megtristao's reviews
1101 reviews

This was a solid procedural mystery/thriller. Set in London, it follows a Black detective, who is recently back in the field after a not-yet-disclosed traumatic experience, and her trainee partner as they hunt for a copycat serial killer. I enjoyed the intra-team dynamics in this book more than I usually do in crime novels. (Usually I'm more along the lines of: I don't care about your relationships with your colleagues, give me the mystery!) I do think there are some things to be said about how women characters are used in this story to enable/justify/excuse awful decisions by male characters ... but I've found most books in the mystery/thriller genre can offend my feminist sensibilities so I digress. ;)

One thing that I found *very* interesting as a U.S.-based reader was that there were NO GUNS in this book. Again: NO GUNS! So U.K. I honestly felt like I was reading an alternate-reality sci-fi novel at times. How would this investigation have differed if everyone had guns?! The detective even put a "stab vest" on at one point. I was definitely intrigued by this gun-free world of crime.

This book is a blended memoir/nonfiction history book about Jerkins' family and also the general migration of Black families in the U.S. I really enjoyed how parts of the book almost read like a travelogue, as Jerkins traveled to different places (mostly in the Southern U.S.) to learn about her family's history and the histories of other Black families. I also appreciated how much she discussed the shared and overlapping history of Black and Indigenous people in the U.S. I had learned a little bit about slave-owning Indigenous people from the This Land podcast, but I'll admit I really knew nothing else about how the two groups interacted and influenced each other's history, so that was interesting to learn. (Attica Locke's mystery HEAVEN, MY HOME also talks about Indigenous and Black people in East Texas, which was one of my favorite parts of that book.)

Cute and funny, though it took me a while to like Max (maybe because of the narrator?). I was laughing out loud when they went to the couples' retreat, though, and I grew to love him. I also liked that the characters were Brazilian because I got excited when I could understand the Portuguese phrases in the audiobook hehe. And the food! I really loved how much Lina loved her food. I understand that.

I liked the setting of this book (1917 Harlem) and how it featured a Black female business owner and an Indian immigrant, especially the ways Cole used the characters to explore larger issues of the time include the suffrage movement and immigration laws. (I say this is in every Alyssa Cole review, but she is so smart!!) I find I don't connect with romance novellas as much usually, maybe just because there's not enough time for me to become fully invested in the characters and their relationship, but this was a fun and quick read.

I liked that this book featured a college student, as I feel there is a dearth of good fiction featuring that period of life. I also appreciated that the main character is exploring her sexuality without the book being *about* her exploring her sexuality. The book is about a lot of different things. Unfortunately, this wasn't my favorite novel in verse, but hopefully it works for you!

Translated from Arabic, this tense story is told in two quite different yet very similar parts. The first half was *extremely* bleak. I found the second half to be much faster-paced due to the writing style (some paragraphs went on for pages, which propelled my reading). It may leave you with more questions than answers, which I don't mind, but I know some readers do. (Also, I would recommend avoiding the marketing copy if possible; it gives away so much!)

This collection was not for me.

Woo baby. That was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. The titular story was quite memorable (though I think most of these stories will be hard to forget). I thought "The Neighbor's Courtyard" and "Green Red Orange" were the most disturbing for what they did say (both could be quite graphic), and "The Intoxicated Years" and "An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt" were most disturbing for what they didn't say. Overall a strong collection but not for the faint of heart. I think I need a cooling-off period before I read her other collection that has been translated to English.

This book broke my heart and put it back together again. *ALL THE FEELS* Also it was refreshing to be reminded of the darker nature of the Disney-fied fairytales I grew up with.