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mljames's review
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
This was a very good novel. I finished it in three days, and that is fast for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
kaidoz's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book had an interesting premise and lived up to it. It also included reflection on the current state of how black boys in America must live.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Car accident, and Cursing
Minor: Slavery, Sexual content, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
lycanhood's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Cost of Knowing is a perfectly decent book. There were a lot of themes we’ve seen before – ones that are still important, don’t get me wrong – but from an objective storytelling point of view these themes are not especially unique. I think my favorite part of this book was at the very end in the authors note. Brittney Morris shared that she set out to write a book about joy and found that before she could do that, she had to write a book about joy-despite. I really like how she expressed that, and it’s something I’m going to keep in mind as I continue to read books similar to The Cost of Knowing.
This book is about Alex and Isaiah. Ever since their parents’ death, Alex can see into the future. The longer he touches an object in the palm of his hand, the long he can see it. For him, it’s a curse. He finds himself living in a place of fear and anxiety and he just wants it to go away.
From a character point of view, I think Isaiah was my favorite. Isaiah is the most honest characterin the book and the best motivated. He seems to be the only one taking time to understand his world… despite the fact that for the first half the book, Isaiah early leaves his room. My main concern about characterization was how abruptly individual behaviors changed. A single comment would adjust the course of the relationship – for good or bad. Direct actions didn’t seem to have any long-lasting consequences. In fact, the most spontaneous and unthinking the characters were being, the more the story moved forward.
Morris’s writing style is easy to read. It’s light on descriptor and spends most the time in the characters heads unravelling their thoughts. I think I’d like a better overall balance, but it wasn’t bad, especially considering she was inhabiting a character with a slightly different life experience from her own. The thing that bothered me most about the story from a technical point of view were he first fifty pages. Everything that happened in the fist fifty pages was summarized in the book’s summary blurb. The beginning of the book was far too slow and then it wrapped up and people moved on far too quickly. It made the pacing a little wonky.
Should you read The Cost of Knowing? Absolutely yes! It’s a sibling story, a quiet sort of superpower story, a story calling out racism of all shades, and it is a book about overcoming your fears. It’s an overall enjoyable read and certainly something I’d recommend picking up at your library. It’s also a quick read, which are nice to throw inhere or there. It’s not going to make you cry like Dear Martin or something similar, but it is nevertheless a worthy novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Self harm and Slavery
plantbasedbride's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Cost of Knowing is a gut-wrenching tale of generational trauma, racial profiling, grief, racism, and loss. It's the story of Alex and what it's like for him to be a Black boy in America.
Overwhelmed by anxiety since his parents' death, Alex is just trying to survive each day. Visions of the future come unbidden with every touch of his palm, amplifying his worry. When he sees a vision of his younger brother's imminent death, Alex resolves to spend whatever time he has left bringing Isaiah the joy he deserves.
This story is heartbreaking, all the more so because it echoes the experience of so many young Black people in America. The pain and fear Alex lives with is not an exaggeration or an overreaction, and this novel does not turn away from that injustice.
This book broke me. I haven't sobbed so much while reading in a long time. But it's also so necessary for people like me, a white woman born into a level of privilege and safety I did nothing to earn, to confront. "Well-meaning" white people aren't free from blame. Our whiteness guards us against seeing and understanding the truth of what our ignorance and fear do to those with marginalized bodies. We need to open our eyes. It's long overdue.
Brittney Morris tells Alex's story with compassion, vulnerability, and strength. And it's a story that needs to be heard.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.
Overwhelmed by anxiety since his parents' death, Alex is just trying to survive each day. Visions of the future come unbidden with every touch of his palm, amplifying his worry. When he sees a vision of his younger brother's imminent death, Alex resolves to spend whatever time he has left bringing Isaiah the joy he deserves.
This story is heartbreaking, all the more so because it echoes the experience of so many young Black people in America. The pain and fear Alex lives with is not an exaggeration or an overreaction, and this novel does not turn away from that injustice.
This book broke me. I haven't sobbed so much while reading in a long time. But it's also so necessary for people like me, a white woman born into a level of privilege and safety I did nothing to earn, to confront. "Well-meaning" white people aren't free from blame. Our whiteness guards us against seeing and understanding the truth of what our ignorance and fear do to those with marginalized bodies. We need to open our eyes. It's long overdue.
