What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Coats
ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE. IF YOU HURT US, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU.
Moxie meets Female of the Species in this powerful, thrilling, and deeply resonant novel about a secret society of girls who plot revenge on the men who hurt them.
The enigmatic Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who have hurt girls and women for years. The killer of Thea's cousin went free, and Thea has just received an invitation to join the Black Coats' balancings—acts of revenge meant to teach a lesson. Justice for Natalie has never felt so close.
But as the balancings escalate in brutality, Thea’s clear-cut mission begins to unravel and she must decide just how far she is willing to go for justice.
Because when the line between justice and revenge is paper thin, it’s hard not to get cut.
Moxie meets Female of the Species in this powerful, thrilling, and deeply resonant novel about a secret society of girls who plot revenge on the men who hurt them.
The enigmatic Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who have hurt girls and women for years. The killer of Thea's cousin went free, and Thea has just received an invitation to join the Black Coats' balancings—acts of revenge meant to teach a lesson. Justice for Natalie has never felt so close.
But as the balancings escalate in brutality, Thea’s clear-cut mission begins to unravel and she must decide just how far she is willing to go for justice.
Because when the line between justice and revenge is paper thin, it’s hard not to get cut.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published February 12, 2019
48 people are currently reading
6315 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Oakes
18 books1,451 followersColleen Oakes is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including the Queen of Hearts Series, the Wendy Darling Saga, The Black Coats, Sister of the Chosen One and Eleven Houses.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
February 11, 2019
Inspired by a black coat sitting on the road in Nebraska, grief at the death of a beloved friend and a fascination with vigilante justice, The Black Coats is a story that I've wanted to tell for a long time.
It's a story about revenge, about women saying "enough" with their fists and their words, and a secretive matriarchal society that loves both mason jars and brass knuckles.
It’s about the moral grey that exists in the lines between vengeance and revenge, justice and torture, love and grief.
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading.
It's a story about revenge, about women saying "enough" with their fists and their words, and a secretive matriarchal society that loves both mason jars and brass knuckles.
It’s about the moral grey that exists in the lines between vengeance and revenge, justice and torture, love and grief.
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading.
Want to read
February 15, 2019"A secret society of girls who plot revenge on the men who hurt them."
me, aggressively clicking want to read button: SAY NO MORE
me, aggressively clicking want to read button: SAY NO MORE
February 21, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
One afternoon whilst in pottery class Thea Soloman notices a black envelope address to her. Inside is instructions that lead her to another envelope and then another and eventually to a house called Mademoiselle Corday in the middle of the woods. Upon entering there are more messages and a big bloke to get past if she wants to learn why she has been invited.
The place is the home of The Black Coats, a secret organisation that passes out balancings (judgements) on men who have gotten away with crimes. There are two different types of balancings, non-violent and violent, but they must never kill.
The Black Coats is an all-women team and they recruit girls to join who have had a trauma in the past and who want retribution. But everything within the organisation might not be as cool as it first seems, secrets from within can’t stay hidden forever and it is up to Thea how she handles the information and the consequences that might follow.
I really enjoyed The Black Coats. The writing flowed so easily and the plot was certainly enjoyable. There was lots of excitement within the pages as well as some amazing characters, especially the girls in Thea’s team called Team Banner; Louise, Bea, Casey, and Mirabelle who all had their unique personalities and personal traumas.
Thea is the leader of Team Banner and she is stronger than she will ever realise. Her cousin Natalie was murdered less than a year ago and her grief had her not wanting to be part of society or take part in the sports she use to enjoy but with every day working with the girl’s and training, Thea got stronger and more confident and the grief hurt a little less.
The book was told in the third person and split into two sections. The first section focuses on the girls training and becoming fully-fledged Black Coats as well as Thea’s relationship with Drew Porter from her high school. The second part is where most of the action and a big reveal is set. It is also where I made the connection between the cover and the story.
The Black Coats is a truly fabulous book that deals with a lot of issues facing teenagers today as well as the wider picture of whether vigilante behaviour is acceptable and is an eye for an eye really how the world should work?
I read the book in just a couple of sittings. It is a book I looked forward to reading again the second I put it down and one I couldn’t wait to finish and yet didn’t want it to end.
One afternoon whilst in pottery class Thea Soloman notices a black envelope address to her. Inside is instructions that lead her to another envelope and then another and eventually to a house called Mademoiselle Corday in the middle of the woods. Upon entering there are more messages and a big bloke to get past if she wants to learn why she has been invited.
The place is the home of The Black Coats, a secret organisation that passes out balancings (judgements) on men who have gotten away with crimes. There are two different types of balancings, non-violent and violent, but they must never kill.
The Black Coats is an all-women team and they recruit girls to join who have had a trauma in the past and who want retribution. But everything within the organisation might not be as cool as it first seems, secrets from within can’t stay hidden forever and it is up to Thea how she handles the information and the consequences that might follow.
I really enjoyed The Black Coats. The writing flowed so easily and the plot was certainly enjoyable. There was lots of excitement within the pages as well as some amazing characters, especially the girls in Thea’s team called Team Banner; Louise, Bea, Casey, and Mirabelle who all had their unique personalities and personal traumas.
Thea is the leader of Team Banner and she is stronger than she will ever realise. Her cousin Natalie was murdered less than a year ago and her grief had her not wanting to be part of society or take part in the sports she use to enjoy but with every day working with the girl’s and training, Thea got stronger and more confident and the grief hurt a little less.
The book was told in the third person and split into two sections. The first section focuses on the girls training and becoming fully-fledged Black Coats as well as Thea’s relationship with Drew Porter from her high school. The second part is where most of the action and a big reveal is set. It is also where I made the connection between the cover and the story.
The Black Coats is a truly fabulous book that deals with a lot of issues facing teenagers today as well as the wider picture of whether vigilante behaviour is acceptable and is an eye for an eye really how the world should work?
I read the book in just a couple of sittings. It is a book I looked forward to reading again the second I put it down and one I couldn’t wait to finish and yet didn’t want it to end.
February 22, 2019
When I first saw this book on Goodreads and read the premise, I was hooked. I immediately added it onto one of my several wishlists. Less than two weeks after adding it, by sheer luck, I won an Advanced Reader's Copy in a contest. I thanked the book gods and I couldn't wait to dig in.
Sadly, though, I was disappointed.
I loved the idea of a vigilante group that avenged women--women who have been raped, sexually assaulted, abused, or murdered. I'm not a total advocate of vigilante justice in real life--vigilantism isn't all good, all the time--but I loved the idea of it in fiction. Sue me. Who doesn't love a little moral grayness every now and then? Haven't y'all seen The Punisher on Netflix? Frank Castle is the shit. (Although it's a travesty that Netflix recently cancelled it.) Needless to say, it was this book's concept that gripped me from the beginning.
However, I had several gripes about this book that, even though I loved the premise and the concept, I couldn't rate this any higher than 2 or 3 stars.
My main complaint was the writing style. It was very basic, to the point that I couldn't attribute it anymore to my dislike of third-person narrative. It was genuinely dull, and I've realised there are some books that have pulled off third-person for me, e.g. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. I still don't like it, but it has its place. More importantly though, all of the characters were flat and didn't have their own distinct voices. While they still had some semblance of a personality, a lot of their dialogue felt unnatural and stilted. There was even a conversation between Thea and Drew where I thought, literally no teenager talks like that. I think the problem was that the author's voice showed too much through the writing, instead of fully developing the characters, their personalities, and their voices. For a book with such a sophisticated concept, I expected something better.
I thought Thea and Drew didn't have any chemistry and I wished how they met was more interesting.
I don't like how Thea kept saying Adam Porter was a cop, as if that was a good reason why he should be unharmed. For a book that acknowledged how missing and murdered black girls didn't garner much attention both from the media and the general public, I found it strange how this book ignored the fact that a large percentage of police officers in America are perpetrators of domestic violence. Adam Porter should've been protected because he was innocent and have never hurt any women, not because he was a cop.
Thea thought Sahil bore a resemblance to what she thought was his biological mother, but he reveals later on that he was adopted from 'an orphanage across the world'. Why would Thea think he looked like his mother if he was adopted? That literally doesn't make any sense.
Lastly, why were the Monarchs so mad at Thea for dating Drew? It wasn't her fault? What they could've done was tell her to stop seeing him, not accuse her of trying to help him. Unless I'm missing something.
The only saving grace this book had was that badass epilogue, but more importantly, that the criticism of vigilante justice was at least nuanced. At first I was annoyed because I thought it would put feminists in a bad light as crazy murderers, due to how Julie Westing was portrayed, but I'm glad they resolved it in a way that was appropriate.
This book was described as 'Moxie meets The Female of the Species.' While those two books aren't exactly my favorites, I can say they were both executed better than The Black Coats and I'd recommend you read them instead. This book wasn't bad, but its overall execution didn't live up to its concept and premise.
