bandysbooks's reviews
178 reviews

Going into Sing, Unburied, Sing I had never before read a Jesmyn Ward book. All I can say is that I think this book will be the start of me reading her entire backlist. Sing, Unburied, Sing is both familiar and also unlike anything I can think of that I've read before. It follows three generations of a family as they struggle with chronic illness, addiction, life choices, and the ghosts that follow them. There is a mix of real life and magical realism told with lyrical prose that creates such a unique affect.

Jojo, a young boy, and his mother Leonie are introduced as the two focal point characters and I had immediate reactions to both. Jojo is likeable. Part of me wanted to shield and protect him as I dug into the things he was experiencing. And Leonie...she was tough for me. While I logically understand that addiction is an illness, I also grew up in a family with addicts. Having experienced the inconsistency, disappointment, and heartbreak that comes when dealing with an addicted family member made me feel so much for Jojo and honestly made it hard for me to like Leonie. Suffice it to say that both characters elicited a very visceral response from me.

One of the qualities that I really loved about this book was the very beautiful description used. This story covers some very dark themes and I loved the juxtaposition of the flowery prose against it. It created a very haunting atmosphere and for me, really added to what we were witnessing on page.

My only real critique of this book is that sometimes it is easy to get a bit lost. I think, for me, this was because I got wrapped up in the beautiful description and didn't always really take in what was happening. I did have to go back occasionally and re-read chapters...but I think that's sort of part of the experience here. It's confusing and at times a little chaotic, but that's also how I think things must feel for Jojo as he navigates the story.

All in all, an excellent book and definitely the first of many that I will read by Jesmyn Ward. If you like a Southern Gothic vibe, ghost stories, and the exploration of family ties, this should absolutely be on your reading list. 

I’m not a big romance reader, but once when I was having a rough period of time a friend of mine sent me a care package with this book in it. I’ve been saving it for a month when I needed a light, fluffy pick me up and I just now finally decided to read it.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This book did not rely on excessive miscommunication or a fight that didn’t make sense. Instead, we have to characters who practice relatively healthy communication through the majority of the book. That was so refreshing. 

I also enjoyed that the sexual tension between them was natural and that their relationship went at a natural pace. There weren’t stupid, transparent scenarios that kept getting in the way of their hook ups to keep the reader invested. It all honestly felt very natural.

All in all, I thought this was a sweet, fun romance. Ive seen others state that this didn’t have enough conflict, but I appreciated that. This felt like a normal relationship instead of some overhyped, conflict riddled approximation of a relationship.

 As an avid reader of historical fiction, I'd heard of this book several times, but only just recently got around to reading it. I want to say that I'm glad to have finally read it, except that I don't know if glad is the right expression for this book. Yellow Wife is the story of a biracial woman who is sold off to the owner of an infamous slave prison. He is taken with her beauty and whit and essentially forces her to marry him. What follows is the story of her life.

This book is a masterwork in historical fiction. It is inspired by a true story, but is a fictionalized account. Johnson does such a phenomenal job of making her characters real and creating a story that will haunt readers well after they put the book down. Some of that is due to the horrific scenes she creates to instill in the reader the unflinching truth about the inhumanity of slavery and some of that is due to the main character, Pheby, who makes impossible choice after impossible choice.

One thing in particular that takes a lot of skill in writing about brutality like slavery is finding the balance between creating horrific scenes that show the experiences of the victims and not making it so brutal that your readers stop reading. While this story definitely has some extraordinarily difficult scenes and Johnson is very detailed in her writing, I did feel that the brutal scenes she wrote about had a specific purpose both within the story and in the larger picture of remembering the atrocity that was slavery. It was brutal, but not gratuitous.

And I found myself so relentlessly rooting for Pheby. Every time you wonder how she could ever possibly keep going, she finds ways to endure. She is such a tough, strong, and eventually selfless character who struggles with the morality of what she has to do daily to survive. In the bleakest parts of this book, I kept reading because I just had to know what happened to Pheby in the end.

All in all, this is a well-written historical fiction about some of the unknown bits of slavery. It's about how women specifically were victimized and the ways that they overcame and continued to survive. I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warnings on this book before reading, but I unequivocally would recommend reading this too.

Trigger Warnings: Rape, Sexual Assault, Forced Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Torture, Whipping, Mutilation, Starvation, Sexual Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Severe Injury, Illness, Death, Infanticide, Slavery, Public Humiliation

I heard about Riot Baby during a readathon that I was participating in. Previously, I was unfamiliar with this author and this work. I’m glad that’s changed though because I though this was such an interesting book.

Riot Baby follows two siblings, one of which was born during the Rodney King Riots. They are surrounded by a system that victimizes, criminalizes, and then incarcerates their peers. When they reach a breaking point, we start to see hints of powers they’ve both been containing. 

This is in some ways a dystopia, but in some ways it isn’t. We have a system that is set up to function against a certain group of people. The reason that I won’t call it an outright dystopia is because those injustices are just slight escalations of the things that already happen on a day to day basis in the states.

What’s most impressive about this book is how it can delve into such deep themes in such a short page count. It all made sense as written, but also left me wanting more of the story. All in all, a solid read. 

