In the history of New York City’s underworld, there have been a host of criminal figures whose exploits have gone on to inspire. Their stories are told on street corners and in back alleys. One of them is Jonas Rafferty, known among friends and enemies alike as Wrath.
Jonas, the only boy in a family of four children, came into the world under less than favorable conditions, and he has always been a fighter. From the neighborhood bullies to the stepfather who uses him and his siblings as punching bags, his life has always been one battle after another. At night, he would lay awake and dream of rising above his circumstances, and when he crosses paths with rogue homicide detective Louis “Lou” Ceavers, he’s offered a bargain that will change the course of his life.
Detective Ceavers becomes like a guardian angel and surrogate father to Jonas, teaching him the game and guiding him in his quest for power. In a short time, Jonas goes from errand boy and street muscle to one of the most dangerous young men in the city, dubbed Wrath because of his violent exploits.
His dreams are finally becoming reality, and Wrath feels like he’s on his way to having everything he’s ever dreamed of, until Alex, his childhood crush, comes home on break from college and gives him a glimpse of the one thing he’s always craved more than money and love. Wrath begins to question himself and his decisions as he’s drawn further away from the world he’s created and deeper into the stable life he believes he could have with Alex. When Alex becomes pregnant, Wrath decides that being there for her and his unborn child are more important to him than power or money, but when he seeks to end his arrangement with the detective, he’s taught the final lesson in his no bargain comes without a price.
In 2002 K'wan hit the scene with his debut novel Gangsta, under Triple Crown Publications. It was the first novel released by the budding house and would eventually become the building block for what is now a multimillion dollar company. What started as a therapeutic release went on to become a part of urban-lit history and an Essence bestseller, as well as drawing rave reviews overseas. After penning his second novel, Road Dawgz (2003), K'wan drew the attention of St. Martins press. The literary powerhouse quickly signed K'wan to a multi-book deal, the first of which being Street Dreams (2004). In 2008 he received the Black Author of the year award from Black Press Radio for the novella Blow. Since his insertion into the publishing world K'wan has been featured in Vibe, Pages, King, Felon, Big News, The Library Journal, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Press, Clutch and most notably Time Magazine, to name a few. He was also interviewed by MTV News for a feature on Hip-Hop fiction, and a guest on Power 105s morning show as well as NPR (national public radio). In addition to being an accomplished author, K'wan is also a motivational speaker, mentor to at risk children and the C.E.O of Black Dawn, Inc. K'wan currently resides in New Jersey where he is working on his next novel.
After being stressed out with waiting for this book to be delivered, I did not want to rush what I just knew would be a great read! Here it is just about 30 hours after delivery and I'm more upset with myself for being finished than I am with the book being over.
I can appreciate a good well thought out series. But I love an excellent standalone. Give me the full course meal all in one book! And here it is with Wrath. No stone left unturned. No questions left to be answered.
When a reader thinks of the author K'wan, they automatically think of his popular series Animal or Hood Rat. His literary pen is so much more than that. While there are a few trinkets hidden in Wrath, Wrath aka Jonas stands by himself. He's no Animal but I think dude can give him a run for his money. Honestly, I found myself loving how conflicted Jonas aka Raf aka Wrath is as a character. The man of the family, he needed to find a way to provide and protect his family and boy was he good at it! Other than Wrath, I can't say that I had a favorite character because they all did something that kinda made me hate them a little bit. K'wan set this book up like a rollercoaster at 6 Flags. I was happy, sad, stressed, emotional, all throughout this book. Typically, I am right when I think I know the outcome of a story. Everything I thought I knew.... Wrong!!! Every single time!! If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. I can't wait to experience the next book from K'wan's pen!
This book was great until I got to the end. It felt rushed and left me disappointed. I am all for an ending that leaves you with a wow factor but this wow is more like....ummm really!!!? I am not one for fantasy/mythical/supernatural stories. What started out as a great urban hood story ended terribly wrong.