Sadly, though, I was disappointed.
I loved the idea of a vigilante group that avenged women--women who have been raped, sexually assaulted, abused, or murdered. I'm not a total advocate of vigilante justice in real life--vigilantism isn't all good, all the time--but I loved the idea of it in fiction. Sue me. Who doesn't love a little moral grayness every now and then? Haven't y'all seen The Punisher on Netflix? Frank Castle is the shit. (Although it's a travesty that Netflix recently cancelled it.) Needless to say, it was this book's concept that gripped me from the beginning.
However, I had several gripes about this book that, even though I loved the premise and the concept, I couldn't rate this any higher than 2 or 3 stars.
My main complaint was the writing style. It was very basic, to the point that I couldn't attribute it anymore to my dislike of third-person narrative. It was genuinely dull, and I've realised there are some books that have pulled off third-person for me, e.g. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. I still don't like it, but it has its place. More importantly though, all of the characters were flat and didn't have their own distinct voices. While they still had some semblance of a personality, a lot of their dialogue felt unnatural and stilted. There was even a conversation between Thea and Drew where I thought, literally no teenager talks like that. I think the problem was that the author's voice showed too much through the writing, instead of fully developing the characters, their personalities, and their voices. For a book with such a sophisticated concept, I expected something better.
I thought Thea and Drew didn't have any chemistry and I wished how they met was more interesting.
I don't like how Thea kept saying Adam Porter was a cop, as if that was a good reason why he should be unharmed. For a book that acknowledged how missing and murdered black girls didn't garner much attention both from the media and the general public, I found it strange how this book ignored the fact that a large percentage of police officers in America are perpetrators of domestic violence. Adam Porter should've been protected because he was innocent and have never hurt any women, not because he was a cop.
Thea thought Sahil bore a resemblance to what she thought was his biological mother, but he reveals later on that he was adopted from 'an orphanage across the world'. Why would Thea think he looked like his mother if he was adopted? That literally doesn't make any sense.
Lastly, why were the Monarchs so mad at Thea for dating Drew? It wasn't her fault? What they could've done was tell her to stop seeing him, not accuse her of trying to help him. Unless I'm missing something.
The only saving grace this book had was that badass epilogue, but more importantly, that the criticism of vigilante justice was at least nuanced. At first I was annoyed because I thought it would put feminists in a bad light as crazy murderers, due to how Julie Westing was portrayed, but I'm glad they resolved it in a way that was appropriate.
This book was described as 'Moxie meets The Female of the Species.' While those two books aren't exactly my favorites, I can say they were both executed better than The Black Coats and I'd recommend you read them instead. This book wasn't bad, but its overall execution didn't live up to its concept and premise.
March 8, 2019
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Teralyn Mitchell
The line between justice and vengeance is thin and it’s easy to cross it. That is what Colleen Oakes explored in her new novel, The Black Coats. Thea Soloman is dealing with grief after losing her cousin and best friend, Natalie six months prior to the start of the story. Natalie’s killer was never brought to justice so when the Black Coats—a secret society who exact vengeance on men who hurt girls and women—send her an invitation to join, she does without a second thought. This is just what she needs to start living her life again and become excited about something for the first time since losing her cousin.
Thea is willing to lie to her parents and the new guy in her life so that she can train with the other members of her team. She feels good and like she’s doing the right thing especially when she and her team are assigned their first Balancing—acts of revenge against men who wronged women. Each member has to participate in Balancings before they can collect an Inheritance, which is a Balancing of their own against the person who hurt them or someone they love.
Thea is fine with it at first even if she feels uneasy sometimes. All she has to do is remind herself what these men have done but of course things start to get a little murky when Thea and her team go to carry out an Inheritance for one of their team members which isn’t as it seem. Things go from bad to worse from there and Thea learns that no matter how much justice or vengeance you dole out, it won’t bring back a loved one or change what happened to you. You will still hurt and have to deal with what you went through.
I loved Thea from the very beginning. She was stronger than she ever believed, a leader, and so compassionate. She wanted to do the right thing and she wanted to get justice for her cousin. Thea was still deep in grief when the Black Coats approached her about joining and all they had to do was offer the chance to get justice for Natalie for her to agree to join, just to be doing something. But she was a thinker and smart so she learned that there was something sinister about this group and slowly realized that she wasn’t willing to cross that thin line between justice and vengeance. I also loved that Thea was mixed-race. I liked the diversity in The Black Coats; it was done perfectly and felt authentic. I liked the members of Thea’s team and her boyfriend. They added humanity to the story and kept it from being too bleak and dark. Drew, Thea’s boyfriend, was more understanding than I thought he would be and her team became more than just that; they became her friends, her sisters and important to her. Thea was a character I could root for even when she was doing things I didn’t agree with. She was relatable and her actions were all understandable.
Colleen Oakes did an amazing job writing this book that touched on so many hard subjects. She made strong but flawed characters who you couldn’t help but root for and admire. She created a cast of characters that played well off one another and that was diverse and relatable. The pacing of the story was also perfect. Nothing happened too fast or too slow. She kept the reader guessing as to what was really going on and did not dive right into the girls doing crimes disguised as justice. She also did not leave the readers hanging in any way. I loved how the story ended and how things escalated but were resolved. I have to say one of the best things I liked about the ending was that Oakes did not let the characters escape from their ordeal perfectly unharmed. There were lingering scars—mental and physical—that they will always have to deal with.
The Black Coats was in amazing and top read of 2019. I enjoyed reading this masterful, action-packed YA novel that dealt with heavy topics and were quite bleak and hard to read at times but there was still some lightness in it that made this book great. This was an amazing read that sucked me in from the first page and kept me engrossed until the end.
The line between justice and vengeance is thin and it’s easy to cross it. That is what Colleen Oakes explored in her new novel, The Black Coats. Thea Soloman is dealing with grief after losing her cousin and best friend, Natalie six months prior to the start of the story. Natalie’s killer was never brought to justice so when the Black Coats—a secret society who exact vengeance on men who hurt girls and women—send her an invitation to join, she does without a second thought. This is just what she needs to start living her life again and become excited about something for the first time since losing her cousin.
Thea is willing to lie to her parents and the new guy in her life so that she can train with the other members of her team. She feels good and like she’s doing the right thing especially when she and her team are assigned their first Balancing—acts of revenge against men who wronged women. Each member has to participate in Balancings before they can collect an Inheritance, which is a Balancing of their own against the person who hurt them or someone they love.
Thea is fine with it at first even if she feels uneasy sometimes. All she has to do is remind herself what these men have done but of course things start to get a little murky when Thea and her team go to carry out an Inheritance for one of their team members which isn’t as it seem. Things go from bad to worse from there and Thea learns that no matter how much justice or vengeance you dole out, it won’t bring back a loved one or change what happened to you. You will still hurt and have to deal with what you went through.
I loved Thea from the very beginning. She was stronger than she ever believed, a leader, and so compassionate. She wanted to do the right thing and she wanted to get justice for her cousin. Thea was still deep in grief when the Black Coats approached her about joining and all they had to do was offer the chance to get justice for Natalie for her to agree to join, just to be doing something. But she was a thinker and smart so she learned that there was something sinister about this group and slowly realized that she wasn’t willing to cross that thin line between justice and vengeance. I also loved that Thea was mixed-race. I liked the diversity in The Black Coats; it was done perfectly and felt authentic. I liked the members of Thea’s team and her boyfriend. They added humanity to the story and kept it from being too bleak and dark. Drew, Thea’s boyfriend, was more understanding than I thought he would be and her team became more than just that; they became her friends, her sisters and important to her. Thea was a character I could root for even when she was doing things I didn’t agree with. She was relatable and her actions were all understandable.
Colleen Oakes did an amazing job writing this book that touched on so many hard subjects. She made strong but flawed characters who you couldn’t help but root for and admire. She created a cast of characters that played well off one another and that was diverse and relatable. The pacing of the story was also perfect. Nothing happened too fast or too slow. She kept the reader guessing as to what was really going on and did not dive right into the girls doing crimes disguised as justice. She also did not leave the readers hanging in any way. I loved how the story ended and how things escalated but were resolved. I have to say one of the best things I liked about the ending was that Oakes did not let the characters escape from their ordeal perfectly unharmed. There were lingering scars—mental and physical—that they will always have to deal with.
The Black Coats was in amazing and top read of 2019. I enjoyed reading this masterful, action-packed YA novel that dealt with heavy topics and were quite bleak and hard to read at times but there was still some lightness in it that made this book great. This was an amazing read that sucked me in from the first page and kept me engrossed until the end.
November 4, 2020
*top 10 disappointing reads of 2019*
*top 10 worst reads of 2019*
*Not as fast paced as it ought to be
*Not gripping as it should be
*The characters are not convincing enough
*The plot is somehow flat as it should have been gripping
The only highlight of the book is the possible romance of the main protagonist, Thea and Crew, her schoolmate.
As per the first few pages of the book, I thought it would be a gripping story talking about revenge regarding the injustices done to the women as a whole.
Yes, the plot goes into this with a secret organization that secretly recruits young people who has someone in their lives in need of justice.
But the character development is so poor. The writing style just didn't work for me. It was pretty monotonous for a story with such a strong theme.
I really wanted to DNF this book when I was into just 20 pages. But again I gave in thinking that the story might actually turn out good.
Things went even more mundane and monotonous even when I was at page number 56!
The actual story was not even there it seems.
*So many scenes like for example the training part seemed old like it was taken out from some movie that we are so familiar with.
So many stereotypes were being followed in this book.
A hacker doesn't have to be dressed up all being nerdy with excess mascara and eyeliners.
*Xanax intake at such an alarming rate by a young person should not be encouraged even though he or she has issues.
*Racism & interracial dating has been brought up like you would easily miss it. It would have been better if it didn't seem like the main protagonist didn't seemingly just shrug it off after a few moments of thinking about it.
*Likewise, the problem of bullying was brought up now and then but dismissed too soon like it is some kind of a momentary problem to deal with.
I tried my best to like the book but I really couldn't.
Will look forward for the next book!
*top 10 worst reads of 2019*
*Not as fast paced as it ought to be
*Not gripping as it should be
*The characters are not convincing enough
*The plot is somehow flat as it should have been gripping
The only highlight of the book is the possible romance of the main protagonist, Thea and Crew, her schoolmate.
As per the first few pages of the book, I thought it would be a gripping story talking about revenge regarding the injustices done to the women as a whole.
Yes, the plot goes into this with a secret organization that secretly recruits young people who has someone in their lives in need of justice.
But the character development is so poor. The writing style just didn't work for me. It was pretty monotonous for a story with such a strong theme.
I really wanted to DNF this book when I was into just 20 pages. But again I gave in thinking that the story might actually turn out good.
Things went even more mundane and monotonous even when I was at page number 56!
The actual story was not even there it seems.
*So many scenes like for example the training part seemed old like it was taken out from some movie that we are so familiar with.
So many stereotypes were being followed in this book.
A hacker doesn't have to be dressed up all being nerdy with excess mascara and eyeliners.
*Xanax intake at such an alarming rate by a young person should not be encouraged even though he or she has issues.
*Racism & interracial dating has been brought up like you would easily miss it. It would have been better if it didn't seem like the main protagonist didn't seemingly just shrug it off after a few moments of thinking about it.
*Likewise, the problem of bullying was brought up now and then but dismissed too soon like it is some kind of a momentary problem to deal with.
I tried my best to like the book but I really couldn't.
Will look forward for the next book!
February 23, 2019
I tried so hard to like this book. The concept was interesting and it has a good plot, but it's the writing and the execution that was a let down. The pacing was very slow which didn't suit the vigilante justice theme and the writing was flat boring. It should have been fast paced and gripping, instead the monotonous prose and under developed characters made me nearly dump it. And I didn't get the connection between Thea and Drew. I could have been much better if the writing was upbeat and the author had put some work in characterization.
February 27, 2019
3.5/5 stars
The Black Coats is a Young Adult contemporary novel set in Austin, Texas.
The book is divided into two parts. The narrator is Thea (3rd person POV).
The story is about a secret group of women called The Black Coats. They go after men who have hurt women.
Thea is a high school student. She experienced a tragedy and now she has been invited to join this secret group.
This book features some romance. The story was interesting and different.
I really enjoyed the group dynamics in Thea's Black Coat group. Thea is put with a female leader (Nixon) and a group of girls. And I liked seeing them work together.
The last half of this book was the strongest for me. There were some really unexpected developments that made this story so much better for me. I enjoyed the romance aspect. And really liked Thea's family.
It was interesting to see a secret society at work. And the idea of women getting justice against the men who have hurt them was also intriguing. I didn't connect what the prologue was about until the end. But once I did it really made sense. The epilogue was really good and tied everything together. Overall, this was an enjoyable YA story.
Thanks to edelweiss and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book.
The Black Coats is a Young Adult contemporary novel set in Austin, Texas.
The book is divided into two parts. The narrator is Thea (3rd person POV).
The story is about a secret group of women called The Black Coats. They go after men who have hurt women.
Thea is a high school student. She experienced a tragedy and now she has been invited to join this secret group.
This book features some romance. The story was interesting and different.
I really enjoyed the group dynamics in Thea's Black Coat group. Thea is put with a female leader (Nixon) and a group of girls. And I liked seeing them work together.
The last half of this book was the strongest for me. There were some really unexpected developments that made this story so much better for me. I enjoyed the romance aspect. And really liked Thea's family.
It was interesting to see a secret society at work. And the idea of women getting justice against the men who have hurt them was also intriguing. I didn't connect what the prologue was about until the end. But once I did it really made sense. The epilogue was really good and tied everything together. Overall, this was an enjoyable YA story.
Thanks to edelweiss and HarperTeen for allowing me to read this book.
August 16, 2019
Thank you HarperTeen for the free (gifted) review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, and violence.
The Black Coats is an organization that exacts revenge on the men who have hurt women and have gotten away with it. I was absolutely intrigued with the idea behind this book. I wanted to know how the author would execute this idea, and whether it would be as intriguing as I hoped.
I was hooked the first half of the book. The writing was pretty good, and I liked getting into The Black Coats some more. Learning about their training and the kinds of missions the girls go on. Some of the cases they handled were morally grey, and that was sort of the point in all of this. It got a bit tedious for me towards the end though. It's not that this is a bad book. On the contrary it was quite interesting and I finished it in about 3 days. It's just that I wish we had gotten to know the characters more deeply, and I was hoping for the story to be a bit more dark.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, and violence.
The Black Coats is an organization that exacts revenge on the men who have hurt women and have gotten away with it. I was absolutely intrigued with the idea behind this book. I wanted to know how the author would execute this idea, and whether it would be as intriguing as I hoped.
I was hooked the first half of the book. The writing was pretty good, and I liked getting into The Black Coats some more. Learning about their training and the kinds of missions the girls go on. Some of the cases they handled were morally grey, and that was sort of the point in all of this. It got a bit tedious for me towards the end though. It's not that this is a bad book. On the contrary it was quite interesting and I finished it in about 3 days. It's just that I wish we had gotten to know the characters more deeply, and I was hoping for the story to be a bit more dark.
February 11, 2019
HOLY SHIT. I finished almost in one sitting
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for honest review. Review to come*
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for honest review. Review to come*
December 29, 2022
This book drained my will to live in the most decent way.
Like it ASKED to drain my will.
Still, it drained it.
Completely.
No offense though-😭
Like it ASKED to drain my will.
Still, it drained it.
Completely.
No offense though-😭
March 10, 2019
The Black Coats is a secret society of women who plot and execute revenge on men who have hurt them or other women and girls in their lives to teach them a lesson and get even. Could this sound any more awesome?!? The book is dark, and secretive and chock full of girl power. It's a fast-paced, action-filled examination of revenge and what lengths some will go to attain it.
Thea is still reeling from the murder of her cousin Natalie. Her family struggles, her days go by in a haze and she's desperate for closure as the case has since become stagnant and cold, with no leads in site as to who murdered her best friend. She's steadily melting into a dark spiral of depression and sadness and the invitation to join the Black Coats come just in the nick of time for her.
A mysterious series of envelopes sends her on a scavenger-type hunt to equally curious destinations that end with a proposition... to join an undercover group of determined women who have been hurt by men - through abuse, pedophilia, and other disgusting acts. She's quickly thrusted into a group of of girls also seeking revenge for something a man has done to scar them, and intense training begins.
The Black Coats start performing tasks to scare and humiliate the lesser offenders, but soon they will be able to carry out their 'balancings' on those who have directly hurt them. But Thea soon realizes - are they taking justice too far? Who is she to be judge and jury? And if it won't bring Natalie back - is it all worth it?
Give me a group of strong women who kick ass and you have SOLD ME. I loved the premise behind this all as a story - it was creative and fun and at times pretty intense, but I flew through it and was riveted by the suspense and the mystery of this secret society. The characters were all interesting and strong willed and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!
Thea is still reeling from the murder of her cousin Natalie. Her family struggles, her days go by in a haze and she's desperate for closure as the case has since become stagnant and cold, with no leads in site as to who murdered her best friend. She's steadily melting into a dark spiral of depression and sadness and the invitation to join the Black Coats come just in the nick of time for her.
A mysterious series of envelopes sends her on a scavenger-type hunt to equally curious destinations that end with a proposition... to join an undercover group of determined women who have been hurt by men - through abuse, pedophilia, and other disgusting acts. She's quickly thrusted into a group of of girls also seeking revenge for something a man has done to scar them, and intense training begins.
