Burn Down, Rise Up

Apparently this is meant to be a fast-paced book – I definitely did not get that vibe. As with Goth Girl, I really tried to push myself to read and like this book, and I eventually decided this was not worth it. I really liked that it was diverse and I enjoyed seeing the Bronx rather than New York or another standard American setting – especially when they added a bit of history – that I did enjoy. That was sort of all that I enjoyed about the book.

The book didn't scare me – I love horror movies so when I read a horror book I want that same feeling. I unfortunately didn't feel the same way, which might've been another reason for my dnf – that I couldn't get into the book because the horror wasn't enough for me.

Even though I got to nearly 60% I still felt like I didn't know anything about the characters, and yet I had been given a lot of information about them. I think the writing was fine enough, I just couldn't find anything about... anything to really dig into the story and enjoy. Much like Goth Girl, this will find their audience and others will enjoy it.

The message of this book is so powerful! It could not be told in any other genre. The history, the oppression, and the supernatural beings all kept me turning the pages. And the twist at the end added a new layer of heart to the book. So good!

this one was super fun and has been one of the only books to deliver on the vibes it promised. it definitely was giving stranger things vibes and this is coming from an absolute stranger things lover. i honestly think that was the strongest point of the whole story as well as diving into the history of the bronx. it talked about the bronx history and the racism that is embedded into that history

the alternate universe we dive into that is similar to the upside down in stranger things, was accessed through a game similar to like bloody mary or another paranormal game which i think could have been a really cool horror element but combining that with this upside down type atmosphere just felt disjointed for me personally. i think both were cool but there was such exact rules to get into a very vague world.

the characters were okay but not my favorite. i did enjoy them and their relationships but they really could have been developed and fleshed out more. i wasn't attached or obsessed because there wasn't much background to any of the relationships or characters outside of the main character.

the horror was alright but i did not like some of the “characters” we have as villians in the alternate universe. it felt a bit like corny and cheesy and the real like “big bad” wasn't really built up enough for me. i was more scared of the creatures chasing the characters than the big bad the whole book. it's like being more overall scared of the demobats in stranger things than vecna. there was no impending sense of doom that is had over me.

i would still recommend this book and i had a good time but i think it could have been more fleshed out, more polished, and combined elements in a more flawless way.

thank you to sourcebooks, vincent tirado, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book had a lot of potential and I think a lot of the things the author was aiming to do were admirable, but overall it did not work for me.

The game and the characters who disappear playing it are surprisingly unimportant to the plot - the rules are broken all the time and it never really seems to matter that much. Sometimes they didn't even seem to notice: Raquel never managed to follow the flip a coin three times rule and that never even comes up. Some tricks don't work until they do, or only work when it's convenient for the plot, and some solutions felt pretty far fetched. The romance felt a bit rushed and silly (Raquel can't even explain what she likes about her) considering everything else going on, and the love triangle plotlines all felt pointless. Most of the characters didn't really have much personality in that they were all very similar to each other, so it was hard to get that invested in them.

The basic storyline idea and what the author is trying to communicate about the importance of community organizing are good, unfortunately I just didn't feel that they were very well executed.

I really liked this horror that confronts generational trauma and history in an interesting and totally creepy way. I also loved how Raquel is queer but coming out isn't a concern nor is parental or even friend acceptance. It's nice to have a LGBTQ+ character that gets to be her own hero without those concerns weighing her down! :)

racism, misogyny, blood, gore, hospitalisation, burns, fire, gun violence, police brutality, death of a loved one, death, physical assault, missing loved ones, gentrification, mention of cannibalism.

afro latine, black, queer, and sapphic rep.

racism, misogyny, blood, gore, hospitalisation, burns, fire, gun violence, police brutality, death of a loved one, death, physical assault, missing loved ones, gentrification, mention of cannibalism.

afro latine, black, queer, and sapphic rep.

The promise sounded to be way more suspensful than the book itself turned out to be. Still I quite enjoyed it. The sapphic couple was very cute!

3.75
This was so easy to get to read and I really enjoyed reading about Bronx and its history!
While reading this I could see everything play out in front of me like a movie and I was thinking how this could be a great movie or even tv-show!
Ppl have compared this to stranger things which I haven't watched it, but now I wanna watch it n see how similar these two are!!
The only complaint I had is that I wanted more of Raquel and Charlieze relationship. Other than this no complaints:))
Also the family relationships and friendships in this was so wholesome and some parts made me laugh,smile, cry,etc.

Thank you so much to the author, netgalley and sourcebooks fire for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.