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thataudaciouslady's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
sofiajearally's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The thing that I enjoyed the most was Alex's and Isiah's relationship and how it blossoms as the story goes. How gentle Alex gets with his little brother, and how loving and trusting Isiah is... How they show their love for each other without any shame, because there shouldn't be any shame in that, despite what society says. The softness and the tenderness shine through. It made me teary and even weep many times. I wish we had more of it, but that's the whole point of the book, so...
Unfortunately, that was just 200 pages out of more than 300. The pacing felt off to me, especially the beginning which was dragging. The last 40 pages, after the main event, were also tedious to go through; I honestly didn't care for it and it seemed weirdly laid out to me.
The writing was repetitive, I honestly got sick of Alex "cancelling visions of him unlocking his phone then unlocking it". I think the author should have given more credit to her readers and assume that we would remember how these visions work without spelling it out for us every single damn time. Repetitive also in the concepts and ideas that the characters have, especially concerning how to break the curse. They seemed to have a breakthrough every time but it was always the same idea. Again. We get it.
There were also elements that I personally didn't care that much about, like the romantic subplot but that's personal I guess. The take of the author on the other themes explored in the book: family, legacy, racism, anxiety, was nicely done. The "joy in the face of adversity" theme was, I thought, beautiful, and written with true sincerity and love from the author. I hope she gets to write that book about Black boy joy because I have no doubt it will be amazing.
Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations and I feel like so much more could have been done with the same premises, plot and characters.
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Police brutality and Blood
atjude's review
- 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
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Child death
mljames's review
- 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
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, Murder, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
betweentheshelves's review
- 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
4.5
This is a book about Black boys who have to grow up too fast and white people who don't think they're racist. Morris's take with the visions felt really unique and added to the overall discussions happening in the book. My only complaint is that at times, Alex's explanations of his visions felt a little repetitive. But everything else was spot on.
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Hate crime
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Slavery, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing, Rape, and Police brutality
nicknelson07's review
- 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
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
- 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
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
- 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
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.
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
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Hate crime, and Racism