Brittney Morris tells Alex's story with compassion, vulnerability, and strength. And it's a story that needs to be heard.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Child death
Minor: Slavery and Rape
nicknelson07's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Grief, and Death
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Slavery
belleden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
I knew this book would be a 5-star read from the very first chapter. Morris's writing makes you feel like you're right there alongside the characters. The closer you get to the ending, the harder your heart will pound. Alex's visions feel like a metaphor for OCD or GAD so I felt like I could really relate to him. The lore, character development, and plot twists were all impeccably written. I will be recommending this book to my friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
theasbookworld's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thrilling, heartbreaking page-turner.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free and I just flew though it since I found it hard to put down and always wanted to know what happened next.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free and I just flew though it since I found it hard to put down and always wanted to know what happened next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Self harm
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
THE COST OF KNOWING is about the time stolen from young Black men who don't get to be Black boys, torn between fear of the future and dread of the past while trying not to miss the present.
This is gripping and immersive, the recursive cadence of Alex's visions as he attempts to get through his day disrupt his peace and raise his anxiety while creating a very distinctive feeling in the text. Alex thinks a lot about the way he's grown up, how much he doesn't feel like a man but he also doesn't get to be a kid, be a teenager. It's obvious how much the way he treats his brother as the plot takes off is driven by a desire to let Isaiah actually be a kid, to not have to shoulder the burdens he has.
The interstitials at first seemed like an odd start to a book, but by the time I saw those simple lines for the last time they filled me with dread. The brevity and starkness reveal how those characters see themselves, set against the emotion-drenched detail of the rest of the story as we learn how Alex sees them when he thinks of them at all. I don't mean to be coy, I just don't want to spoil what the interstitials are or who they're describing, since I think that realization is important, whether you know immediately or it takes all the way until the end.
The ending is perfect for this book. I wanted things to be different for the characters I'd gotten to know, but the book never tricked me and I could see (and dread) it coming from far away. It slowly changes from knowing the inevitable and doing things anyway, to not letting fear of what seems inevitable keep you from living. My attempts to describe the point feel flimsy, and the only succor I can offer is that if I have intrigued you, you should read this book. Read this story of Black boy joy and grief amidst it all, because waiting until it's over means missing everything.
This is gripping and immersive, the recursive cadence of Alex's visions as he attempts to get through his day disrupt his peace and raise his anxiety while creating a very distinctive feeling in the text. Alex thinks a lot about the way he's grown up, how much he doesn't feel like a man but he also doesn't get to be a kid, be a teenager. It's obvious how much the way he treats his brother as the plot takes off is driven by a desire to let Isaiah actually be a kid, to not have to shoulder the burdens he has.
The interstitials at first seemed like an odd start to a book, but by the time I saw those simple lines for the last time they filled me with dread. The brevity and starkness reveal how those characters see themselves, set against the emotion-drenched detail of the rest of the story as we learn how Alex sees them when he thinks of them at all. I don't mean to be coy, I just don't want to spoil what the interstitials are or who they're describing, since I think that realization is important, whether you know immediately or it takes all the way until the end.
The ending is perfect for this book. I wanted things to be different for the characters I'd gotten to know, but the book never tricked me and I could see (and dread) it coming from far away. It slowly changes from knowing the inevitable and doing things anyway, to not letting fear of what seems inevitable keep you from living. My attempts to describe the point feel flimsy, and the only succor I can offer is that if I have intrigued you, you should read this book. Read this story of Black boy joy and grief amidst it all, because waiting until it's over means missing everything.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, and Death
Minor: Slavery, Drug use, and Death of parent
CW for anxiety, panic attacks, grief, slavery (backstory), drug use (backstory), self harm, blood, gun violence, parental death (backstory), murder, child death, major character death, deathdaniellestarredpages's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Read my review here:
http://starredpages.com/2021/04/12/book-review-the-cost-of-knowing/
http://starredpages.com/2021/04/12/book-review-the-cost-of-knowing/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Racism, Slavery, and Suicide
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Rape