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A review by betweentheshelves
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.0
Rating this book is hard for me, because objectively, it's well-written. It's about an important topic, and will definitely prompt the right discussions in the right situations. But, this is perhaps one of the absolutely darkest books that I've read in a long time. At times, there are pockets of happiness for the characters, but for the most part, pretty dark. And that ending? Oof. Definitely need a pick me up after that.
This is a young adult book, but as someone who reads basically only YA, I'm unsure if the overall tone fits that. That's not to say that YA can't deal with the issues in this book, like racism, sexual abuse, etc., but I think it was the tone that did it for me. It seems like one of those YA books that says its for teens, but is actually mostly read by an adult audience.
We will for sure have an interesting discussion at book club about this one, though. Lots to talk about!
This is a young adult book, but as someone who reads basically only YA, I'm unsure if the overall tone fits that. That's not to say that YA can't deal with the issues in this book, like racism, sexual abuse, etc., but I think it was the tone that did it for me. It seems like one of those YA books that says its for teens, but is actually mostly read by an adult audience.
We will for sure have an interesting discussion at book club about this one, though. Lots to talk about!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Gun violence, and Alcoholism