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A review by megsbookishtwins
SLAY by Brittney Morris
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Kiera is a 17-year-old honour student, and one of the only black students at Jefferson Academy. But outside of school, she joins thousands of black gamers who duel in a secret online role-playing card game called SLAY. Thing is, Kiera doesn’t just play though, she developed it. No one in her day to day life knows she is the game developer, not even her boyfriend. When someone dies over a dispute in SLAY, the media brands the game exclusionist and racist. Kiera must now do her best to save the safe space she created.
I’m a fan of a good RPG game, so that was probably one of the main reasons I requested SLAY from NetGalley, and I had heard so many good things about it too. It was an interested and unique read and definitely a book i’d recommend if you are looking for a contemporary that is a little bit different.
Kiera is a fantastic protagonist – smart, kind, intuitive, patient, passionate, and loving. She has a great voice and she is a really engaging and intersting character. She wants so badly to save her game that is a safe space for black gamers that just doesn’t exist anywhere else. For anyone who is involved in the gaming community in any way, it’s hard to miss the blatant racism and misogyny and I think why this book is so great because it really tackles those issues. SLAY is deemed discriminatory, exclusionist, and racist by the media because it was created for black people and I loved how these dicussions were handled, and how is shows how important the game is for black gamers.
SLAY is a book that really explores Black culture. In the game, they duel with cards and each card explores an element from Black culture. It’s celebratory and unapologetic. SLAY has a lot of cultural discussions that is handled with nuance and care.
I really loved the dynamics between the characters too. I loved Kiera’s relationship with Cicada, a girl who helps run the game. I also really loved Kiera’s relationship with her sister too. I just really loved that Kiera had such a supportive network of people.
One thing that I did struggle with about SLAY was the actual gaming process as I don’t think it was explained very well. I think it was VR but it seemed a little advanced and sometimes that actual gameplay wasn’t explained well. But, that was a trivial thing and didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the book.
SLAY is a book that is a really important and nuanced book for teens. It is engaging and entertaining with heartfelt and tender moments too. A book that I highly recommend and Brittney Morris is an author I will keep my eye on!
Kiera is a 17-year-old honour student, and one of the only black students at Jefferson Academy. But outside of school, she joins thousands of black gamers who duel in a secret online role-playing card game called SLAY. Thing is, Kiera doesn’t just play though, she developed it. No one in her day to day life knows she is the game developer, not even her boyfriend. When someone dies over a dispute in SLAY, the media brands the game exclusionist and racist. Kiera must now do her best to save the safe space she created.
I’m a fan of a good RPG game, so that was probably one of the main reasons I requested SLAY from NetGalley, and I had heard so many good things about it too. It was an interested and unique read and definitely a book i’d recommend if you are looking for a contemporary that is a little bit different.
Kiera is a fantastic protagonist – smart, kind, intuitive, patient, passionate, and loving. She has a great voice and she is a really engaging and intersting character. She wants so badly to save her game that is a safe space for black gamers that just doesn’t exist anywhere else. For anyone who is involved in the gaming community in any way, it’s hard to miss the blatant racism and misogyny and I think why this book is so great because it really tackles those issues. SLAY is deemed discriminatory, exclusionist, and racist by the media because it was created for black people and I loved how these dicussions were handled, and how is shows how important the game is for black gamers.
SLAY is a book that really explores Black culture. In the game, they duel with cards and each card explores an element from Black culture. It’s celebratory and unapologetic. SLAY has a lot of cultural discussions that is handled with nuance and care.
I really loved the dynamics between the characters too. I loved Kiera’s relationship with Cicada, a girl who helps run the game. I also really loved Kiera’s relationship with her sister too. I just really loved that Kiera had such a supportive network of people.
One thing that I did struggle with about SLAY was the actual gaming process as I don’t think it was explained very well. I think it was VR but it seemed a little advanced and sometimes that actual gameplay wasn’t explained well. But, that was a trivial thing and didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the book.
SLAY is a book that is a really important and nuanced book for teens. It is engaging and entertaining with heartfelt and tender moments too. A book that I highly recommend and Brittney Morris is an author I will keep my eye on!