Ayize Jama-Everett

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Trigger warnings: Slavery, contagion and colonisation mentioned, death of a person, physical assault and implied injury
Score: Four points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

I saw The Last Count of Monte Cristo as a new arrival at a library I went to, and initially, it looked promising. That is until I checked the low ratings and reviews, so I lowered my expectations. Still, I immediately seized the opportunity to get this novel by picking it up. Afterwards, I read The Last Count of Monte Cristo, but it disappointed me when I finished the story.

It starts with the first character I see, Dantes, living in a version of Africa 200 years in the future where uncontested climate change destroyed the world as we know it, even splitting mainland Africa into two. However, the worldbuilding is vague since I don't get why the map is upside down. After a few pages, Dantes searches for the Count of Monte Cristo despite people saying the ship and person no longer exist. Nothing about The Last Count of Monte Cristo was enjoyable to read. There was so much text it felt like I was reading a prose novel with some extra pictures. The art was also unsatisfactory, and the dialogue was the worst. For an Afrofuturistic society, the people sure talk like they live in the 1800s. The ending was dramatic, but it wasn't enough to save The Last Count of Monte Cristo from becoming a dissatisfying reading experience. So underwhelming.… (lisätietoja)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Content warning for racist and sexist violence, including depictions of rape and murder.)

-- 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 --

UC Berkeley student Lindsay Ford is researching the appearance of "spectral creatures" at key moments in Black American (North and South) history. Her interest in these spirits was ignited by a story her grandfather told her years ago. As teenagers, Jim and his friend Gauge were brutally attacked - beaten nearly unconscious and, in Gauge's case, raped - by a gang of racist white classmates. Gauge turns to her mother's "New Orleans voodoo" - in the form of a box of bones to which the practitioner must sacrifice her soul - to unleash her revenge.

The Suffering, The Wretched, The Nobody, The Burden, The Night Doctor, and The Dark: Ford travels first to New Orleans, then to Philadelphia, and finally to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in search of proof that the box of bones exists. Or, perhaps, in search of the box itself?

I previously reviewed the inaugural issue of BOX OF BONES through Netgalley. The first issue introduces us to Lindsay Ford, by way of her oral examinations in front of the UC Berkeley faculty. I thought it a promising premise, and one that's certainly expanded upon here. My review from five (!) years ago still holds.

"While I do enjoy a good rape revenge story - because, let's be honest, the world of fiction is pretty much the only time abusive men are held accountable for their actions - rape is also overused as a plot device. Gauge's violation takes place off-screen, but it still comes like a punch to the gut, especially since it looks for a hot second like she might escape. Revenge comes quickly and is satisfying as heck. So I guess my feelings are mixed on this one.

"Otherwise the story is engaging enough; a solid start to what looks like a promising series. Overall I enjoyed the artwork; though the monster has an over-the-top, gonzo feel to it, I quickly found myself digging the style."… (lisätietoja)

Highly enjoyable book. At first I was a bit confused by some the "non-standard English" dialogue, but as I read, it became easier to follow, and definitely added to the story.
The theme is the importance of family and fighting for your values, even if it means letting some of that family travel a road you wouldn't choose for them.
I haven't read the previous books, so I can't comment on how well this wraps up the series, but it contains enough background to stand on its own without tedious flashback, and wraps up its own chapter very well.… (lisätietoja)