Omg this book was phenomenal. I’m so glad I took my time reading this book it was definitely a page turner had to stop myself plenty of times not to read it all in one day. This book took you on the highs and lows of street life and you definitely get catch up in all the madness that’s goes on with Jonas a d his family and his boys. This story shows you it’s only two ways out the game that’s death and jail and mostly the evil always gets the best of us. All money ain’t good money. Even love can’t get you to do right if the streets have a hold of you. I loved all the characters in this book but the one that truly broke me was Sweets she was a great person and ended up losing it all over a nasty ass ratchet man. Jonas was a stand up dude but lose it all over a damn debit. The ending was like bam 💥 never expected that. Please read this book because K’wan did his thang. I’ve never been disappointed in anything he has written. Long Live Wrath my new favorite character.
This listen had potential to be better with the right narrator, B. Lipton Bennett was not it. Good story with a lot of plot twist but I was able to guess how things would play out mid way through the story.
The Rafferty family doesn't have much. Janette, the mom is an addict. She has 5 kids, 6 if you count Slick her perfectly named, slick as oil, live-in boyfriend that's good for nothing. Anette & Yvette are twins, then there's Claudette who everyone refers to as Sweets, Jonas the only boy known as Raf & Josette the baby that they call Jo-Jo. Because Janette is always out chasing a high, the responsibility of caring for the family is left on Sweets even though she isn't the oldest. Meanwhile, Jonas is out with his friends doing things that boys do & getting into mischief. You can tell he has a temper & he also likes to fight but he also seems like the laid back type if not provoked. But one night he IS provoked when his mom is found beaten, broken & bleeding. Jonas goes out looking for the person responsible & when he finds him he does a number on him but stops short when he hears a voice. Time passes & things change just a little for the family. Janette is clean of drugs, Jonas is in the streets doing some hustling, Sweets is staying with her boyfriend, JoJo & Anette are both doing well in school & unfortunately Yvette has traded places with her mom & is running the streets. One night after a family dinner Jonas finally gets the true story of his father's demise from his mother. It was at this point that a lightbulb clicked on for me! But the final chapter is when your mouth will stay open & you'll probably curse & throw your book. Then, even the epilogue will make you say WTF!!
K’wan, has done it again! This book is great read, can’t wait for part 2. Lot of ups and down, another character to follow.. you definitely won’t want to put it down.
When reading please acknowledge my grammar is not the best as I am dyslexic.
I did enjoy this book. I love how Jonas has morals and values about him he wasn’t just trying to commit crime for no reason, he thought through things rather than just been reckless for a hype. But when he took out Black, I was like “noo, not my good baby”, it was actually very sad.
The book then jumps in time to Jonas officially becoming Wrath, it’s sad how he embarrassed the anger and this is now who he is.
Sweet death hit me differently, she was the loveliest person ever, it was so sad. Jonas doesn’t know anything but death, his dad, mum, Doug, Sweets, Mula, Tavion, Prince even fat moe and Jewels , it’s so sad. (2 of which were suicide technically). What’s saddest is the majority of them death were done by the same streets he loved to play in.
Honestly the book was so good, until the last two paragraphs when it took a supernatural spin. I honestly hate supernatural stuff. So you can imagine my disappointment.
4 starts, it not for the final two chapters it have been 5.
But until then the book was excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book had a lot of potential but I don’t think it was delivered correctly. Also Wrath character didn’t give me his name meaning I was looking for this “wrathy” character and I only got a watered version of him. I feel Wrath was only important to his crew because of who he knew and how he was connected. I understood the role his family and his friends played in his character and that part I enjoyed because Sweets and Mula were definitely my favs. This wasn’t one of his best books to me but the editing was on point
Even with DEATH Jonas still couldn’t beat the devil himself😫😂😂. This family (clan) back was forced against the wall from day one. From Janette all the way down to Jo-Jo. Excellent story and read. I caught myself going back like let me read that again. Did I just read that. Definitely hated the death of Jonas Sweets and Mula.