The Black Coats start performing tasks to scare and humiliate the lesser offenders, but soon they will be able to carry out their 'balancings' on those who have directly hurt them. But Thea soon realizes - are they taking justice too far? Who is she to be judge and jury? And if it won't bring Natalie back - is it all worth it?
Give me a group of strong women who kick ass and you have SOLD ME. I loved the premise behind this all as a story - it was creative and fun and at times pretty intense, but I flew through it and was riveted by the suspense and the mystery of this secret society. The characters were all interesting and strong willed and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish!
March 30, 2019
Holy fuck, holy actual fuck, what did I just read? How did this book take such an incredible nosedive from potentially good to absolutely awful? I really don't know, but the least I can do is give you my long-ass rant about how much I disliked this book. Please, grab a snack or a drink or both, this is going to take awhile.
First off, let me elaborate on what I originally stated. When I said, "potentially good," I meant that when I got to about the halfway mark, I was thinking this was going to be a three star book. I had no hopes that it was going to get better, but to me three stars isn't that bad (obviously because it's average). But then the halfway mark hit and suddenly everything tanked SPECTACULARLY. The characters? Boring and generic with only a handful of redeemable moments. The story? Predictable, cliched, and fucking BORING, but I'll get to that later. And the writing? Mediocre at best, cringe-worthy and cheesy at worst. Now, the ranting begins.
Wow, where do I even begin with the characters? Thea, our main character, started off fine. A teenager grieving the death of her cousin Natalie, a death that has gone unsolved despite a potential suspect. One thing I did appreciate about this novel is that at least Thea's character arc revolved around her coming to terms with grief, and honestly that was handled well, no complaints here. However, she goes from reclusive teenager to "badass leader" of her Black Coats group in just a few chapters. No lie, there is no build up, no sense that she was even leader material, but because she's the main character she HAS to be the leader. Not only that, but considering how reclusive she was in school (which is told to us, rarely shown) she instantly falls in love with the first guy the readers are introduced to and she's totally okay with hanging out with him and flirts with him. Because, you know, that's totally the behavior of a reclusive teenager. Not only does her character take on the role of leader out of fucking nowhere, but no one in her group challenges this (despite most of them having pretty assertive personalities) and I kid you not when she talks to her team she sounds like those stereotypical leading characters that always have to sound bad-ass just to remind you that they're bad-ass. It was cringe-inducing and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to bother discussing the other characters because, quite frankly, none of them are interesting. Each one has a personality trait that defines them and a skill set that defines them and that's it. Going off of that, we now get into the biggest problem with this novel-the story is effectively a cliched, terrible action movie.
I shit you not, all through the last half of the novel, the action movie cliches just kept piling up. Main character becomes a bad-ass out of nowhere and leads a team of misfits on missions? Check. Main character has an insta-love relationship with a guy for no fucking reason other than to further the plot and for there to be romance in the story? Check. Organization that sounds good on paper but turns out to be predominantly evil? Check. Main character pisses off organization so they kidnap her boyfriend? Check. Mentor figure mysteriously vanishes but comes back at the last possible second during a mission to save the group? Check. Main character and boyfriend make out immediately after he is rescued despite still being in danger? Check. Only other male character that had trained main character turns out to be on evil organization's side? Check. NEED. I. GO. ON???? Because trust me, I could. But there is one thing other than everything that I have stated that may have ruined the book from the start, and that is pacing.
The pacing in this novel is unnecessarily fast. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this since I adore stand-alone novels, but this novel should have been at least a duology. Oakes crams so much shit because she wants to have a complete story in one novel that everything suffers because of it. The characters, the story, the writing, all of it is beyond bad because Oakes tried to put her whole story in one book and couldn't give proper attention to any one aspect of her book. If this novel had been a duology, she could have focused on the characters more, made them more nuanced, give them richer backstories, and let the story takes its time to unfold, then leave the story on a cliffhanger to pick up in the second book, which could have been more story-driven. Instead, what was bestowed upon us is what reads as a hastily written story drowning in cliches lead by some boring characters bogged down by mediocre writing. I think I've proven my point by now, but before I wrap up, I still haven't addressed the elephant in the book-the revenge plot.
I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't brought it up until this point because I don't have much to say about it. Do I think it was handled well? I guess. It's a stereotypical revenge plot, only with a secret organization rather than a singular person like in The Female of the Species or a school group like Moxie. Did I find it interesting? Not really. It wasn't any different than what any other story with this topic has done, the only difference is that it feels really fucking rushed and was hard to take seriously once the Black Coats became a "sinister organization," like every other bad action movie. Do I think it's problematic? No. It's pretty clear that the Black Coats are not meant to be idealized and while the story demonstrates the moral grey of vigilantism, it's pretty clear by the end that the Black Coats are not to be emulated. And that's pretty much it on that topic, really.
And that's it. That's my long-ass rant about a book I suffered through because I apparently hate myself. I do not recommend this title and would easily recommend The Female of the Species by: Mindy McGinnis if you want a solid revenge plot that deals with injustice and specifically rape culture. I would seriously pass on this unless you want a blisteringly fast and easy read.
First off, let me elaborate on what I originally stated. When I said, "potentially good," I meant that when I got to about the halfway mark, I was thinking this was going to be a three star book. I had no hopes that it was going to get better, but to me three stars isn't that bad (obviously because it's average). But then the halfway mark hit and suddenly everything tanked SPECTACULARLY. The characters? Boring and generic with only a handful of redeemable moments. The story? Predictable, cliched, and fucking BORING, but I'll get to that later. And the writing? Mediocre at best, cringe-worthy and cheesy at worst. Now, the ranting begins.
Wow, where do I even begin with the characters? Thea, our main character, started off fine. A teenager grieving the death of her cousin Natalie, a death that has gone unsolved despite a potential suspect. One thing I did appreciate about this novel is that at least Thea's character arc revolved around her coming to terms with grief, and honestly that was handled well, no complaints here. However, she goes from reclusive teenager to "badass leader" of her Black Coats group in just a few chapters. No lie, there is no build up, no sense that she was even leader material, but because she's the main character she HAS to be the leader. Not only that, but considering how reclusive she was in school (which is told to us, rarely shown) she instantly falls in love with the first guy the readers are introduced to and she's totally okay with hanging out with him and flirts with him. Because, you know, that's totally the behavior of a reclusive teenager. Not only does her character take on the role of leader out of fucking nowhere, but no one in her group challenges this (despite most of them having pretty assertive personalities) and I kid you not when she talks to her team she sounds like those stereotypical leading characters that always have to sound bad-ass just to remind you that they're bad-ass. It was cringe-inducing and came out of nowhere. I'm not going to bother discussing the other characters because, quite frankly, none of them are interesting. Each one has a personality trait that defines them and a skill set that defines them and that's it. Going off of that, we now get into the biggest problem with this novel-the story is effectively a cliched, terrible action movie.
I shit you not, all through the last half of the novel, the action movie cliches just kept piling up. Main character becomes a bad-ass out of nowhere and leads a team of misfits on missions? Check. Main character has an insta-love relationship with a guy for no fucking reason other than to further the plot and for there to be romance in the story? Check. Organization that sounds good on paper but turns out to be predominantly evil? Check. Main character pisses off organization so they kidnap her boyfriend? Check. Mentor figure mysteriously vanishes but comes back at the last possible second during a mission to save the group? Check. Main character and boyfriend make out immediately after he is rescued despite still being in danger? Check. Only other male character that had trained main character turns out to be on evil organization's side? Check. NEED. I. GO. ON???? Because trust me, I could. But there is one thing other than everything that I have stated that may have ruined the book from the start, and that is pacing.
The pacing in this novel is unnecessarily fast. Honestly, I can't believe I'm saying this since I adore stand-alone novels, but this novel should have been at least a duology. Oakes crams so much shit because she wants to have a complete story in one novel that everything suffers because of it. The characters, the story, the writing, all of it is beyond bad because Oakes tried to put her whole story in one book and couldn't give proper attention to any one aspect of her book. If this novel had been a duology, she could have focused on the characters more, made them more nuanced, give them richer backstories, and let the story takes its time to unfold, then leave the story on a cliffhanger to pick up in the second book, which could have been more story-driven. Instead, what was bestowed upon us is what reads as a hastily written story drowning in cliches lead by some boring characters bogged down by mediocre writing. I think I've proven my point by now, but before I wrap up, I still haven't addressed the elephant in the book-the revenge plot.
I'm going to be completely honest, I haven't brought it up until this point because I don't have much to say about it. Do I think it was handled well? I guess. It's a stereotypical revenge plot, only with a secret organization rather than a singular person like in The Female of the Species or a school group like Moxie. Did I find it interesting? Not really. It wasn't any different than what any other story with this topic has done, the only difference is that it feels really fucking rushed and was hard to take seriously once the Black Coats became a "sinister organization," like every other bad action movie. Do I think it's problematic? No. It's pretty clear that the Black Coats are not meant to be idealized and while the story demonstrates the moral grey of vigilantism, it's pretty clear by the end that the Black Coats are not to be emulated. And that's pretty much it on that topic, really.