White Horse is a spooky horror novel about a Native American woman trying to find out why her mother went missing many years ago. It's set in Colorado and seamlessly merges Indigenous culture, horror, death metal, and Stephen King references with a suspenseful dark story that will have you at the edge of your seat. 

Kari, the main character, has been sort of operating in the shadows, doing her best to never really stand out. She works as a bartender and spends evenings drinking at her favorite dive, The White Horse. Though she's talked about buying it, she's never actually applied for a loan. Outside of her handicapped father and her cousin, she doesn't have much of a social life and she mostly ignores the disappearance of her mother when she was a child. She is at once likeable and frustrating. You simultaneously want her to live up to her potential and also understand the fears and anxieties that are holding her back.

There is a sort of magical realism element to this story that involves Kari having visions upon handling some of her mother's old jewelry. I really liked how this was incorporated and thought it was a bit more unique than just the typical haunting. My only critique of this aspect is that I wish it was tied a bit more into the ending. 

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. The creepy vibe increases at a nice pace and the who dunnit kept me engaged with the story. I also really enjoyed the focus on Indigenous culture and the overall development of the character.

This book first came to my attention when it was selected as a BOTM book. I kept hearing it compared to Mexican Gothic and Rebecca, which one one hand sounded intriguing, but on the other hand made it seem like it might not be all that original. I actually didn’t get it the month it was picked. I got it months later as an add-on after hearing a few good reviews. I’m so glad I did!

This book is no knock off. While I understand the comparisons, I don’t feel they really do It justice. This is gothic horror set in Post-Independence Mexico. Even though it’s about a long past time, it feels so fresh and in some ways relatable. 

One of the biggest strengths is the way this book is so deeply anchored in the time and place. The mentions of cultural beliefs, foods, and traditions really help make this feel deeply set in Mexico. The mentions of the people living through colonialism, the colorism, sexism, misogyny, etc. are all things that were common to that era. There are just so many details that really bring the story to life.

The main two characters, Beatriz, the young, naïve wife of a Ascendado and Andrés, a local priest with unusual powers are both so interesting. Usually, for me, one POV is stronger, but in this case I found both of them enjoyable. 

I did find myself wishing that the ending was slightly different. I was able to predict a few key parts of it, but not enough to ruin the story. I think it mostly made sense.

All in all, if you are into gothic horror, you’ll like this book. It has all of the elements for a good spooky read!

Please, read the trigger warnings before reading this book.

In typical Slaughter fashion, this is a brutal high-octane murder thriller with strong female characters and a wild plot. It is at times incredibly difficult to read, but hard to put down. You’ll find yourself shouting at and cheering on different characters.

Slaughter is known for dark details and unflinching portrayals of the worst of humanity. This book has a lot of that. In my opinion, this story flirts with having a bit too much. I recommend extreme caution to anyone sensitive to rape and sexual assault. (There are further trigger warnings 

That said, I really enjoyed the direction she took Andy’s character in. You can tell there’s a lot of growth from the previous book and she is really starting to settle into herself. I also adored her partner on the Marshall’s force. He brought some much needed humor to the story. The villains in this story are also very evil. There is no doubt about who you’re supposed to root for in this one. 

All in all, if you like dark reads and are not easily triggered, you may enjoy this one. It is well written and engaging, but not for the faint of heart. 

Everheart Dean has recently moved from Alaska to Australia. In her new town, she meets several mysterious strangers and life is initially good. When dark things start happening, Everheart starts questioning everything. 

This book was a joy to read. There is so much going on and Kingston does a lovely job tying everything together. It moves at a decent pace and I found myself at the edge of my seat to see what happened next.

I look forward to reading the next installment! 

Going into Hamnet, I was a bit skeptical. I love historical fiction and literary fiction, but something about it just didn't seem all that appealing to me. Finally, I broke down and decided to give it a try. I'm pretty happy that I did. I don't think this was perfect, but it was a good read.

This story follows Agnes (Anne) as she marries and then settles down with William Shakespeare. They have three children together, one of which dies due to the plague, and eventually becomes the inspiration for Hamlet. While William is in London writing plays, Agnes is grieving and trying to survive. The main focus of the story is really her grief and what she goes through after Hamnet's death. 

The writing in this was very lovely. I was surprised at how flowery it was considering the darkness of the content. It was an interesting contrast, but one that I think worked fairly well. 

The things that kept this from being a higher rating are as follows:
- The description was overdone at points. Others have mentioned this in great detail, but descriptions always come in sets of three. It wasn't simply good. It was magnificent, beautiful, and lovely. This can work when used sparingly, but it's repeated too much throughout the book. 
- Agnes is made into an almost-fae. She's sort of a wilderwoman who is at one with nature, makes herbal remedies, and intuits things before they happen. I suppose it was an attempt to make her standout, but it felt unnecessary. It gave me a bit of Mary Sue vibes initially because she's portrayed as innately better than the other women without much proof. 
-Shakespeare is never given a name. I found this to be an odd choice since I'm pretty sure 95% of the people reading this book understand it's about William Shakespeare's wife and children. I don't think it added to the narration by leaving his name out.

All in all, if you like historical fiction and have a particular interest in Shakespeare, you may enjoy this book. Just beware that it isn't written in straightforward narration.