The Good
Slay is a more realistic take on the world of gaming. Gaming has literally become a career for some people, yet a lot of games are exclusionary in nature. Slay creates a safe space for black gamers to play without fear of discrimination. They can play without the fear of not fitting in.
Kiera was such a great main character. Her situation felt so plausible and the actions she took made sense. Having characters that feel real is a big thing for me and Slay delivered on that really well.
The pacing was nice. With stories like these, I’m always worried the synopsis has revealed too much. Then, that just leads me waiting for what’s been promised to happen, like when I read Love, Hate, & Other Filters.
Then again, things can happen way too quickly without giving us the chance to connect to the story, like when I (tried to) read Tyler Johnson Was Here.
Slay does neither of those things. We get to know Kiera, Slay, and some of the other main characters. Then we’re sucked into the happenings of the story. The pacing was perfect.
The switch in POVs may not be for everyone, but I liked it. Most of the story takes place from Kiera’s POV but there are several switches throughout the novel. It helped give the story more context and, in turn, depth.
I enjoyed Brittney Morris’ writing syle. It wasn’t super flowy like what I’m used to, but I felt like I was in the characters’ heads. Morris is pretty straightforward but also quite thorough.
The Not so Good
Malcom seemed like a textbook hotep from the minute he was introduced. I totally agreed with Stephanie’s comments about him. He was definitely my least favorite character.
I wish we heard more about the new Beta Beta Psi initiate, Jazmin. She was introduced for a minute but we never even got dialogue from her.
All in All
I’m so happy I received this ARC of Slay from the giveaway. The representation of black people of different shades, ethnic backgrounds, and ways of life was beautiful. I’d love to see a spin off or companion novel with some of these characters. 10/10 would recommend.
This book is perfect for lovers of Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Nic Stone.
Slay is a more realistic take on the world of gaming. Gaming has literally become a career for some people, yet a lot of games are exclusionary in nature. Slay creates a safe space for black gamers to play without fear of discrimination. They can play without the fear of not fitting in.
Kiera was such a great main character. Her situation felt so plausible and the actions she took made sense. Having characters that feel real is a big thing for me and Slay delivered on that really well.
The pacing was nice. With stories like these, I’m always worried the synopsis has revealed too much. Then, that just leads me waiting for what’s been promised to happen, like when I read Love, Hate, & Other Filters.
Then again, things can happen way too quickly without giving us the chance to connect to the story, like when I (tried to) read Tyler Johnson Was Here.
Slay does neither of those things. We get to know Kiera, Slay, and some of the other main characters. Then we’re sucked into the happenings of the story. The pacing was perfect.
The switch in POVs may not be for everyone, but I liked it. Most of the story takes place from Kiera’s POV but there are several switches throughout the novel. It helped give the story more context and, in turn, depth.
I enjoyed Brittney Morris’ writing syle. It wasn’t super flowy like what I’m used to, but I felt like I was in the characters’ heads. Morris is pretty straightforward but also quite thorough.
The Not so Good
Malcom seemed like a textbook hotep from the minute he was introduced. I totally agreed with Stephanie’s comments about him. He was definitely my least favorite character.
I wish we heard more about the new Beta Beta Psi initiate, Jazmin. She was introduced for a minute but we never even got dialogue from her.
All in All
I’m so happy I received this ARC of Slay from the giveaway. The representation of black people of different shades, ethnic backgrounds, and ways of life was beautiful. I’d love to see a spin off or companion novel with some of these characters. 10/10 would recommend.
This book is perfect for lovers of Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Nic Stone.