And that's it. That's my long-ass rant about a book I suffered through because I apparently hate myself. I do not recommend this title and would easily recommend The Female of the Species by: Mindy McGinnis if you want a solid revenge plot that deals with injustice and specifically rape culture. I would seriously pass on this unless you want a blisteringly fast and easy read.
August 22, 2019
Der Klappentext des Buches hat mich direkt in seinen Bann gezogen. Eine Gruppe Frauen, die Rache an Männern (und Frauen) nimmt, die Verbrechen begangen haben und die Frage wo die Grenze zwischen Gerechtigkeit und Rache ist bieten sehr viel Potential.
Zunächst hat mich das Buch auch wirklich in seinen Bann gezogen. Der Leser lernt Thea und ihre Gruppe bei den Black Coats kennen und begleitet sie zu ihren ersten Aufträgen – so genannten Balancings. Die erste Hälfte des Buches verflog dadurch total schnell, an vielen Stellen hatte ich aber auch das Gefühl, dass die Geschichte zu schnell voranschreitet. So hatte man zwar nach einer Weile ein Bild von Thea, ihre Teammitglieder blieben dabei aber total blass, sodass ich über manche von ihnen am Ende des Buches immer noch nichts wusste. Meiner Meinung nach hätte die Geschichte auch keine Lovestory gebraucht, da diese wieder von der eigentlichen Frage, ob Selbstjustiz okay ist, ablenkt.
Die Organisation der Black Coats an sich war aber wirklich interessant gestaltet und hat mich wirklich an das Buch gefesselt. Für ein Jugendbuch ist die Geschichte aber sehr brutal, bereits im Prolog wird eine Vergewaltigung beschrieben aber ich denke es wird bereits im Klappentext klar, dass die Männer an denen sich die Black Coats rächen schlimmere Verbrechen begangen haben als einem Kind die Süßigkeiten zu klauen und dass diese Taten eben auch ein Bestandteil des Buches sein werden.
Der zweite Teil des Buches hat mich leider ein wenig enttäuscht. Ich hatte mir hier einfach etwas Anderes von diesem Buch erwünscht. Das Buch bietet dadurch, dass es so viele Gesellschaftsthemen, wie Verlust, Gewalt, Zusammenhalt, Beeinflussung, Rache und Gerechtigkeit behandelt sehr viel Potential, dass jedoch durch die kurze Seitenzahl einfach nicht ausgeschöpft werden konnte. Hätte das Buch 200 Seiten mehr hätte man so viel aus dieser Geschichte machen können, doch so blieben die Charaktere leider zu blass, die Themen wurden nicht voll ausgeschöpft und die Handlung war oft zu schnell. Ich gebe dem Buch daher 3.5 Sterne, denn zum Nachdenken gebracht hat es mich definitiv.
Zunächst hat mich das Buch auch wirklich in seinen Bann gezogen. Der Leser lernt Thea und ihre Gruppe bei den Black Coats kennen und begleitet sie zu ihren ersten Aufträgen – so genannten Balancings. Die erste Hälfte des Buches verflog dadurch total schnell, an vielen Stellen hatte ich aber auch das Gefühl, dass die Geschichte zu schnell voranschreitet. So hatte man zwar nach einer Weile ein Bild von Thea, ihre Teammitglieder blieben dabei aber total blass, sodass ich über manche von ihnen am Ende des Buches immer noch nichts wusste. Meiner Meinung nach hätte die Geschichte auch keine Lovestory gebraucht, da diese wieder von der eigentlichen Frage, ob Selbstjustiz okay ist, ablenkt.
Die Organisation der Black Coats an sich war aber wirklich interessant gestaltet und hat mich wirklich an das Buch gefesselt. Für ein Jugendbuch ist die Geschichte aber sehr brutal, bereits im Prolog wird eine Vergewaltigung beschrieben aber ich denke es wird bereits im Klappentext klar, dass die Männer an denen sich die Black Coats rächen schlimmere Verbrechen begangen haben als einem Kind die Süßigkeiten zu klauen und dass diese Taten eben auch ein Bestandteil des Buches sein werden.
Der zweite Teil des Buches hat mich leider ein wenig enttäuscht. Ich hatte mir hier einfach etwas Anderes von diesem Buch erwünscht. Das Buch bietet dadurch, dass es so viele Gesellschaftsthemen, wie Verlust, Gewalt, Zusammenhalt, Beeinflussung, Rache und Gerechtigkeit behandelt sehr viel Potential, dass jedoch durch die kurze Seitenzahl einfach nicht ausgeschöpft werden konnte. Hätte das Buch 200 Seiten mehr hätte man so viel aus dieser Geschichte machen können, doch so blieben die Charaktere leider zu blass, die Themen wurden nicht voll ausgeschöpft und die Handlung war oft zu schnell. Ich gebe dem Buch daher 3.5 Sterne, denn zum Nachdenken gebracht hat es mich definitiv.
February 12, 2019
*Source* Publisher via Edelweiss
*Genre* Young Adult, Contemporary
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
The Black Coats, by author Colleen Oakes, is inspired by a black coat sitting on the road in Nebraska, grief at the death of a beloved friend and the authors fascination with vigilante justice. It is a story about a group of women who take the law into their own hands and seek vengeance against those, mostly men, who have wronged a woman in ways that include murder, and rape. It's a story about the necessity of speaking up when horrible crimes are done to you, or your family, and not staying quiet.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult, Contemporary
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
The Black Coats, by author Colleen Oakes, is inspired by a black coat sitting on the road in Nebraska, grief at the death of a beloved friend and the authors fascination with vigilante justice. It is a story about a group of women who take the law into their own hands and seek vengeance against those, mostly men, who have wronged a woman in ways that include murder, and rape. It's a story about the necessity of speaking up when horrible crimes are done to you, or your family, and not staying quiet.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
September 21, 2018
The question that comes to mind as I read this book is: What if women got tired of perpetually asking themselves, “Is this safe?” or What is we wanted better for our daughters? This is a fun and adventurous read for teens. It asks hard questions about the morally grey of life with lovably imperfect characters, hard ass characters, and characters I would not want to meet up with...ever. The imagery and imagination crafted in each scene of this book made me want to jump on a plane to Austin, as well as stand up and speak out for justice today, instead of wasting a moment more waffling.
October 3, 2018
Holy hell. Review to come when I can word again. I need to go hold this close for a bit.
May 8, 2019
Review Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek
**** Thank you to HarperTeen for providing me with a copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review ****
**** Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault (Occurs Off-Page), Abuse, Murder, and Violence ****
I can’t believe more people haven’t added this book yet, it seems to be flying under the radar and it definitely deserves more attention! I mean it’s about a vigilante group of women who get revenge on men (and sometimes other women) who mistreat women, it’s badass, it’s feminist, and you’re going to want to give it a try!
Plot
The story starts being told from the POV of Robin, one of the founders of the Black Coats group and from there we follow Thea a high school student in the modern day. Thea, along with several other girls her age, are initiated into the group and all of them have been hurt in some way, shape, or form by men. Each of the girls also have their own special skill sets and they operate as a group to go on missions to exact revenge on wrong-doers. Very Batman-esque. Depending on the severity of the man’s crime, each mission is handled differently: more peacefully (blackmail.) or violently (give him a beat down) for example.
There was something really satisfying about these girls giving men their just desserts, as I already briefly mentioned it was badass, empowering, and feminist. I loved it. However, as you can imagine this got to be quite morally gray. Were they really acting any better by harming some of these guys? There are a lot of these dilemmas as the story progresses, I don’t want to delve into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it. But know that it does get pretty morally gray and our characters have to figure out what’s worth more to them: vengeance or doing what’s right.
Overall the pacing was a bit slower than I thought it would be. I didn’t struggle to read it or anything but I felt with the general atmosphere of the book and idea behind it, that it would be a lot faster paced. There’s plenty of action during the missions but the in-between moments are a bit on the dull side.
This book is a standalone and while everything is wrapped up nicely by the end of the book I have to say that ending completely blew me away and I would have loved more! I honestly can say that this was one of the best endings I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, it was SO SATISFYING! I think I could recommend this book for the ending alone, maybe I’ve hyped it up too much now but it was so worth the read.
Characters
Thea, as mentioned, is our main character and focus of the story. She is half black and half white so she is a POC and she used to be a track star but quit after a certain, devastating family incident. Overall I really enjoyed Thea as a protagonist; she’s feisty, clever, and has a generally good attitude. I liked how she develops over the course of the story and her opinions on the Black Coats changes, but I won’t get into that too much as I want to avoid spoilers.