Tito felt his bowels shift. The two of them had known each other since peewee football games in Queens. They weren't friends but had a history. He had heard stories about how Jonas handled people who welched on what they owed him, but there were dozens of witnesses about. It was the middle of the afternoon on a crowded city block. Wrath was dangerous, but he wasn't stupid. With this in mind, Tito tried to play it cool. "Jonas," he called him by his government name, "this is me, baby. We played the backfield together. You know i'm good for it." Jonas looked at Tavion, nursing a busted lip, and watching him to see how he would play it. Jonas knew that whatever he did beyond this point would play a large role in shaping young Tavion's career. "Tito, me and you wreaked a lot of havoc on defense, but this ain't about games; it's about setting an example," he told him before shooting Tito in the face. --page 180. . When I read this passage in K'wan's Wrath, I knew I was looking at a monster. I mean, I thought Wrath would pistol whip this dude or something; anything but kill him in broad daylight in front of all those witnesses on a neighborhood street corner. Wrath didn't stop his murderous assault with just one bullet either; he put two more in the bleeding lifeless corpse's back without so much as a second thought; a warning to witnesses. Hell, I couldn't help but think about the 2017 facebook live murderer Steve Stevens again. This killing made me realize Jonas no longer existed and his inner demons were now calling the shots. Also, notice how he thought of Tavion's "career" as if T was an intern at Amazon delivery someplace. Come on man, this hustle can't be considered a career; is it?
If you want more of the same, get this book. Just be warned; you'll have blood on your hands.
I know that if K'wan just released books left and right, they wouldn't be as good. Quality over quantity. But he can't keep me waiting like this. Jonas Rafferty later known as "Wrath" grows up in a household where he is the only boy our of 5 children. His sister Sweets takes on the maternal role. Their mother is involved with a horrible live in boyfriend named Slick when the book begins. She is also battling a drug addiction and selling herself to support that habit as well as the household. We read as Jonas grows up first hanging out with his friends. Then, getting a taste of violence and fast money. Along the way, losing friends and family. The ending was not a typical K'wan ending. A typical K'wan ending has you on the edge of your seat. This one was not tame by any means. Just different. Wrath's and Alex's relationship was kind of written like an afterthought. Which is also not typical of K'wan. He did leave room for maybe a part 2?
Let me start this by saying this was a good book with even better potential. Having read much of this author's previous work, I hold him to a certain standard. While I did enjoy this read, it ended rather abruptly for me leaving me needing more. This book was written in a softer perspective in opinion and I connected to it but by the end, I still had too many unanswered questions for it to be a standalone. The characters in this book however, were very relatable as well as their stories. The character development in this one was awesome. I could visualize each of them and see their story play out before me. I applaud the author for giving us a story with everyday people from the hood. It was necessary and greatly appreciated. My favorite characters were Wrath, Tavion, Sweets, Doug, Jo-Jo and Mula. My most hated characters were Juan, Detective Ceavers, Cal, and Wrath's step father. Overall, this was a good read and I'd definitely recommend it to others!
It's a hood book with a twist that I was not expecting for the most part. And the few twists I did foreseen, I did not expect the outcome after that. The book focuses on the only son in the family, Jonas Rafferty, and the short-lived, slippery slope of the streets he glided into. However, as typical ppl may assume this is, there were sprinkles of fair cautions if you read it well enough. And again, a lot of twists i didn't expect and enjoyed.The author has always been my favorite for one of the reasons being his storytelling description makes me feel immersed in the fiction world. A 360 of everything. I also feel this book could bring on a possible discussion on black male mental health as well. I have no spoilers here, but I am wondering if the author would write a prequel as well to this book. A story of the parents if he will.
Let’s talk about Wrath! This book was tragic from start to finish. I love this story. This is in my top five K’Wan books for sure. Jonas got a raw deal before he was even born and it’s so crazy how it all happened. The way K’Wan wrapped this book up from start to finish was amazing. Lou being the devil…Jonas’ father telling him the devil is a liar…and Lou of course being the one to save Jonas from drowning so he could use him…whew!!! Jonas did the best he could with what he had, all the way down to the end. Could I even go as far as Lou’s description having blue eyes…I absolutely need more. I need to a prequel to know how Jonas’ father got involved with Lou. The only thing I can’t figure out is why Jonas’ suicide wasn’t enough to break the curse and keep Lou away from his son?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a good read. I liked Jonas but didn't expect him to die on the end. I felt a jealousy from Ace towards Jonas. I don't know what happened to Yvette as she was out there in the drug world. My favorite sister was Sweets, she ran the household when Janette was running around with Slick. I was happy when Janette got clean and was able to hold her family together. This book involved drugs, murder, jealousy and Lucifer being in the hood. Jewels surprised me and the way the book ended was interesting .
I've just started an Urban Fiction book club at our library and this was the first pick. The perfect starting book! So many surprises, ups and downs, and a bunch of spoilers so I won't reveal much. I felt for many of the characters, especially for Janette and her children. Addiction is Hell, and I spent much of the time rooting for her success. I am looking forward to reading more by this author, K'wan. Also, if anyone reading this review can recommend a great woman-focused book in the genre, I would appreciate it!
K'wan's stories are so realistic. I can see this happening in any urban metropolitan city. But Generational Curses passed down from one generation to the other for your Soul.... This book held my attention from the beginning to the end. Suspenseful, mysterious, action filled, romance, violence filled. K'wan has done it again. Wrath will stay with you long after the ending. Leave your light on..
My review in 6 words: Every thing comes full circle
This was a great read, the plot was amazing! The shock factor is definitely all through this book. The character development was on point. This book is a story about how one person’s actions can affect everybody in their life. Be careful who you keep company with and sometimes it’s family that you have to be careful of. Unfortunately there is no escaping them and thus you will fall with the rest of the dominoes.
This is my first time reading a book by this author, and I have to say I was quite amazed. I just finished reading it today, and it was definitely a page turner....I couldn't wait to get to each Chapter to find out if "Wrath" transformed back into Jonas...that's all I have to say about that without giving the book away. But, I would definitely recommend this book to others who are interested in realism, lessons to be learned, and family!
I could not put this book down, until I had 100 pages left to go and I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I was scared of the outcome. But it turned out to be better the. I thought and I truly hope J.J. gets a story of his own because I have some unanswered questions about his life’s paths. I also question the last thing I read about Ace. Not trying to give away any spoilers but there needs to be a second book.
This story Had Me Until the Very End. K’wan it was going so well until you threw in the mystical and mythical. Everything in this story is relatable to anyone who’s grown up in the hood. I took one star off for the story because of my disappointment with where you took the ending regarding Jonas’s son. The mystical? Really? C’mon K’wan, I personally feel cheated… just a lil bit… I still love ya! Moving on to the next book…
This book was recommended to me by my uncle as a Halloween read for my book club and babyyyyyy I was not ready.
This was first time reading a book by K'WAN, and when I tell you he might be too deep for me... believe me.
His storytelling is impeccable. Baby this book was more than scary to me. The mind trip I was on after reading was a bit much for me. But if you're into that...READ IT!
Story was good but I expected more of a twist or something at the end. I knew from the minute Jonas met the detective that’s he was going to be his downfall & it’s crazy to me that Jonas didn’t see everything that was happening. Wasn’t shocked at all when things started going downhill and did he really think just because he killed himself everything would be void. Ha! Smh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book had me going on the bus round and round. I finished reading this book within a couple of hours. And i was i was reading there's something very fishy about Lou cever.And my suspicion were correct. He was something but not what I was expecting. Really good book wrath as well is a force to be reckoned with. Love this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did not like the ending. I have read all of Kwan's books but I did not like the Lucifer ending
Fantasy books don't work for me. I hope he goes back to the real life scenarios. I should have read the reviews before I purchased this book. I'm an " Animal" fan all the way. Please bring him back.
I love your books K'WAN always have. Although this was different it wasn't your usual caliber of writing. There were big gaps in it and the characters were not as developed as they usually are in your books. I wish Jewel would have lived and Alex died because Jewel deserved Jonas! And why the Devil has to get Jonas's son didn't Wrath pay enough?!