A review by cassimiranda
Slay by Brittney Morris

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

In this contemporary novel, we follow a young game developer as she navigates her senior year in high school. Kiera has her life planned, but she may not have fully realized the impacts of random violence, racism, and complicated domestic relationships. It isn’t precisely a coming-of-age YA story: Kiera faces challenges related to prejudice, code switching, profiling, and the Black diaspora. The characterization was pretty good, but a few characters weren’t as nuanced as I wanted. The plot is compelling and driven by modern headlines. Once you accept the very young solo game developer, the details of her game and the way it fulfills a fundamental need for safety for so many people is relatable and insightful. There were some predictable elements, and my experience reading was uneven. Sometimes I was loving it, sometimes I was rolling my eyes at the unobservant characters.
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