There are a few other side characters, mostly Thea’s group of Black Coats. Bea was probably one of the most interesting ones but she really didn’t get the page time I felt she deserved: she’s a chubby, shy girl but has a very unique gift that she contributes to the group. Then we have Mirabelle who, at the start of the book, is your stereotypical “popular high school mean girl”. I actually think Mirabelle is one of the most full circle characters in the book. There’s so much more to her than what she shows on the surface and her reason for being asked to join the Black Coats (a man who “wronged” her) is very emotional and the outcome was not what I expected but I thought it was done well.
Also I really liked how the friendship developed between Thea and Mirabelle because at the start Thea sort of judges Mirabelle because of her “popular” status. However, they grow closer and kind of have a “enemies to friends” relationship.
Romance
I don’t have too terribly much to say about the romance in this book except that there is one and it affects the outcome of Thea’s story. It wasn’t full of tropes like insta-love or anything like that and it didn’t ever feel like it was completely overtaking the plot either. I thought Thea and Drew were pretty adorable though! in conclusion
What I Loved:
Unique and enjoyable story
Feminist and badass (it’s a plus for me!)
Morally gray (I like when things aren’t straight black and white, makes for a more complex story in my opinion)
That ending made it ALL worth it!
Interesting, developed characters
Cute romance, no tropes
What I Didn’t Love:
I thought the pacing could have been better, it was a little on the slow side
Pretty tedious during Thea’s “down times”
I wish some of the side characters got a little more attention
Recommend?
I definitely recommend “The Black Coats” especially since it’s such an underrated book! It’s an empowering read about women overcoming the wrongs that are done to them and fighting back together. Also that ending, trust me, that was the best damn part and it felt so GOOD! I hope I’ve done a sufficient job of convincing you to read this book, it really does deserve more love and attention.
**** Thank you to HarperTeen for providing me with a copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review ****
**** Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault (Occurs Off-Page), Abuse, Murder, and Violence ****
I can’t believe more people haven’t added this book yet, it seems to be flying under the radar and it definitely deserves more attention! I mean it’s about a vigilante group of women who get revenge on men (and sometimes other women) who mistreat women, it’s badass, it’s feminist, and you’re going to want to give it a try!
Plot
The story starts being told from the POV of Robin, one of the founders of the Black Coats group and from there we follow Thea a high school student in the modern day. Thea, along with several other girls her age, are initiated into the group and all of them have been hurt in some way, shape, or form by men. Each of the girls also have their own special skill sets and they operate as a group to go on missions to exact revenge on wrong-doers. Very Batman-esque. Depending on the severity of the man’s crime, each mission is handled differently: more peacefully (blackmail.) or violently (give him a beat down) for example.
There was something really satisfying about these girls giving men their just desserts, as I already briefly mentioned it was badass, empowering, and feminist. I loved it. However, as you can imagine this got to be quite morally gray. Were they really acting any better by harming some of these guys? There are a lot of these dilemmas as the story progresses, I don’t want to delve into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it. But know that it does get pretty morally gray and our characters have to figure out what’s worth more to them: vengeance or doing what’s right.
Overall the pacing was a bit slower than I thought it would be. I didn’t struggle to read it or anything but I felt with the general atmosphere of the book and idea behind it, that it would be a lot faster paced. There’s plenty of action during the missions but the in-between moments are a bit on the dull side.
This book is a standalone and while everything is wrapped up nicely by the end of the book I have to say that ending completely blew me away and I would have loved more! I honestly can say that this was one of the best endings I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, it was SO SATISFYING! I think I could recommend this book for the ending alone, maybe I’ve hyped it up too much now but it was so worth the read.
Characters
Thea, as mentioned, is our main character and focus of the story. She is half black and half white so she is a POC and she used to be a track star but quit after a certain, devastating family incident. Overall I really enjoyed Thea as a protagonist; she’s feisty, clever, and has a generally good attitude. I liked how she develops over the course of the story and her opinions on the Black Coats changes, but I won’t get into that too much as I want to avoid spoilers.
There are a few other side characters, mostly Thea’s group of Black Coats. Bea was probably one of the most interesting ones but she really didn’t get the page time I felt she deserved: she’s a chubby, shy girl but has a very unique gift that she contributes to the group. Then we have Mirabelle who, at the start of the book, is your stereotypical “popular high school mean girl”. I actually think Mirabelle is one of the most full circle characters in the book. There’s so much more to her than what she shows on the surface and her reason for being asked to join the Black Coats (a man who “wronged” her) is very emotional and the outcome was not what I expected but I thought it was done well.
Also I really liked how the friendship developed between Thea and Mirabelle because at the start Thea sort of judges Mirabelle because of her “popular” status. However, they grow closer and kind of have a “enemies to friends” relationship.
Romance
I don’t have too terribly much to say about the romance in this book except that there is one and it affects the outcome of Thea’s story. It wasn’t full of tropes like insta-love or anything like that and it didn’t ever feel like it was completely overtaking the plot either. I thought Thea and Drew were pretty adorable though! in conclusion
What I Loved:
Unique and enjoyable story
Feminist and badass (it’s a plus for me!)
Morally gray (I like when things aren’t straight black and white, makes for a more complex story in my opinion)
That ending made it ALL worth it!
Interesting, developed characters
Cute romance, no tropes
What I Didn’t Love:
I thought the pacing could have been better, it was a little on the slow side
Pretty tedious during Thea’s “down times”
I wish some of the side characters got a little more attention
Recommend?
I definitely recommend “The Black Coats” especially since it’s such an underrated book! It’s an empowering read about women overcoming the wrongs that are done to them and fighting back together. Also that ending, trust me, that was the best damn part and it felt so GOOD! I hope I’ve done a sufficient job of convincing you to read this book, it really does deserve more love and attention.
Read
May 10, 2019DNF 50%
I think this is a case of a great concept that just needed more.
When I read the description, I had it in my head that this would be set in a different time period. I'm not sure why, but going into it, I thought we were going to see some badass Victorian ladies kicking ass or some WWI era teens taking a stand for their rights. So I was a little disappointed to find this set in modern times. But that's on me.
The story starts with a prologue which is the only action we will see for a long time. Then we switch to Thea, who is given a strange note asking her to follow a series of clues. For someone in mourning over her cousin whose suspected murderer is still on the loose, she takes quite a few unrealistic chances chasing after strange letters TO A CREEPY OLD HOUSE. (please don't do this.)
From there we have 200 pages of training and history. For a book about a team of vigilante women, we don't see any ass-kicking. Then, finally, halfway in the girls go on their first Balancing (an act of vengeance against a douchy guy). I was like, this is it, here we come, and our main character Thea is SITTING IN THE CAR GETTING MORE BACKSTORY WHILE ANOTHER GIRL GETS THE ACTION.
This could have benefited greatly from multiple narrators.
I also found this problematic in places. As for our main team of girls we have the pretty, blonde and mean popular girl, and we have the overweight, strange girl that no one likes except our MC, to prove how great she is by being nice to the weird girl. The weird girl is only accepted by others when she shows them she has some great skill. If she didn't have this great skill, she would likely continue to be shunned.
This book also uses "lame" to describe something that's boring. Ugh. Don't get me started.
At the first Balancing, I also started to wonder why a long-standing organization of female vigilantes would recruit underage members. For people whose alumni rank as police officers and lawyers, wouldn't they know that any contract signed by a seventeen-year-old is moot?
Also it's incredibly irresponsible to send underage women into a room with a known sexual predator. I am sure I am mom-ing this up right now, so I'd love some real teen take on this, but it seemed to me it would be safer and more legally binding to wait six months and recruit eighteen or nineteen year old women instead, yeah?
Ms. Oakes is an amazing writer, though, and the scenes describing Natalie's death had me in near tears. She also did an amazing job with the banter between Thea and love interest Drew and the girls themselves. It's really hard to have a car full of five women and give them unique and authentic dialogue. No doubt Ms Oakes is incredibly skilled, and had this moved a little bit faster, I think it could have been a really interesting story.
I think this is a case of a great concept that just needed more.
When I read the description, I had it in my head that this would be set in a different time period. I'm not sure why, but going into it, I thought we were going to see some badass Victorian ladies kicking ass or some WWI era teens taking a stand for their rights. So I was a little disappointed to find this set in modern times. But that's on me.
The story starts with a prologue which is the only action we will see for a long time. Then we switch to Thea, who is given a strange note asking her to follow a series of clues. For someone in mourning over her cousin whose suspected murderer is still on the loose, she takes quite a few unrealistic chances chasing after strange letters TO A CREEPY OLD HOUSE. (please don't do this.)
From there we have 200 pages of training and history. For a book about a team of vigilante women, we don't see any ass-kicking. Then, finally, halfway in the girls go on their first Balancing (an act of vengeance against a douchy guy). I was like, this is it, here we come, and our main character Thea is SITTING IN THE CAR GETTING MORE BACKSTORY WHILE ANOTHER GIRL GETS THE ACTION.
This could have benefited greatly from multiple narrators.
I also found this problematic in places. As for our main team of girls we have the pretty, blonde and mean popular girl, and we have the overweight, strange girl that no one likes except our MC, to prove how great she is by being nice to the weird girl. The weird girl is only accepted by others when she shows them she has some great skill. If she didn't have this great skill, she would likely continue to be shunned.
This book also uses "lame" to describe something that's boring. Ugh. Don't get me started.
At the first Balancing, I also started to wonder why a long-standing organization of female vigilantes would recruit underage members. For people whose alumni rank as police officers and lawyers, wouldn't they know that any contract signed by a seventeen-year-old is moot?
Also it's incredibly irresponsible to send underage women into a room with a known sexual predator. I am sure I am mom-ing this up right now, so I'd love some real teen take on this, but it seemed to me it would be safer and more legally binding to wait six months and recruit eighteen or nineteen year old women instead, yeah?
Ms. Oakes is an amazing writer, though, and the scenes describing Natalie's death had me in near tears. She also did an amazing job with the banter between Thea and love interest Drew and the girls themselves. It's really hard to have a car full of five women and give them unique and authentic dialogue. No doubt Ms Oakes is incredibly skilled, and had this moved a little bit faster, I think it could have been a really interesting story.
March 24, 2021
This was the most convoluted thing I’ve ever read. I’m sorry, but the whole thing was just SO RIDICULOUS. First off, if anything like this ever existed, they would not be recruiting high schoolers. They would be recruiting young adults instead of minors who have parents to answer to (aka loose ends and undesired questions). There are so many logic holes where these teenagers could have been caught by their parents a million times over; exposing this whole secret organization. I’m sorry but that Victorian house club excuse would not fool all these parents, and especially not for 6 days a week every week.
Also, this was filled with cliches; everything from instalove to help dropping in at just the right time when MC is in trouble (even though no one was even informed that help was needed but lookieeeee help happened to show up right on time anyways even though they had no way of knowing).
ALSO CAN I JUST SAY YOU CANNOT JUMP FROM A SECOND STORY OF A BUILDING AND JUST LAND THEN JUMP UP AND START RUNNING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. Not once, but twice. Yes, the main character did this TWICE. Once leaping from a whole ass roof and second time jumping from a top story window. I can’t I just can’t.
Ok this review has been really criticizing because I had to get all that off my chest but despite all this, this was a 4 star, above average read because I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED THIS. Like, a lot. Enough that I can overlook the cliches and nonsensical details. Fuck. This was a really good book.
Despite how nonsensical so much of this was, Colleen Oakes is just an extremely talented writer. Everything she writes is consistently good. She could write a book trying to convince us all the sky is purple and still somehow make it fun to read. She won me over with the Wendy Darling series and this book was the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a while. I was never bored reading this. Despite it being overly convenient and nonsensical it was super well written, super action packed, and never boring. Despite it all I enjoyed this a lot I guess lol.
Also, this was filled with cliches; everything from instalove to help dropping in at just the right time when MC is in trouble (even though no one was even informed that help was needed but lookieeeee help happened to show up right on time anyways even though they had no way of knowing).
ALSO CAN I JUST SAY YOU CANNOT JUMP FROM A SECOND STORY OF A BUILDING AND JUST LAND THEN JUMP UP AND START RUNNING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. Not once, but twice. Yes, the main character did this TWICE. Once leaping from a whole ass roof and second time jumping from a top story window. I can’t I just can’t.
Ok this review has been really criticizing because I had to get all that off my chest but despite all this, this was a 4 star, above average read because I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED THIS. Like, a lot. Enough that I can overlook the cliches and nonsensical details. Fuck. This was a really good book.
Despite how nonsensical so much of this was, Colleen Oakes is just an extremely talented writer. Everything she writes is consistently good. She could write a book trying to convince us all the sky is purple and still somehow make it fun to read. She won me over with the Wendy Darling series and this book was the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a while. I was never bored reading this. Despite it being overly convenient and nonsensical it was super well written, super action packed, and never boring. Despite it all I enjoyed this a lot I guess lol.
March 11, 2019
This is a powerful story about getting justice for women for the times they’ve been hurt by men. The times the law didn’t fairly punish and let a criminal walk free with barely a slap on the wrist. A story about the women who’ve been victims and have to suffer alone while their abuser walks free of any punishment.
But when does that justice become vengeance?
This book covers the morally grey area and explores this topic as our protagonist is initiated into the secret society of the Black Coats due to being angry that her cousin’s killer walks free.
The timing for this book’s content is perfect. It was written before the #MeToo movement and was definitely just as relevant an issue then, but this issue has become more prominent in the media and something more people are talking about.
As much as it’s satisfying to read about these women getting their justice, the book covers really well where their vigilance goes too far. The romance between Thea and Drew is also woven into the story incredibly well and I actually loved reading about the two developing together.
The characters and dynamic between the group of girls, Team Banner, is definitely my favourite aspect of the book. Thea grew as a great leader and each member of the team had their lovable qualities. It made this story really fun to read.
I’d definitely recommend reading this book. Be wary of its trigger warnings, such as abuse, rape, assault, and murder, but overall we don’t get as much detail on these things. The most intense moment was probably in the prologue.
*ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review*
Review can also be found on my blog!
But when does that justice become vengeance?
This book covers the morally grey area and explores this topic as our protagonist is initiated into the secret society of the Black Coats due to being angry that her cousin’s killer walks free.
The timing for this book’s content is perfect. It was written before the #MeToo movement and was definitely just as relevant an issue then, but this issue has become more prominent in the media and something more people are talking about.
As much as it’s satisfying to read about these women getting their justice, the book covers really well where their vigilance goes too far. The romance between Thea and Drew is also woven into the story incredibly well and I actually loved reading about the two developing together.
The characters and dynamic between the group of girls, Team Banner, is definitely my favourite aspect of the book. Thea grew as a great leader and each member of the team had their lovable qualities. It made this story really fun to read.
I’d definitely recommend reading this book. Be wary of its trigger warnings, such as abuse, rape, assault, and murder, but overall we don’t get as much detail on these things. The most intense moment was probably in the prologue.
*ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review*
Review can also be found on my blog!
January 15, 2019
If this book is not yet on your radar or on your TBR, it needs to be! Hands down 5/5 stars for The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes because ZOMG! This book comes out next month and if you appreciate vigilante justice and feminist kickassedness, then you need to preorder immediately. Brutal, rich, angry, necessary. A reminder that no matter who we are, where we come from, what our social status is... as women we are likely to have trauma in common. So joining together and holding each other up INSTEAD of tearing each other down is more important now than ever.
March 3, 2024
knocked my socks off with surprise
March 14, 2020
You can view my full review here!
The premise of The Black Coats stood out to me immediately. In a world where #MeToo is seeing more and more women speak up against the wrongs that have been carried out against them, I just cant get enough of books featuring strong, independent young women. Beautifully written, I couldn’t put The Black Coats down.
The premise of The Black Coats stood out to me immediately. In a world where #MeToo is seeing more and more women speak up against the wrongs that have been carried out against them, I just cant get enough of books featuring strong, independent young women. Beautifully written, I couldn’t put The Black Coats down.
January 11, 2023
3.5 rounded up
Loved Thea and Drew. This is a hard book to read, a lot of triggers and while I mostly agree with the Black Coats, at times, I definitely want to agree with the Monarchs too.
Loved Thea and Drew. This is a hard book to read, a lot of triggers and while I mostly agree with the Black Coats, at times, I definitely want to agree with the Monarchs too.
February 12, 2022
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
4.5/5 Stars
After the murder of her cousin Natalie, Thea Solomon is grieving, especially when her killer is never brought to justice. She receives a letter asking her to join the Black Coats, a secret organization that have been executing "balancings" over people who hurt woman. Thea becomes the leader of Team Banner, a group of four other girls that will exact these vigilante missions. As they go on more missions, they will earn Inheritances, a mission that will allow them to exact their revenge on those who hurt them or those they love in the past.
I had pretty low expectations going into this... but I was pleasantly surprised! You definitely need to put reality to the side, as this would never take place in the real world... but it was so much fun. I could not put this down and read it in one sitting! The story was so easy to get into, although the writing style was quite basic, it still flowed nicely. The pacing was so well done, and it never felt too fast or too slow. Thea was a great character, and I loved getting to know her. You couldn't help but root for her. I liked her battle inside about whether or not a line can be crossed when it comes to justice and vengeance. I loved the girls on Team Banner, they each had unique personalities and interesting backstories we learned more about as the story progressed. I really enjoyed the friendships the girls developed through out the book during their time in the Black Coats. The biggest complaint I had was the relationship between Drew and Thea, I just did not care at all.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*
4.5/5 Stars
After the murder of her cousin Natalie, Thea Solomon is grieving, especially when her killer is never brought to justice. She receives a letter asking her to join the Black Coats, a secret organization that have been executing "balancings" over people who hurt woman. Thea becomes the leader of Team Banner, a group of four other girls that will exact these vigilante missions. As they go on more missions, they will earn Inheritances, a mission that will allow them to exact their revenge on those who hurt them or those they love in the past.
