I'm not sure if it's because I went in expecting something a little different or maybe because my mind is preoccupied this time of year, but I did struggle with the pacing of the first half of this book. I think I would have preferred a bit more of a tighter focus in the beginning as it felt a bit slow and bloated. And that's really the only thing I have approaching criticism of this book as everything else was magnificent and heart-wrenching and infuriating.

This story and these characters are going to stay with me for a long time. The author's notes in the back revealed some extra details as well as the inspiration for telling this story, which makes it feel even more important.

I'm eager to read more of Tananarive Due's works (although I'm going to need some time to emotionally recover, ngl).