Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

22 reviews

ad1t1s's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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sundayfever's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Everyone in this book sucks except for Shawn and Aunt Sheila. The book makes you uncomfortable on purpose, which is good. A deep look at anti blackness in Korean  American communities. 
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adiajamille's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense

3.0

This book did an excellent job of examining both sides of this story. So much so that it’s infuriating at times. So it’s very realistic in that sense. Some of the editing on the audiobook was off putting, but I enjoyed having the two readers. 
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dannyclarke's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.5

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emilybohannan's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

5.0

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baghaii's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced
  • 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

5.0

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cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

your house will pay is a tense novel that delves into racism and the loaded history of the LA riots. what i admire most abt this book is how cha charts the charged, weighted, complex emotions of her characters, the tangled emotional webs on both sides: a black man perpetually on edge + the loaded legacy of his family's victimhood, and a daughter grappling w/ the sudden knowledge of her murderess mother. it's all very layered and complex, yet cha depicts it all masterfully, straddling the grey area not only by writing in two distinct narrative voices but also making the reader empathize and understanding of most of the characters' plight in spite of their dislike. 

another thing i enjoy is reading abt the characters' thought processes, particularly shawn. he's been thru more than most, and seeing him realize that playing by the rules is a losing game - but having to do it anyway - is a just condemnation of the rigged and racist establishment and system occupied w/ keeping their power. and while the personal fully illustrates the systemic problem, the story also explores larger systemic issues as well, showing the reader the complexity of it all. i also think cha does a very good job of establishing a sense of place in both the 90s and present day, depicting a los angeles thats alive in both its grit and humdrum. 

overall, this is a somber book realistic in its depiction of the setting and systemic issues, and one fascinating for its character study.
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v_nerdbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.5

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miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Really interesting choice of narratives, made you feel torn between but not at all torn

‘How devastating to return from the verge of death and be disappointed.’

‘But he couldn't stomach it anymore. Not since he was a child, getting his head rubbed by every kindhearted motherfucker who warmed his soul from a safe distance at the bonfire of Shawn's
tragedy. He was forever a black child who'd been publicly wronged, and so he was an altar for the well-meaning pilgrims, who wanted his grace in exchange for their patronage. At least Ava got to die before they made a production out of the great tragedy of her life.’
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