I had pretty low expectations going into this... but I was pleasantly surprised! You definitely need to put reality to the side, as this would never take place in the real world... but it was so much fun. I could not put this down and read it in one sitting! The story was so easy to get into, although the writing style was quite basic, it still flowed nicely. The pacing was so well done, and it never felt too fast or too slow. Thea was a great character, and I loved getting to know her. You couldn't help but root for her. I liked her battle inside about whether or not a line can be crossed when it comes to justice and vengeance. I loved the girls on Team Banner, they each had unique personalities and interesting backstories we learned more about as the story progressed. I really enjoyed the friendships the girls developed through out the book during their time in the Black Coats. The biggest complaint I had was the relationship between Drew and Thea, I just did not care at all.
January 19, 2019
Trigger warnings for this book: rape, sexual assault and allusions/accusations thereof, racism, death of a loved one.
Picking up this next book from Colleen Oakes in ARC form at work, I expected it to be a rewrite of her Peter Pan-themed fantasy retelling just like Queen of Hearts and sequels were rewrites of a previous self-published project. But no, instead she gives us a pretty high-stakes - and pretty accidentally relevant, since it was written several years ago before #MeToo became so prominent and topical - contemporary thriller.
Well, at the start it doesn't look so contemporary because it begins with a prologue in the 70s, but that's highlighting the catalyzing incident for the eventual start of the Black Coats vigilante group. Their job: justice for women who've been wronged by men, carried out in the form of acts called "Balancings" - usually involving seduction, and then turning the men's own crimes against them. For instance, a guy tries to spike a woman's drink to date-rape her? The Black Coats will roofie him and leave him stripped naked in the middle of a field to properly punish him.
Sound cathartic? I'd think so.
But that's until, of course, the fine line between justice and vengeance gets crossed as it does way too often in this world. One of the major themes of this book, it is - how maybe the answers shouldn't be so easy, so cut and dried...and if you've got a secret society within your secret society doing the wet work, maybe you need to reevaluate your goals and methods both. Or maybe not. Maybe you want that vengeance because that's just how cruel the world's been to you.
Or maybe you're Thea, our main character, in the Black Coats because she's been promised the chance to effect a Balancing that's particularly personal to her, and all the other assignments are stepping stones along the way. Stepping stones to follow while coping with the recent unsolved death of someone she loves and always being on high alert for racism (no less than one woman makes it a point of touching her "cocoa" skin in a most uncomfortable way and calling it such too, and when she, as a Black girl, starts dating a white boy, she fears that others, including the boy's father, will violently disapprove - but no, Thea and Drew's relationship obstacles throughout the book have little to nothing to do with race.)
The blurb promises that this book will appeal to fans of Moxie, and I'd agree on the grounds that both books are feminist and set in Texas. Moxie, though, doesn't get nearly this dark - and hell, I've seen a few complaints since Moxie came out that the book was too simplistic and even white feminist to be as effective as it wanted to be. Oakes, though, takes care that the cast of this book isn't so overwhelmingly white, and delves into the moral shades of gray that also helped define the Queen of Hearts trilogy so well.
Having a real-life Black Coat group - hell, I can almost imagine the result if they cross over with the similarly styled Black Iris organization in Elliot Wake's books, which would add a pretty strong queer angle as well - could solve a lot of problems. As long as there's no extra-vengeful types looking to rot the whole apple bushel...
Picking up this next book from Colleen Oakes in ARC form at work, I expected it to be a rewrite of her Peter Pan-themed fantasy retelling just like Queen of Hearts and sequels were rewrites of a previous self-published project. But no, instead she gives us a pretty high-stakes - and pretty accidentally relevant, since it was written several years ago before #MeToo became so prominent and topical - contemporary thriller.
Well, at the start it doesn't look so contemporary because it begins with a prologue in the 70s, but that's highlighting the catalyzing incident for the eventual start of the Black Coats vigilante group. Their job: justice for women who've been wronged by men, carried out in the form of acts called "Balancings" - usually involving seduction, and then turning the men's own crimes against them. For instance, a guy tries to spike a woman's drink to date-rape her? The Black Coats will roofie him and leave him stripped naked in the middle of a field to properly punish him.
Sound cathartic? I'd think so.
But that's until, of course, the fine line between justice and vengeance gets crossed as it does way too often in this world. One of the major themes of this book, it is - how maybe the answers shouldn't be so easy, so cut and dried...and if you've got a secret society within your secret society doing the wet work, maybe you need to reevaluate your goals and methods both. Or maybe not. Maybe you want that vengeance because that's just how cruel the world's been to you.
Or maybe you're Thea, our main character, in the Black Coats because she's been promised the chance to effect a Balancing that's particularly personal to her, and all the other assignments are stepping stones along the way. Stepping stones to follow while coping with the recent unsolved death of someone she loves and always being on high alert for racism (no less than one woman makes it a point of touching her "cocoa" skin in a most uncomfortable way and calling it such too, and when she, as a Black girl, starts dating a white boy, she fears that others, including the boy's father, will violently disapprove - but no, Thea and Drew's relationship obstacles throughout the book have little to nothing to do with race.)
The blurb promises that this book will appeal to fans of Moxie, and I'd agree on the grounds that both books are feminist and set in Texas. Moxie, though, doesn't get nearly this dark - and hell, I've seen a few complaints since Moxie came out that the book was too simplistic and even white feminist to be as effective as it wanted to be. Oakes, though, takes care that the cast of this book isn't so overwhelmingly white, and delves into the moral shades of gray that also helped define the Queen of Hearts trilogy so well.
Having a real-life Black Coat group - hell, I can almost imagine the result if they cross over with the similarly styled Black Iris organization in Elliot Wake's books, which would add a pretty strong queer angle as well - could solve a lot of problems. As long as there's no extra-vengeful types looking to rot the whole apple bushel...
March 28, 2022
I was lucky enough to win this from a giveaway. I want to thank Harper Teen for providing me with this arc.
First thoughts: The epilogue blew me away and made me want to read further.
After reading further: The writing was hard to adjust to but after about 70 pages I really started to love this story. I became extremely attached to the main character Thea. I also started to really like the other girls in this story. At first, they were just side characters but they slowly became really important. There is some romance in this book but it never overshadows the plot. That was something I really loved, not once was the romance more important than the women in this book. I would have liked to see the friendship between all the characters grow more but I was still happy to see them kick ass together.
The only real problem I have with this book, besides the weird first few chapters, was how it fell so short 3/4 of the way through the book. It was so strong until that part and then it became really unrealistic which I hated and is why I knocked it down a star. If not for the last half of this book it would've been a five-star rating.
I would really love to see Colleen Oakes tackle another story like this because the book was absolutely captivating.
I would still highly recommend this to anyone that is thinking of reading this. The author presents a story about women who are tired of seeing themselves and others become statistics and decide to live in the gray area of the law. It was an engaging and unflinching look at the hell women live through.
First thoughts: The epilogue blew me away and made me want to read further.
After reading further: The writing was hard to adjust to but after about 70 pages I really started to love this story. I became extremely attached to the main character Thea. I also started to really like the other girls in this story. At first, they were just side characters but they slowly became really important. There is some romance in this book but it never overshadows the plot. That was something I really loved, not once was the romance more important than the women in this book. I would have liked to see the friendship between all the characters grow more but I was still happy to see them kick ass together.
The only real problem I have with this book, besides the weird first few chapters, was how it fell so short 3/4 of the way through the book. It was so strong until that part and then it became really unrealistic which I hated and is why I knocked it down a star. If not for the last half of this book it would've been a five-star rating.
I would really love to see Colleen Oakes tackle another story like this because the book was absolutely captivating.
I would still highly recommend this to anyone that is thinking of reading this. The author presents a story about women who are tired of seeing themselves and others become statistics and decide to live in the gray area of the law. It was an engaging and unflinching look at the hell women live through.
March 19, 2019
This was gloriously readable and I stayed up way too late last night trying unsuccessfully to finish it. A secret society of women made to fuck up men who fuck up women? Uh yeah, sign me up for that. My only complaint is that it's billed as look at justice vs. revenge and I think it could have gone deeper on that. There are characters who think one way and characters who think another, but I would have liked to see the gray areas examined a bit more closely. Still, that's being pretty picky about a book I really, really enjoyed.
Trigger warnings for all violence against women, but especially sexual violence
Trigger warnings for all violence against women, but especially sexual violence
March 7, 2019
Where do I even start?!? I loved this book so much!!! There wasn’t a dull moment for me! I enjoyed getting to know Thea and the rest of Team Banner (who I quickly fell in love with.) Drew was perfection and who can forget Nixon and Sahil? The ending was so action packed and filled with surprises and then that epilogue blew me away!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews