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notrae07's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hwaite's review against another edition
3.75
I would have preferred if it didn't veer into magical realism at the end. That said, I was taken in by the characters and the mystery!
librarian_kj's review against another edition
2.0
I really hate books with this plot. Just change of names/subject matter/etc. If you’re just starting to read this, you could probably skip 150 pages in the middle and not miss a thing either. I wanted to love this one too.
nedghie's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t care for Nella’s character. I found her to be feeble-minded, annoying and naive. She wasn’t as revolutionary or militant as she wanted to seem so the transition/ending/conflict with Hazel didn’t ring true. Honestly it seemed like Nella had been elated to be “the only” and thought that playing up her Blackness would curry favor once Hazel arrived. I was left confused by the ending and frustrated. This review reflects my feelings about the characters and not the quality of the book. I’ve been left wanting by books from this author.
emilyc1307's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
shannonharty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
2.75
jeitrix227's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so stressful, but in the best possible way. I didn't read much about it before starting, so I was expecting literary fiction and instead got an Ira Levin-level thriller and I loved every minute of it. I yelled at the book--particularly at Nella--a lot. It's terrifying and so good. Read it.
My only real complaint is with the audiobook's post-production and sound: there are four narrators, and they're distinct enough, but the edits and re-recordings were terribly obvious (I listened to most of it in my earbuds so it might not have been as noticeable in a car or table-top speaker). The periodic changes in volume and tone made me think we'd switched narrators when it was, in fact, just a poorly edited fix. But this is a very minor complaint and doesn't have to do with the narrators themselves, who all do a great job. (I'm becoming a very big fan of Bahni Turpin.)
My only real complaint is with the audiobook's post-production and sound: there are four narrators, and they're distinct enough, but the edits and re-recordings were terribly obvious (I listened to most of it in my earbuds so it might not have been as noticeable in a car or table-top speaker). The periodic changes in volume and tone made me think we'd switched narrators when it was, in fact, just a poorly edited fix. But this is a very minor complaint and doesn't have to do with the narrators themselves, who all do a great job. (I'm becoming a very big fan of Bahni Turpin.)
ncloke's review against another edition
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5