3.5
When the Reckoning Comes
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesWhen the Reckoning Comes Reviews
3.5
“I had such a good feeling about this book from the second I started it. I’ve been deep in my SummerWeen bag and craving horror for whatever reason, but this novel has the added real-life horror element that takes it to the next level. Mira is invited to her former childhood friend’s wedding at a renovated plantation (wild) that is steeped in blood-soaked history and supernatural occurrences.
The pacing was quite good for a majority of the book. I think McQueen did a phenomenal job balancing flashbacks and exposition with the current timeline. The writing style was everything I wanted, ESPECIALLY in the sort of interlude chapters: pointed at times, haunting, atmospheric.
Quotes that especially impacted me:
- "Somewhere was a bridge where bodies were hung. Somewhere a tree, its branches twisted in the form of an ache. Somewhere grass grew from land soiled with death. Somewhere was a house built from blood, its prominent columns once a sign of wealth, of prominence, now become an altar. Oh, how beautiful. Oh, how lovely."
- "They'd never yessir and mistah their way to freedom."
- "Who was to say anyone ever cared—for Jesse, for her, for any of the black kids like them? Who's to say anyone ever cared at all?"
- "Some horrors were unspeakable, unimaginable even, but weren’t they all until they happened?"
This was SO CLOSE to everything I want in a five star read, except I felt a bit distanced from Mira for most of the book. However, I do think that’s because the novel emphasizes the setting and the plantation feeling like its own character. It’s less about Mira, more about the vile events that occurred where she is. In addition, I thought the writing slipped a bit towards the end. Maybe it’s just me, but the ending had so much going on and I was so confused about what was actually happening (even after re-reading sections a few times).
Overall, this was still SUCH A GOOD READ. I absolutely recommend it and will be keeping an eye on what LaTanya McQueen writes next.”
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