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seawarrior's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
regnistegra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Excrement, and Death of parent
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Knowledge was a strength even when it hurt.”
“Our responsibility is to tell you the truth. But since you were never told the truth, you will believe it a lie. Lies are more affectionate than truth and embrace with both arms.”
"People liked pride. Mistook it for purpose.”
I totally get why people so frequently compare Jones to Toni Morrison. I could definitely sense the similarities in their prose. However, unlike Morrison, I found myself getting a little lost in the prose of this book. I'd alternate between struggling to follow the plot and being incredibly invested. I'm not sure if that's just one of the things that happen with debuts or if it is just that I don't love literary fiction. Despite those moments of confusion, I really enjoyed this novel. Samuel and Isaiah's relationship just lept off the page and being able to see the perspectives of most of the people on the plantation, enslaved and enslaver, alike was compelling. I found Maggie and Adam's perspectives incredible and would have read a book just about them. There are a lot deeper themes that I think I could articulate better when and if I reread this. This book definitely strikes me as one of those books that needs a reread or two to really appreciate all of the things it's trying to say. It will definitely not be forgettable, that's for sure. I would also add lots of content and trigger warnings for sensitive content. Obviously, this is a book about slavery so rape, sexual assualt, physical violence, racism and racial slurs are all prevalent throughout the book. If you are sensitive to any content, please look up the content warnings for this book so you can take care of yourself.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Incest and Pedophilia
jlsigman's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Murder
invaderlinz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
kloft1993's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
anonymousreader's review against another edition
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Interspersed in between were ancestral voices, providing a touch of the supernatural & spiritual; once again, acting as a sort of purveyor of the truth for a group of people who saw their humanity, identity & history erased. These "ancestral voices" returning what was stolen in increment, providing a "break" between the distinct character-specific narration.
Jones gave dimensions to each perspective by enabling readers to compare how their perspectives were influenced by their social standings & their inherent needs. Jones did so by contrasting characters based on their similarity & putting said similarity through the lens of their differences; intersectional identities being the main modulator. Through them, readers were able to explore & infer what motivated each character, see how the 'self' interacted with the external world to drive certain behaviour. This built a complex structure which may require some time for readers to process & digest. At the end though, your time should be worth it. Take it as an in-depth look into each character as the story progressed.
The writings were unbelievably beautiful with its lyricism; the symbolisms used should be perceived as significant, representing the voices of those typically forced not to have any. That beauty can cushioned the brutal reality the characters faced at times, yet also stressed it on others; I thought Jones balanced it out neatly. One constant was how the story felt that it encapsulated something tremendous, beyond what was held amongst its pages.
Please heed to the trigger warnings. I personally found some scenes to be really heavy, so do take care while reading this. That being said, "The Prophets" was a powerful read about re-owning one's being, identity, & history. It spoke about how love could be a balm in a cruel reality. It was unforgiving in its resonance, & deserved to be heard.
Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, and Murder
jennikreads's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder