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SLAY
'We are different ages, genders and traditions ... but tonight we all SLAY'
Black Panther meets Ready Player One. A fierce teen game developer battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther-inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is a college student, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. By night, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide in the secret online role-playing card game, SLAY.
No one knows Kiera is the game developer - not even her boyfriend, Malcolm. But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, the media labels it an exclusionist, racist hub for thugs.
With threats coming from both inside and outside the game, Kiera must fight to save the safe space she's created. But can she protect SLAY without losing herself?
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2019
470 people are currently reading
30549 people want to read
About the author
Brittney Morris
17 books1,189 followersBrittney Morris is the author of SLAY, THE COST OF KNOWING,MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES - WINGS OF FURY, THE JUMP, and THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA. She holds an economics degree from Boston University and has written for video games including The Lost Legends of Redwall, and Subnautica: Below Zero. She spends her spare time reading, playing video games, and enjoying the rain from her home in Philadelphia. She lives with her son Atlas. Brittney is the founder and former president of the Boston University Creative Writing Club and looks forward to NaNoWriMo every year.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 3,385 reviews
January 10, 2019
I mean, I think it's pretty cool.
Read
June 14, 2020I had no idea what this was about going in, but it. was. so. good!
January 28, 2023
This was fantastic! Holding off on giving it a full five star rating, because I'm still in the processing stage, but I can definitely see myself moving it up to a five because it was THAT GOOD. This book does an amazing job at covering important issues and incorporating well layered characters. The gamer vibes were strong and that made my gamer heart happy. This is the second book by Brittney Morris I've read and I can definitely see myself picking up more books by her in the future!
January 4, 2021
HELLO, EVERYONE.
I HAVE MAJOR NEWS.
Did you know that we can have fascinating, creative, action-packed young adult narratives...AND complex discussion of social issues with deep nuance?
IN ONE BOOK?!
I did not know this. And then I read this book and now I know and I never want to go back.
This has all of the excitement and innovation and cool-world-of-technology of Ready Player One (the only book I will ever call a guilty pleasure), with none of the straight white man this-feels-bad-for-me-ness. Like, the actual opposite of that.
I have never read a plot-heavy book with depth and nuance in social issues like this one. Sometimes it can get a bit dry or unrealistic in trying to strike that balance, but the inclusion of issues like white privilege and racial conflict and social justice and a million other things is worth it and more.
Bottom line: Wow.
-------------
pre-review
the coolestestestest.
review to come / 4 stars (but like...4.25)
-------------
currently-reading updates
what? no, i'm not just adding more and more books to my currently reading shelf because i'm scared i feel a slump coming on. why would you say that?
-------------
tbr review
if you can think of anything that sounds more interesting than this book, a) tell me immediately and b) you're wrong in advance.
I HAVE MAJOR NEWS.
Did you know that we can have fascinating, creative, action-packed young adult narratives...AND complex discussion of social issues with deep nuance?
IN ONE BOOK?!
I did not know this. And then I read this book and now I know and I never want to go back.
This has all of the excitement and innovation and cool-world-of-technology of Ready Player One (the only book I will ever call a guilty pleasure), with none of the straight white man this-feels-bad-for-me-ness. Like, the actual opposite of that.
I have never read a plot-heavy book with depth and nuance in social issues like this one. Sometimes it can get a bit dry or unrealistic in trying to strike that balance, but the inclusion of issues like white privilege and racial conflict and social justice and a million other things is worth it and more.
Bottom line: Wow.
-------------
pre-review
the coolestestestest.
review to come / 4 stars (but like...4.25)
-------------
currently-reading updates
what? no, i'm not just adding more and more books to my currently reading shelf because i'm scared i feel a slump coming on. why would you say that?
-------------
tbr review
if you can think of anything that sounds more interesting than this book, a) tell me immediately and b) you're wrong in advance.
June 3, 2020
— you can find this review and others on my blog!
SLAY is a book that I think should be in everyone’s hands. It’s such an important read, and I think it’ll be an eye-opening experience for many, while Black people will find comfort in this story so openly celebratory of Blackness.
The book follows high school student Kiera, who developed the game SLAY in an effort to carve out a space for Black gamers, after having to deal with the racism prevalent in the gaming world. With half a million users, it’s a community for and of Black gamers coming together to honor and be proud of their identities.
But when a gamer is killed as a result of a conflict in relation to the game, SLAY is plastered all over the news and called “racist” and “discriminatory”. Kiera is forced to deal with the consequences, all the while trying to hide her identity as the game moderator Emerald and fighting a troll in the SLAY game.
“If black gamers want their own space online away from the eyes of the majority, let them have it. Y’all have Mummy and Legacy of Planets. Do you need to have everything?”
I had so much fun reading SLAY: It was a thoroughly entertaining, engaging book, and once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. Kiera’s voice is so easy to read and relate to, and that made it an all the more immersive experience. It’s a mostly character-driven book, but still has enough excitement to keep you on your toes.
Kiera is a really strong main character, and not just strong as in well-written, but also as a person in general. Her strength as a Black woman is so admirable, and I love the way she isn’t afraid to stand her ground. And I love the little things that make up her personality too: her joking and playful side, her beautiful love for people, and of course her passion for gaming.
I also was pleasantly surprised to see the sibling relationship in this book! I had no idea about it going in, and it was so relatable to me. The way that Kiera and her sister Steph fought at times, and how Kiera felt an overwhelming love for Steph at other times—I loved it all so much and it feels like the perfect sister-sister dynamic.
The side characters in this book were also interesting! I think the most prominent ones were Steph, and Kiera’s fellow game moderator Cicada. While the book did talk about these characters and others, it was mostly focused on Kiera and I do wish it had expanded a bit upon other characters.
And SLAY, the game itself? It’s so!! cool!!! I’m not much of a video game person, but SLAY sounded so good. And I really loved that so much of Black culture was weaved into the game—the cards that you use to duel are all based on important Black things. (And it’s going to make for an AMAZING movie!)
example of the cards, see more here!
I think SLAY is much more of a character-driven book, which I don’t mind and actually love. The plot meanders a bit sometimes, but it means that we get to see more of Kiera as she grows and learns how to navigate in this world where her and others’ Blackness are unaccepted.
But even though it’s not super action-packed, there is a really good plot twist that I didn’t see coming at all (though I do suck at guessing plot twists), and I LOVED it. And because of that twist, and everything leading up to it, the end of the book gets a little bit more exciting action-wise, which I really enjoyed and think others will too!
My only complaints with this book were just small things that had to do with the writing. There are a few other POVs sprinkled in, and I would’ve liked it had it not been literally only one chapter in that character’s perspective and with no further expansion. Also, a very very minor thing, but some of the paragraphs in this took up more than a page and that took me out of the story sometimes, since it was so long.
I also do feel like the pacing was just a tiny bit off, in multiple places. The way certain events were wrapped up or resolved felt too quick and rushed at times, almost enough that it felt a bit unrealistic. However, my enjoyment of the book wasn’t affected a lot by these things, which I’m glad for!
If we in the black community are thriving, surviving, learning, and living our best lives, we are all in the talented tenth.
Overall, though, SLAY is so powerful, and empowering as well. The author artfully tackles issues that Black people face currently, and discuss topics that most people don’t care to listen to. I feel like there will be some people who find it annoying and “too preachy” or whatever, but I found it to be important, considering the fact that these things aren’t usually allowed in narratives.
Even further, it’s just… a beautiful, beautiful book. It’s hard to read at times, because you get justifiably angry at the injustices that Kiera and other Black people have to go through. But seeing the pride that she holds over being able to create a safe space for her people and to cultivate a community of Black gamers who are unapologetic in showing pride in their Blackness? It’s gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.
I fully recommend this book, for its beauty and importance, its enjoyable story, and its strong characters. I can’t wait to see more people fall in love with the book and the game, and I think it’s a story everyone should read and remember.
:: rep :: Black female MC, multiple Black side characters
:: content warnings :: abusive relationship (emotional), racism, video game violence, murder (off-page)
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinions in any way.
All quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in final publication.
Want to read
November 23, 2018I need more books about gamer girls in my life and a badass black gamer girl who creates her own video game and takes some racist POS to task? YES. PLEASE.
January 26, 2021
I was excited to read this story because the premise seemed different. It was described as Ready Player One meets The Hate You Give which after reading I find a very accurate comparison.
When I first saw the battle cards associated with the game online during promotion I was under the impression Slay was some kind of online card game. Not knowing it was this complex virtual reality world. And while a truly well thought out world it was a hard sell. Sorry but this story read too much like a contemporary for me to suspend enough belief to believe that two teens with barely any money created this entire game. Especially when one is still in high school. How did she get away with making huge purchases that would require a bank account behind her parent's back? I'm all for promoting black girls in STEM but there was no real scientific research done here in regards to hosting a large multi-player role playing game.
This premise would've worked better with a group of all college kids. I know publishers don't want to market and sell stories set in college because they feel that automatically takes a story to general adult fiction but none of these characters felt like teens whatsoever.
Malcolm the hotep was problematic and I'm surprised I can't find one black reviewer calling out this narrative. His horrible characterization damn near cancelled out the positive messages this book put out about black people. I don't like how this story condemned the only black male teen character in it by reinforcing negative stereotypes and toxic masculinity. After reading I said "This author must be married to a white man" and sure enough. I was already side eyeing after the paper bag test was used to describe a character's skin tone among a few other questionable things.
Instead of ending on a high note I felt like Slay crashed and burned towards the end.
When I first saw the battle cards associated with the game online during promotion I was under the impression Slay was some kind of online card game. Not knowing it was this complex virtual reality world. And while a truly well thought out world it was a hard sell. Sorry but this story read too much like a contemporary for me to suspend enough belief to believe that two teens with barely any money created this entire game. Especially when one is still in high school. How did she get away with making huge purchases that would require a bank account behind her parent's back? I'm all for promoting black girls in STEM but there was no real scientific research done here in regards to hosting a large multi-player role playing game.
This premise would've worked better with a group of all college kids. I know publishers don't want to market and sell stories set in college because they feel that automatically takes a story to general adult fiction but none of these characters felt like teens whatsoever.
Malcolm the hotep was problematic and I'm surprised I can't find one black reviewer calling out this narrative. His horrible characterization damn near cancelled out the positive messages this book put out about black people. I don't like how this story condemned the only black male teen character in it by reinforcing negative stereotypes and toxic masculinity. After reading I said "This author must be married to a white man" and sure enough. I was already side eyeing after the paper bag test was used to describe a character's skin tone among a few other questionable things.
Instead of ending on a high note I felt like Slay crashed and burned towards the end.
Read
June 25, 2020SO FREAKIN GOOD. can't believe i was sleeping on this book for a year!! read this via the audiobook and absolutely LOVED the narrators. this book is filled with compelling and multi-faceted characters, incredible game descriptions, and just a fast-paced plot with INCREDIBLE TWISTS. loved all of the discussions of race and the many parts of black experience that it touches on. GO READ THIS BOOK NOW BECAUSE IT'S FREAKIN AWESOME. another fave of the year hands down.
August 12, 2019
I'm going to really work on this review so I'll probably edit it several times, but MY GOD this book is so fucking GOOD! So much of our culture packed in 300 some odd pages. Generations of Black nuances and expression everywhere I looked. UPLIFTING Black people of all shades, all genders, all sexualities, all personalities.
Aside from that, this book is just a piece of art! The thought and world building in the game alone. THOSE CARDS FRIGGING SENT ME! Can we actually have this game please? PLEASE??
Oh man, I want to start the book over. I binged it in about 5 hours and I need more.
Brittney Morris is an auto-buy author for me from this day forward.
Aside from that, this book is just a piece of art! The thought and world building in the game alone. THOSE CARDS FRIGGING SENT ME! Can we actually have this game please? PLEASE??
Oh man, I want to start the book over. I binged it in about 5 hours and I need more.
Brittney Morris is an auto-buy author for me from this day forward.
January 24, 2021
In this mixed bag of novel, where the video game logistics don't make sense and the characters are boring, SLAY falls far short of slaying.
Oh boy. Here's an accurate depiction of my reaction from the start of this book to the end:
My biggest problem with SLAY is that the video game itself just isn't plausible.
The protagonist, Kiera, is a hard-working student with high grades who created and now maintains Slay without her parents or anyone else knowing. I had so many questions that made it impossible to suspend my disbelief. Like how Kiera could afford to run and maintain Slay for three years without her parent's knowledge. She tutors her friend in maths occasionally, but that would be nowhere near enough to maintain servers, run maintenance, buy assets, textures, designs, etc. How does she buy her VR gear? How can she afford a high-end PC? Or the multiple servers down in Paris that run the game? As far as we're made aware the game is free to play, and Kiera herself has no trust fund, and though her parents are comfortable we don't see them bequeathing her an allowance.
Probably more importantly, how does she have the time or the energy? Kiera developed and moderates the game, and it's implied that she creates everything herself (aside from one mod, Cicada, but I'll get to that). She builds the worlds and biomes, she programmes the code, she fixes the bugs and creates the cards used to duel. The duels are grandiose battles in stadiums - did she make all the animations, too? What about the sound effects? Modelling? Even if I accept the fact that she's a mastermind at everything game creation, that doesn't account for the fact that she's still a schoolgirl who has homework and studying and a social life. It's not possible that she manages all these things and gets to bed by nine-thirty.
Bearing in mind this is also virtual reality, so you have to consider the development of motion control and tactile feedback and all the additional work that goes into creating VR.
Maybe she has people to help out? Well, no, because there's only one other mod, Cicada. How do you have a game played by hundreds of thousands of players only moderated by two people? My Discord server has thirty users and we have more mods than that! How do you manage chat functions and communication, card trades, marketplace, character customisation, complaints/ feedback? Forums? I went ahead and Googled other youngsters making video games, like this sixteen-year-old boy who founded his own company, and guess what? He hired twelve people before he even started making the game! There's absolutely no weight behind the logistics of Slay that makes it believable.
There's even a part where, as a huge duel is about to take place, all five hundred thousand of the accounts of Slay suddenly become active as people tune in to watch. All for a game that is supposedly 'not mainstream'. Yeah, right. Club Penguin had over two hundred million accounts, and do you think all of those people suddenly decided to hop back online just as the site was being shut down?
This read like a very idealistic, almost romanticised portrayal of being a game developer. You can't click your hands and boom, "here's my game and thousands of players!". We never see Kiera put work into making or improving SLAY that would at least assuage the doubts that she could be the game's developer, and we never see her genius level intellect come into play that could justify her wizard-level game creation skills.
Even outside the game there are moments that are hard to swallow. Most things happen just because, like Kiera grabbing a last-minute appointment with a lawyer, or all the high-level players being important in Kiera's life, or a high-profile CEO offering them server space, or the right people showing up at the right time. The cast of characters weren't memorable or interesting; I'd say Steph was the best, but I doubt I'll care to remember her or anyone else in this book. Even Kiera was watery in terms of personality.
(Real question though: at the very beginning of the book, Kiera and her parents, who apparently don't have work, eat dinner together... at 3:45pm! 3:45!!!! What in the heck???)
The ending was unsatisfying. The boy has died and things happen and... that's it. Kiera's life changed monumentally, but it's entirely glossed over. I cannot even fathom that, minor spoiler, Kiera still wanted to give someone a chance of redemption after they posed as a white supremacist online and doxxed her identity to the entire Internet. Does it even need to be said how ridiculous it sounds?
(Steph talks her out of it... so you see why she was the best character here...)
The only thing this has going for it is that it was sort of like popcorn; I couldn't stop reading. Ignoring the execution of SLAY, the game itself is brilliant. I loved that the cards echoed elements from black culture. I just wish more was done with it, you know? The characters needed fleshing out, and I would've liked to have seen Kiera show don't tell that she's the game's developer by seeing her actually developing the game.
WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Yes. This is a debut and far from perfect, but Morris has potential and I'll be glad to see what she comes up with next.
EDIT 30th JULY 2019: Dropped to two stars. I was feeling overly generous with that three star... even though objectively this book is pretty bad lol.
EDIT 24th JANUARY 2021: Cut down the review and removed my thoughts on the portrayal of Black culture and mixed race identity.
Thanks to Simon Pulse at YALLWEST and Hachette Children's Group on NetGalley for the ARC/ eARC. This title releases on the 3rd October 2019.
LAST REVIEW
Oh boy. Here's an accurate depiction of my reaction from the start of this book to the end:
My biggest problem with SLAY is that the video game itself just isn't plausible.
The protagonist, Kiera, is a hard-working student with high grades who created and now maintains Slay without her parents or anyone else knowing. I had so many questions that made it impossible to suspend my disbelief. Like how Kiera could afford to run and maintain Slay for three years without her parent's knowledge. She tutors her friend in maths occasionally, but that would be nowhere near enough to maintain servers, run maintenance, buy assets, textures, designs, etc. How does she buy her VR gear? How can she afford a high-end PC? Or the multiple servers down in Paris that run the game? As far as we're made aware the game is free to play, and Kiera herself has no trust fund, and though her parents are comfortable we don't see them bequeathing her an allowance.
Probably more importantly, how does she have the time or the energy? Kiera developed and moderates the game, and it's implied that she creates everything herself (aside from one mod, Cicada, but I'll get to that). She builds the worlds and biomes, she programmes the code, she fixes the bugs and creates the cards used to duel. The duels are grandiose battles in stadiums - did she make all the animations, too? What about the sound effects? Modelling? Even if I accept the fact that she's a mastermind at everything game creation, that doesn't account for the fact that she's still a schoolgirl who has homework and studying and a social life. It's not possible that she manages all these things and gets to bed by nine-thirty.
Bearing in mind this is also virtual reality, so you have to consider the development of motion control and tactile feedback and all the additional work that goes into creating VR.
Maybe she has people to help out? Well, no, because there's only one other mod, Cicada. How do you have a game played by hundreds of thousands of players only moderated by two people? My Discord server has thirty users and we have more mods than that! How do you manage chat functions and communication, card trades, marketplace, character customisation, complaints/ feedback? Forums? I went ahead and Googled other youngsters making video games, like this sixteen-year-old boy who founded his own company, and guess what? He hired twelve people before he even started making the game! There's absolutely no weight behind the logistics of Slay that makes it believable.
There's even a part where, as a huge duel is about to take place, all five hundred thousand of the accounts of Slay suddenly become active as people tune in to watch. All for a game that is supposedly 'not mainstream'. Yeah, right. Club Penguin had over two hundred million accounts, and do you think all of those people suddenly decided to hop back online just as the site was being shut down?
This read like a very idealistic, almost romanticised portrayal of being a game developer. You can't click your hands and boom, "here's my game and thousands of players!". We never see Kiera put work into making or improving SLAY that would at least assuage the doubts that she could be the game's developer, and we never see her genius level intellect come into play that could justify her wizard-level game creation skills.
Even outside the game there are moments that are hard to swallow. Most things happen just because, like Kiera grabbing a last-minute appointment with a lawyer, or all the high-level players being important in Kiera's life, or a high-profile CEO offering them server space, or the right people showing up at the right time. The cast of characters weren't memorable or interesting; I'd say Steph was the best, but I doubt I'll care to remember her or anyone else in this book. Even Kiera was watery in terms of personality.
(Real question though: at the very beginning of the book, Kiera and her parents, who apparently don't have work, eat dinner together... at 3:45pm! 3:45!!!! What in the heck???)
The ending was unsatisfying. The boy has died and things happen and... that's it. Kiera's life changed monumentally, but it's entirely glossed over. I cannot even fathom that, minor spoiler, Kiera still wanted to give someone a chance of redemption after they posed as a white supremacist online and doxxed her identity to the entire Internet. Does it even need to be said how ridiculous it sounds?
(Steph talks her out of it... so you see why she was the best character here...)
The only thing this has going for it is that it was sort of like popcorn; I couldn't stop reading. Ignoring the execution of SLAY, the game itself is brilliant. I loved that the cards echoed elements from black culture. I just wish more was done with it, you know? The characters needed fleshing out, and I would've liked to have seen Kiera show don't tell that she's the game's developer by seeing her actually developing the game.
WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Yes. This is a debut and far from perfect, but Morris has potential and I'll be glad to see what she comes up with next.
EDIT 30th JULY 2019: Dropped to two stars. I was feeling overly generous with that three star... even though objectively this book is pretty bad lol.
EDIT 24th JANUARY 2021: Cut down the review and removed my thoughts on the portrayal of Black culture and mixed race identity.
Thanks to Simon Pulse at YALLWEST and Hachette Children's Group on NetGalley for the ARC/ eARC. This title releases on the 3rd October 2019.
LAST REVIEW
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2021
First of all, let me just say that Malcolm is up there with Umbridge and Voldermort as my most hated book characters. What a dumpster fire of a human (well fake human because he's just a character but you know what I mean). Honestly, he's the main reason I had a hard time getting through this book. Sometimes he'd say or do something, and I'd just had to put the book down and have a silent rage party. It's no secret that Brittney Morris modeled him after Eric Killmonger (I mean when we first meet him Kiera says he looks like Killmonger) in looks, personality, and... ideals. So yeah, he's a hot psychopath. More about him later because oh boy.
There's this strange them going on about being "black enough" to be considered black or something I don't get it (because honestly, who cares if you don't like or act like the majority of a community... everyone is different and that should be okay), but is seems a little bit offensive if you ask me. I'm not qualified to comment on it because I am very white with (I'm 99% sure) a 100% Caucasian ancestry. So, POC friends, please let me know what you think about this underlying theme and if Brittney Morris was portraying it as a good or a bad thing.
Main girl Kiera is a little racist and more than a little bit in denial about it. She spends most of the book acting like a prejudiced idiot, and when her fellow game developer comes out as mixed-race to her and admits she was afraid to tell Kiera that, Kiera just becomes more prejudiced. I mean, for god's sake, she thinks the only white boy in her life is a Nazi because he has opinions that don't line up with her own (mainly that he thinks exclusion based on race is racist and Kiera doesn't). Unfortunately she is so in denial it's hard to read sometimes. YOU CAN'T FIGHT RACISM WITH MORE RACISM. It only furthers the divide and gives every side more ammunition.
Kiera has developed Slay, a black-only virtual reality video game that is implausible (we'll get to that in a second), but actually seems like it would be a good time. She's a coding genius (even though we never actually see her use her skills), excellent at math (again, there's no real proof of that but we're supposed to take it a face value), and... well honestly that's all we really know about her. Unfortunately all of the characters (except Malcolm but we'll get to him) were flat and lacked substance. I just couldn't make myself root for any of them which is unfortunate. (However, coming from a woman in the STEM field I can tell you that characters like Kiera are invaluable... media and society seem to project this idea that the scientific community is very discriminatory towards women and POC, which funny enough isn't true... but having people who aren't part of the scientific field saying that is scaring away brilliant young minds that happen to belong to women or POC, and seeing characters like Kiera being so successful in the STEM fields will hopefully encourage them to ignore the media and see for themselves - join the scientific community!)
Slay? Basically a game of rock paper scissors (but with cards) in virtual reality. What's so implausible about it? This game is described to be very realistic with incredible artwork and sound effects, movement, object interactions, etc. The thing is that this game is run by two teenagers , 17 year-old Kiera and 19ish year old Cicada who don't have any money. Games of the caliber described in the book cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars... and you expect me to suspend my disbelief enough to believe that a 17 year old who can barely afford an hour with a lawyer (and who's only source of income are sparse tutoring 60$ tutoring sessions) and a 19 year old with 37 euros in her bank account are the only ones to fund this project? Hmmm...
And finally, that piece of shit Malcolm. Basically everything that comes out of his mouth is blatantly racist or sexist. I mean, he thinks that everything in society is designed by white men to keep black men in their place, and he believes that black women should be solely focused on their man. Oh also he thinks that inter-racial couples are disgusting and that we need to keep races pure... you know, like the Nazis did. I mean, he is so hell-bent on "proving" how racist all white people are that he disguises himself as a Nazi (swastika, blackface, character name, attitude and all), and goes into Slay just to blow it up from the inside because he thinks that video games were designed by the white man to distract black men from accomplishing great things. And he's hella abusive. Oh my god. When Kiera is busy with other things, he legit confronts her in the cafeteria (very aggressively may I add) and demands to know why she isn't focusing all her attention on him. He eventually even posts a death threat on twitter (his handle is @xxPeaceMongerFOOxx which, you know, made me laugh because he doesn't want peace) and Kiera (as most abuse victims do) still believes he loves her and that "he's just confused".
It took Kiera so long to realize that he is a straight up psychopath and let her sister call the police on him for that death threat. I mean it took so long that I was getting really frustrated, but unfortunately that's the reality of abuse. The victim is often in denial and continues to defend their abuser. She kept saying that "he's just confused" and "he's just angry". Yeah, he's angry, but her sure as hell isn't confused. And poor Kiera believes that she can still "fix him" after the death threat. Sorry hun, but first of all that's not your job, and second of all, you can't fix a psychopath. Psychopathy is a way of being and isn't classified as a mental illness for that very reason. But thank god for Steph who talked some sense into Kiera (and tbh she was probably going to call the cops anyway because that's what a good sister does).
(Now that I've had time to think about it, maybe Brittney Morris was trying to illustrate that anyone could be a "Nazi" or another similar type of extremist, regardless of race?)
There's also this little thing I noticed peppered throughout the book. Kiera is so convinced that the world is Eurocentric (the western world is... but the western world is essentially Europe so idk what to tell you)... but holy shit is this girl (and most of the US from what I've seen) ethnocentric in regards to the U.S. A lot of Americans believe that problems they are facing in their country must apply to the rest of the world. They don't. In Canada for example, our biggest racism issue is how a lot of people treat our indigenous peoples. And in the UK a lot of people have a huge issue with Polish workers. And this doesn't just apply to migrants and racism. Also there's this whole thing about "white English" (a.k.a. British English) being the standard, but considering that they invented the language, they should by default have the authority over it.
Look, I'm not trying to offend my American counterparts, but holy shit... some of you have got to cool it.
(Also I don't know if Brittney Morris knows how different countries work because in some parts of the book set in different countries there was some very... questionable and stereotypical things that she claims to be going on... as if she took one experience from one person and generalized it to an entire country.)
Anyway, overall it entertained me!
There's this strange them going on about being "black enough" to be considered black or something I don't get it (because honestly, who cares if you don't like or act like the majority of a community... everyone is different and that should be okay), but is seems a little bit offensive if you ask me. I'm not qualified to comment on it because I am very white with (I'm 99% sure) a 100% Caucasian ancestry. So, POC friends, please let me know what you think about this underlying theme and if Brittney Morris was portraying it as a good or a bad thing.
Main girl Kiera is a little racist and more than a little bit in denial about it. She spends most of the book acting like a prejudiced idiot, and when her fellow game developer comes out as mixed-race to her and admits she was afraid to tell Kiera that, Kiera just becomes more prejudiced. I mean, for god's sake, she thinks the only white boy in her life is a Nazi because he has opinions that don't line up with her own (mainly that he thinks exclusion based on race is racist and Kiera doesn't). Unfortunately she is so in denial it's hard to read sometimes. YOU CAN'T FIGHT RACISM WITH MORE RACISM. It only furthers the divide and gives every side more ammunition.
Kiera has developed Slay, a black-only virtual reality video game that is implausible (we'll get to that in a second), but actually seems like it would be a good time. She's a coding genius (even though we never actually see her use her skills), excellent at math (again, there's no real proof of that but we're supposed to take it a face value), and... well honestly that's all we really know about her. Unfortunately all of the characters (except Malcolm but we'll get to him) were flat and lacked substance. I just couldn't make myself root for any of them which is unfortunate. (However, coming from a woman in the STEM field I can tell you that characters like Kiera are invaluable... media and society seem to project this idea that the scientific community is very discriminatory towards women and POC, which funny enough isn't true... but having people who aren't part of the scientific field saying that is scaring away brilliant young minds that happen to belong to women or POC, and seeing characters like Kiera being so successful in the STEM fields will hopefully encourage them to ignore the media and see for themselves - join the scientific community!)
Slay? Basically a game of rock paper scissors (but with cards) in virtual reality. What's so implausible about it? This game is described to be very realistic with incredible artwork and sound effects, movement, object interactions, etc. The thing is that this game is run by two teenagers , 17 year-old Kiera and 19ish year old Cicada who don't have any money. Games of the caliber described in the book cost upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars... and you expect me to suspend my disbelief enough to believe that a 17 year old who can barely afford an hour with a lawyer (and who's only source of income are sparse tutoring 60$ tutoring sessions) and a 19 year old with 37 euros in her bank account are the only ones to fund this project? Hmmm...
And finally, that piece of shit Malcolm. Basically everything that comes out of his mouth is blatantly racist or sexist. I mean, he thinks that everything in society is designed by white men to keep black men in their place, and he believes that black women should be solely focused on their man. Oh also he thinks that inter-racial couples are disgusting and that we need to keep races pure... you know, like the Nazis did. I mean, he is so hell-bent on "proving" how racist all white people are that he disguises himself as a Nazi (swastika, blackface, character name, attitude and all), and goes into Slay just to blow it up from the inside because he thinks that video games were designed by the white man to distract black men from accomplishing great things. And he's hella abusive. Oh my god. When Kiera is busy with other things, he legit confronts her in the cafeteria (very aggressively may I add) and demands to know why she isn't focusing all her attention on him. He eventually even posts a death threat on twitter (his handle is @xxPeaceMongerFOOxx which, you know, made me laugh because he doesn't want peace) and Kiera (as most abuse victims do) still believes he loves her and that "he's just confused".
It took Kiera so long to realize that he is a straight up psychopath and let her sister call the police on him for that death threat. I mean it took so long that I was getting really frustrated, but unfortunately that's the reality of abuse. The victim is often in denial and continues to defend their abuser. She kept saying that "he's just confused" and "he's just angry". Yeah, he's angry, but her sure as hell isn't confused. And poor Kiera believes that she can still "fix him" after the death threat. Sorry hun, but first of all that's not your job, and second of all, you can't fix a psychopath. Psychopathy is a way of being and isn't classified as a mental illness for that very reason. But thank god for Steph who talked some sense into Kiera (and tbh she was probably going to call the cops anyway because that's what a good sister does).
(Now that I've had time to think about it, maybe Brittney Morris was trying to illustrate that anyone could be a "Nazi" or another similar type of extremist, regardless of race?)
There's also this little thing I noticed peppered throughout the book. Kiera is so convinced that the world is Eurocentric (the western world is... but the western world is essentially Europe so idk what to tell you)... but holy shit is this girl (and most of the US from what I've seen) ethnocentric in regards to the U.S. A lot of Americans believe that problems they are facing in their country must apply to the rest of the world. They don't. In Canada for example, our biggest racism issue is how a lot of people treat our indigenous peoples. And in the UK a lot of people have a huge issue with Polish workers. And this doesn't just apply to migrants and racism. Also there's this whole thing about "white English" (a.k.a. British English) being the standard, but considering that they invented the language, they should by default have the authority over it.
Look, I'm not trying to offend my American counterparts, but holy shit... some of you have got to cool it.
(Also I don't know if Brittney Morris knows how different countries work because in some parts of the book set in different countries there was some very... questionable and stereotypical things that she claims to be going on... as if she took one experience from one person and generalized it to an entire country.)
Anyway, overall it entertained me!
June 22, 2020
So I cried four? five? times reading this book, which might be a personal record! Great job, Slay!
In all seriousness, this is a fantastic book about the importance of community, safe spaces, and inclusivity amongst marginalised people. While I understand the criticisms some other people have of the Slay game itself - and I do agree that it's highly unrealistic for a broke teenager to have programmed a VR game of this calibre - that's not really what the story is about, is it? The Slay game isn't supposed to be an accurate depiction of an MMORPG. It's an allegory for a general safe space, and it does it brilliantly. Besides, the homages to culture across the diaspora are just so beautiful. The Slay cards representing different Black experiences (including international ones!) is such a lovely touch, and I especially liked how this book breaks down the idea that Black Europeans don't exist.
I love Kiera, and I love her voice, and most of all I love that she doesn't have all the answers: she's not here to be a spokesperson for the Black community, as if such a thing could ever exist. She's just a kind, intelligent girl with a lot of potential trying to make her way in a system that's rigged against her. These characters all exist in shades of grey, and that's what makes this book so important. Kiera and Malcolm and Steph and Claire are all fully-formed, realistic, motivated people, and in this way Slay is yet another example of why #ownvoices stories are so vital, and why the atrocious lack of representation for Black authors in traditional publishing is such a big problem.
I'll definitely be reading from this author again. Overall this book was a joy to read.
In all seriousness, this is a fantastic book about the importance of community, safe spaces, and inclusivity amongst marginalised people. While I understand the criticisms some other people have of the Slay game itself - and I do agree that it's highly unrealistic for a broke teenager to have programmed a VR game of this calibre - that's not really what the story is about, is it? The Slay game isn't supposed to be an accurate depiction of an MMORPG. It's an allegory for a general safe space, and it does it brilliantly. Besides, the homages to culture across the diaspora are just so beautiful. The Slay cards representing different Black experiences (including international ones!) is such a lovely touch, and I especially liked how this book breaks down the idea that Black Europeans don't exist.
I love Kiera, and I love her voice, and most of all I love that she doesn't have all the answers: she's not here to be a spokesperson for the Black community, as if such a thing could ever exist. She's just a kind, intelligent girl with a lot of potential trying to make her way in a system that's rigged against her. These characters all exist in shades of grey, and that's what makes this book so important. Kiera and Malcolm and Steph and Claire are all fully-formed, realistic, motivated people, and in this way Slay is yet another example of why #ownvoices stories are so vital, and why the atrocious lack of representation for Black authors in traditional publishing is such a big problem.
I'll definitely be reading from this author again. Overall this book was a joy to read.
May 11, 2019
This book was not made for me, but that's okay--that's kind of the point. As a white person, I'm so very rarely the person on the outside looking in, and so it's good and important and wonderful that I felt that way while reading this. I'm meant to be aware that I'm in a space not built specifically for me. So when I say, yeah, I absolutely adored this book...I can only begin to imagine how this book feels for black readers.
SLAY digs into some incredibly difficult topics, but does so with poise and care. It's stressful and poignant, full of moments of humor and moments of unbearable sadness. The characters are fully real and wonderful. The world is true and harsh and soft too--both the real world and the virtual one Kiera has created within the book. The connections forged between the chapters and the characters are beautiful to watch intertwine, and by the time you get to the end and realize where all these disconnected threads tie up, it's just beautiful.
I came out of this book feeling how I felt at the end of Black Panther. That it was decisively amazing, massively important, and not made for me. And that's good. It's really good.
SLAY digs into some incredibly difficult topics, but does so with poise and care. It's stressful and poignant, full of moments of humor and moments of unbearable sadness. The characters are fully real and wonderful. The world is true and harsh and soft too--both the real world and the virtual one Kiera has created within the book. The connections forged between the chapters and the characters are beautiful to watch intertwine, and by the time you get to the end and realize where all these disconnected threads tie up, it's just beautiful.
I came out of this book feeling how I felt at the end of Black Panther. That it was decisively amazing, massively important, and not made for me. And that's good. It's really good.
October 3, 2019
Update! Here's my full review: https://bookishrealmreviews.blogspot....
4.5 Stars. It took me forever to read this book because I was giving birth to my daughter while in the process of trying to complete it haha. Let me start by saying that this book isn’t for everyone. A lot of people will pick up this book and feel disconnected because they don’t understand the cultural and social importance of this book for black readers. I’ve seen this book get low ratings under the guise of “I don’t understand how her parents didn’t know that she created this entire game” completely missing the point of the entire novel. I have never in my life read a book where I literally relate to EVERYTHING the characters are going through. This book feels like it was written for me and I haven’t had that feeling in a long time. There were a few areas that I had issue with which is why I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars but I’ll explore that in my full written review of this book. If you haven’t read it please check it out!
4.5 Stars. It took me forever to read this book because I was giving birth to my daughter while in the process of trying to complete it haha. Let me start by saying that this book isn’t for everyone. A lot of people will pick up this book and feel disconnected because they don’t understand the cultural and social importance of this book for black readers. I’ve seen this book get low ratings under the guise of “I don’t understand how her parents didn’t know that she created this entire game” completely missing the point of the entire novel. I have never in my life read a book where I literally relate to EVERYTHING the characters are going through. This book feels like it was written for me and I haven’t had that feeling in a long time. There were a few areas that I had issue with which is why I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars but I’ll explore that in my full written review of this book. If you haven’t read it please check it out!
October 23, 2019
'As we duel, as we chat, there's an understanding that "your black is not my black" and "your weird is not my weird" and "your beautiful is not my beautiful," and that's okay.'
Damn, this book! My favorite part of the whole book is easily the MMORPG, SLAY, itself but I'm also highly appreciative of how much about being proud of Black culture it is about as well as some very kickass and well-developed Black characters while being super relevant to issues that are faced by Black people by other Black people and the society in general.
SLAY the book does have moments where it's set up so that the very real issues are highlighted in ways that are relevant to the story as well as to the readers and that's great to see. Subjects such as the difference between the pro-Black and the anti-white rhetorics, white supremacy, racism, police brutality, abusive relationships are all dealt with within the book.
As for the game itself, it is so well done. Pop culture references always delight me so to see a game setup around Black culture that every Black person on earth can relate to is awesome to see. I love how clever the gameplay and the rules are as even though Kiera and Cicada, the co-mod, know all the cards, they can never themselves predict just how a game is going to progress. I had so much fun reading through the parts that had actual duels, eeee. Sidenote, some of the artwork is up on here and it's nothing short of amazing !!
When it comes to the characters, Kiera is a badass game developer and I loved her from the get-go. Really, what's not to love about this glasses-wearing, strong, sensitive, take-no-shit girl of a main character. I almost loved her sister more because of how outspoken and blunt she is as opposed to Kiera, but they're both valid and so is Cicada, the soft one out of the three.
I'm so glad that the author decided to include the POV of Cicada as that made things that much more interesting. (But then when the book mentioned Kiera and Cicada using WhatsApp to communicate and Kiera saying that she doesn't know where Cicada is from, I definitely had to shake my head LOL). Oh and I didn't entirely get the inclusion of the random POV here and there, though but I suspect those were there to put emphasis on just how widely the game is played. They were interesting and one of them was a trans character, but they kinda went nowhere.
One of my favorite dynamics in the book is that between Kiera and her sister, Steph and that dyanmic grows as well. My other favorite is that between her and Cicada and I really wished that . Anyway, I basically loved that Kiera has a full support system in her parents, her sister, her co-mod and best friend and the ending is perfect and YES.
In all, SLAY is a solid YA sci-fi debut that's equally important and entertaining and I can't wait to see what Morris comes up with next \O/
----------------------
UMM THIS COVER IS FIIIIIRE AND HELL YEAH TO GIRLS WEARING GLASSES ON COVERS \O/
----------------------
This is inspired by Black Panther and sounds so awesome that I'm just a bunch of exclamation points right now re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More info about it here
Damn, this book! My favorite part of the whole book is easily the MMORPG, SLAY, itself but I'm also highly appreciative of how much about being proud of Black culture it is about as well as some very kickass and well-developed Black characters while being super relevant to issues that are faced by Black people by other Black people and the society in general.
SLAY the book does have moments where it's set up so that the very real issues are highlighted in ways that are relevant to the story as well as to the readers and that's great to see. Subjects such as the difference between the pro-Black and the anti-white rhetorics, white supremacy, racism, police brutality, abusive relationships are all dealt with within the book.
As for the game itself, it is so well done. Pop culture references always delight me so to see a game setup around Black culture that every Black person on earth can relate to is awesome to see. I love how clever the gameplay and the rules are as even though Kiera and Cicada, the co-mod, know all the cards, they can never themselves predict just how a game is going to progress. I had so much fun reading through the parts that had actual duels, eeee. Sidenote, some of the artwork is up on here and it's nothing short of amazing !!
When it comes to the characters, Kiera is a badass game developer and I loved her from the get-go. Really, what's not to love about this glasses-wearing, strong, sensitive, take-no-shit girl of a main character. I almost loved her sister more because of how outspoken and blunt she is as opposed to Kiera, but they're both valid and so is Cicada, the soft one out of the three.
I'm so glad that the author decided to include the POV of Cicada as that made things that much more interesting. (But then when the book mentioned Kiera and Cicada using WhatsApp to communicate and Kiera saying that she doesn't know where Cicada is from, I definitely had to shake my head LOL). Oh and I didn't entirely get the inclusion of the random POV here and there, though but I suspect those were there to put emphasis on just how widely the game is played. They were interesting and one of them was a trans character, but they kinda went nowhere.
One of my favorite dynamics in the book is that between Kiera and her sister, Steph and that dyanmic grows as well. My other favorite is that between her and Cicada and I really wished that . Anyway, I basically loved that Kiera has a full support system in her parents, her sister, her co-mod and best friend and the ending is perfect and YES.
In all, SLAY is a solid YA sci-fi debut that's equally important and entertaining and I can't wait to see what Morris comes up with next \O/
----------------------
UMM THIS COVER IS FIIIIIRE AND HELL YEAH TO GIRLS WEARING GLASSES ON COVERS \O/
----------------------
This is inspired by Black Panther and sounds so awesome that I'm just a bunch of exclamation points right now re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More info about it here
August 13, 2020
This book was absolutely impossible to put down and I loved every single page of it! Gaming is a big part of the book but by no means do you need to be a gamer to enjoy it, the last gaming system I owned was a Nintendo 64 and I still enjoyed the hell out of this book. Because it’s about SO much more than gaming. It discusses race and racism and identity a and relationships in such an important and yet accessible way. Despite the heavy topics that are covered it doesn’t feel like a heavy read, it’s still fun and exciting while exploring those topics.
September 22, 2019
“As we duel, as we chat, there's an understanding that "your black is not my black" and "your weird is not my weird" and "your beautiful is not my beautiful," and that's okay. It' brings tears to my eyes if I think about it too long.”
I knew when I saw this that I wanted to get my hands on this, so I actually requested this in two different places - just incase! I mean it was marketed as Warcross meets Black Panther - yes please! Thankfully Simon and Schuster was lovely enough to send me a physical arc because this was such a wonderful book.
I have to start by saying that I'm a little out of my depth with this review, SLAY wasn't written for me in any shape or form. This book is unapologetically black and I can't even begin to imagine what this book has meant and will mean to so many young black teens - it makes my heart happy to think about it. I'm going to review this the best I can, but keep in mind that I am a middle-class, white, Canadian girl and my voice isn't the main one you should be listening to when it comes to this book. I encourage you to search out ownvoice reviews on this, it's so very important.
This story features a seventeen year old girl named Keira, who is leading a kind of double life. One part of her life is being the good daughter and sister and going to a mostly white school and trying to excel, so she can get into a good college. The other part of her life, she is the creator and co-admin (with another young bi-racial girl) of an online MMORPG for thousands of the black community only called SLAY. Her parents, siblings and boyfriend are completely in the dark about this - she has remained 100% anonymous. Her fear is in telling them is that they will think it's a waste of time and not really get what she is doing for the community and how important it is to her and so many others. Unfortunately, a player of the game is murdered outside the game because someone wanted some of his game items and so begins a giant new circus about violence in video games, as well as questions if the site is racist for being anti-white.
I want to get this out of the way real quick - there is no such thing as white racism. Racism means oppression, not hurt feelings. If you are not being oppressed by another race, by their actions then there is no racism. Therefore, there can be not white racism - just name calling. Just saying... SLAY is based on games like World of Warcraft, but it for the black community only and all the game play is based off historical, cultural, entertainment and everyday references that mean something in the black community. No, not just the US community - world wide. It sounds like such a badass game and I'd do it no justice if I ever tried to explain it but it's very well thought out and super accessible for the people that are not gamers. I will say that there is a lot of gaming talk and I am a gamer, but I don't think many will struggle with it. I promise, it's broken really easy and keeps it interesting. It's not even my type of game and I was completely invested - the stakes always seemed high and the characters were amazing sounding. A friend actually asked me if there was a game like this for certain communities. I sadly answered, "no, because it would be swamped instantly by other communities with nothing but hate fueled comments." It's a shame. I think safe spaces are very important and as a girl gamer I get the desire for just wanting a place where you don't have to be called names or harassed.
The one thing I could really relate to in this book is the girl gaming aspect and it being assumed they were men and ending gave me such chills and brought tears to my eyes. This is for the girls - the STEM girls! This book hears you and gets you. I wanted to stand up and cheer for these girls - just thinking about the ending in this book makes me weepy - it's so flipping empowering and I think the author for putting it on paper and allowing me to read it.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it's a bit far fetched in terms of the creating the game. A massive game could not be run by two young girls alone - it takes a ton of people. It also takes cash, there is a reason that games aren't free - they aren't cheap to make, especially on the caliber of SLAY. Also, there is no way they could just being doing it in their spare time - not realistic. You'd be a slave to your PC if you were creating something like that and keeping it going. This didn't really bother me, but it might frustrate some because of how unrealistic it is and how easy the author makes it seem.
I feel like I was all over the place with this review. I haven't given the best overview ever but please don't be scared of this book because you think it's a gaming book or that you won't get it because you aren't black - you should read it for that exact reason. It will likely open your eyes to some really important topics. I know it did for me. I highly recommend this one, I wish I could do it better justice but please go read it.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I knew when I saw this that I wanted to get my hands on this, so I actually requested this in two different places - just incase! I mean it was marketed as Warcross meets Black Panther - yes please! Thankfully Simon and Schuster was lovely enough to send me a physical arc because this was such a wonderful book.
I have to start by saying that I'm a little out of my depth with this review, SLAY wasn't written for me in any shape or form. This book is unapologetically black and I can't even begin to imagine what this book has meant and will mean to so many young black teens - it makes my heart happy to think about it. I'm going to review this the best I can, but keep in mind that I am a middle-class, white, Canadian girl and my voice isn't the main one you should be listening to when it comes to this book. I encourage you to search out ownvoice reviews on this, it's so very important.
This story features a seventeen year old girl named Keira, who is leading a kind of double life. One part of her life is being the good daughter and sister and going to a mostly white school and trying to excel, so she can get into a good college. The other part of her life, she is the creator and co-admin (with another young bi-racial girl) of an online MMORPG for thousands of the black community only called SLAY. Her parents, siblings and boyfriend are completely in the dark about this - she has remained 100% anonymous. Her fear is in telling them is that they will think it's a waste of time and not really get what she is doing for the community and how important it is to her and so many others. Unfortunately, a player of the game is murdered outside the game because someone wanted some of his game items and so begins a giant new circus about violence in video games, as well as questions if the site is racist for being anti-white.
I want to get this out of the way real quick - there is no such thing as white racism. Racism means oppression, not hurt feelings. If you are not being oppressed by another race, by their actions then there is no racism. Therefore, there can be not white racism - just name calling. Just saying... SLAY is based on games like World of Warcraft, but it for the black community only and all the game play is based off historical, cultural, entertainment and everyday references that mean something in the black community. No, not just the US community - world wide. It sounds like such a badass game and I'd do it no justice if I ever tried to explain it but it's very well thought out and super accessible for the people that are not gamers. I will say that there is a lot of gaming talk and I am a gamer, but I don't think many will struggle with it. I promise, it's broken really easy and keeps it interesting. It's not even my type of game and I was completely invested - the stakes always seemed high and the characters were amazing sounding. A friend actually asked me if there was a game like this for certain communities. I sadly answered, "no, because it would be swamped instantly by other communities with nothing but hate fueled comments." It's a shame. I think safe spaces are very important and as a girl gamer I get the desire for just wanting a place where you don't have to be called names or harassed.
The one thing I could really relate to in this book is the girl gaming aspect and it being assumed they were men and ending gave me such chills and brought tears to my eyes. This is for the girls - the STEM girls! This book hears you and gets you. I wanted to stand up and cheer for these girls - just thinking about the ending in this book makes me weepy - it's so flipping empowering and I think the author for putting it on paper and allowing me to read it.
The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it's a bit far fetched in terms of the creating the game. A massive game could not be run by two young girls alone - it takes a ton of people. It also takes cash, there is a reason that games aren't free - they aren't cheap to make, especially on the caliber of SLAY. Also, there is no way they could just being doing it in their spare time - not realistic. You'd be a slave to your PC if you were creating something like that and keeping it going. This didn't really bother me, but it might frustrate some because of how unrealistic it is and how easy the author makes it seem.
I feel like I was all over the place with this review. I haven't given the best overview ever but please don't be scared of this book because you think it's a gaming book or that you won't get it because you aren't black - you should read it for that exact reason. It will likely open your eyes to some really important topics. I know it did for me. I highly recommend this one, I wish I could do it better justice but please go read it.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 31, 2019
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do now. I was lusting over the cover of this book when I saw it advertised for #Bookcon2019. But now that I have finally gotten my hands on it and gotten a chance to read it I know that this is the book that I wanted to read as a little girl. As a Black woman I appreciate the depth of this novel and I'm sitting here reeling as it is Brittney Morris's first novel. I will certainly be buying copies of this book for the Kieras in my circle. Waiting with bated breath to see what Morris publishes next.
#ReadingRush
I do now. I was lusting over the cover of this book when I saw it advertised for #Bookcon2019. But now that I have finally gotten my hands on it and gotten a chance to read it I know that this is the book that I wanted to read as a little girl. As a Black woman I appreciate the depth of this novel and I'm sitting here reeling as it is Brittney Morris's first novel. I will certainly be buying copies of this book for the Kieras in my circle. Waiting with bated breath to see what Morris publishes next.
#ReadingRush
September 26, 2019
This book is getting a lot of hype and, honestly, it deserves every single bit of it. I don’t remember exactly what it was, or who, inspired me to request this one but I’m so glad I did. So here I am paying it forward : watch out for this one.
The summary perfectly sums up (hah) what this is about, there’s no need for me to rehash anything in my review, and honestly the less I say about this, the better, I think. Not only because it isn’t my place to talk about representation (which I never would for an #ownvoices story) or what this book is or isn’t doing right (also not my place) — though I think it got everything right, to be honest — ultimately, all that matters, is this book both entertained and educated me and I loved the experience of reading it.
The wide-lens of this particular conflict is, I think, so important. It’s a multifaceted narrative. Race, identity, culture, gaming, ambition, history. It’s all tied up beautifully. I might even have teared up ar the end. Got me a bit in my feels there, Morris.
And speaking of beautiful. Beyond the relevant, and relatable issues, that readers will experience, the creativity? Incredible. The secondary setting of Morris’ story is this immersive VR online world and the way she infused not only Black culture but also Black history into this game was just unreal. Except, I want that to be real. I would wish for that kind of safe space, sans trolls, to exist for gamers who are otherwise treated terribly in the anonymous space that is the internet, who constantly have to listen to hateful vitriol spewed at them across the ether by strangers. A place that celebrates, and even educates, as well as focuses on mutual love and respect, even as opponents duel each other.
I enjoyed this book so much and absolutely hope the buzz continues post-release and this finds its way into many hands, no matter their colour. There's something for everyone here, even if this book isn't about you. Maybe, even, particularly if this book isn't about you.
I know I'll be picking up whatever this author comes out with next, too.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
The summary perfectly sums up (hah) what this is about, there’s no need for me to rehash anything in my review, and honestly the less I say about this, the better, I think. Not only because it isn’t my place to talk about representation (which I never would for an #ownvoices story) or what this book is or isn’t doing right (also not my place) — though I think it got everything right, to be honest — ultimately, all that matters, is this book both entertained and educated me and I loved the experience of reading it.
The wide-lens of this particular conflict is, I think, so important. It’s a multifaceted narrative. Race, identity, culture, gaming, ambition, history. It’s all tied up beautifully. I might even have teared up ar the end. Got me a bit in my feels there, Morris.
And speaking of beautiful. Beyond the relevant, and relatable issues, that readers will experience, the creativity? Incredible. The secondary setting of Morris’ story is this immersive VR online world and the way she infused not only Black culture but also Black history into this game was just unreal. Except, I want that to be real. I would wish for that kind of safe space, sans trolls, to exist for gamers who are otherwise treated terribly in the anonymous space that is the internet, who constantly have to listen to hateful vitriol spewed at them across the ether by strangers. A place that celebrates, and even educates, as well as focuses on mutual love and respect, even as opponents duel each other.
I enjoyed this book so much and absolutely hope the buzz continues post-release and this finds its way into many hands, no matter their colour. There's something for everyone here, even if this book isn't about you. Maybe, even, particularly if this book isn't about you.
I know I'll be picking up whatever this author comes out with next, too.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
April 8, 2020
THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOD.
I loved the world. I loved the characters. I loved the story. Overall - fantastic. Video Games in books is already *chef kiss* but this took it to another level. Kiera is such an incredible MC - I could N E V E R do what she does in this book, even if it was easier in our current world than it is now. I also feel like I learned so much from this book - not that it was meant to teach me anything specifically, but we can all still learn.
PLEASE READ IT!
p.s. I also listened to this on audio and it was full cast and very good.
I loved the world. I loved the characters. I loved the story. Overall - fantastic. Video Games in books is already *chef kiss* but this took it to another level. Kiera is such an incredible MC - I could N E V E R do what she does in this book, even if it was easier in our current world than it is now. I also feel like I learned so much from this book - not that it was meant to teach me anything specifically, but we can all still learn.
PLEASE READ IT!
p.s. I also listened to this on audio and it was full cast and very good.
January 18, 2021
I received an ARC of SLAY courtesy of BookCon 2019. Thank you Simon Pulse.
I've been wavering between 3 and 4 stars since completing SLAY, so I'm settling on 3.5 stars because I have a HUGE gripe with the 'twist'. Not only do I have a gripe, it only gets addressed within the span of 2-3 pages. Even after a month, I still feel unsatisfied. I don't even know how to talk about it without spoiling it, so I'll mark the spoiler below.
Before I get to that, I will address all the positives :)
Characters:
Kiera Johnson or "Emerald" - a teen game developer of an online game called SLAY that no one in her real life knows about.
Steph Johnson - Kiera's younger sister
Malcolm - Kiera's boyfriend. He has strong opinions about blackness and preserving black culture.
Harper - Kiera's white friend and sister to Wyatt
Wyatt - Harper's brother
- I thought the gaming scenes were exciting and cinematic.
- I loved how the author wrote from the POVs of other Black characters from all over the world. It's very important that our own community as well as non-Blacks understand that Black people are not a monolith.
- This was a strongly written debut in terms of prose. It was so easy to get into the flow of the writing. I thought the pacing was done so well.
- SLAY covers a multitude of topics such as: being Black enough for your own community, online harassment and bullying, microaggression, and toxic masculinity. There's also a lot of discussion on the many facets of being Black. Like whether saying something is 'ghetto' is still okay and varying opinions on AAVE. Her white friends ask inappropriate questions as if she is the spokesperson for all Black people.
- The book is sex positive. Her parents are more relaxed about Kiera and her bf having sexual intercourse.
- There's a scene where Malcolm calls Kiera out for code-switching (or changing her voice) around her white friends. He then says, "I want you to be yourself around me, and around them. I want my black goddess all the time, but you out here sounding like you work in a call center."
- Later, there's a conversation with Malcolm who is vocal that he doesn't support interracial relationships and believes the world wants to divide Black women and Black men. He states, "That's all you see in movies anymore". The interesting thing about Malcolm is that he has very, very valid points but it becomes problematic when there's an undertone of prejudice and disdain.
- If you want a summary of Malcolm, take it from Kiera:
•"Something Malcolm makes me feel guilty about not being 'black enough'."
•"He's pro-black and antiwhite, two ideologies that sometimes overlap but are not the same thing. He's pro a lot of things, but to realize he's not nearly as progressive as I thought---that's hard for me to admit."
•"Malcolm made me realize another threat to my people, one that's less obvious, one that creeps in slowly like a disease. The threat of self-hatred."
I do feel like Malcolm could have been so much more fleshed out as a character. He's a significant character and I wish there was more details about his background. Maybe he could have been included as an additional POV like other characters. I want to know what parts of his upbringing influences his views so his actions make more sense. I felt like Malcolm slowly became a caricature. I also think some of his toxicity could have been more directly confronted.
- Besides my main issue that I discuss in the spoiler section, I honestly think the exact same book could have existed without another Black teen death. I think the nuance and complexity of blackness can be visible without someone dying. That's not all we are. We're not all connected to someone who is a victim of racially-motivated murder or gang violence. It's very possible that the author included this as part of the plot from personal experience, but I felt like there wasn't that much of an impact on the overall plot. I hope one day I see more #blackboyjoy in #ownvoices YA.
- Conclusion: I thought this was a solid, hard-hitting debut but some of the edges could have been smoothed over just a little better. I thought the conflict was wrapped up a little too cleanly. Maybe the final copies will have fixed some of the issues. SLAY gave us strong, Black lead rep and eye-opening discussions. I think a lot of Black girls will feel so seen by this book. Despite my personal gripes, I'm beyond thrilled that this book exists.
**SPOILERS**
__
That was cool! SLAY has some good themes and I enjoyed the gaming aspect. However, some of the execution was unfulfilling, mainly when it came to Malcolm's storyline. There were some issues I had, but otherwise it's a pretty good book.
Full review to come closer to the publication date!
__
I've been wavering between 3 and 4 stars since completing SLAY, so I'm settling on 3.5 stars because I have a HUGE gripe with the 'twist'. Not only do I have a gripe, it only gets addressed within the span of 2-3 pages. Even after a month, I still feel unsatisfied. I don't even know how to talk about it without spoiling it, so I'll mark the spoiler below.
Before I get to that, I will address all the positives :)
Characters:
Kiera Johnson or "Emerald" - a teen game developer of an online game called SLAY that no one in her real life knows about.
Steph Johnson - Kiera's younger sister
Malcolm - Kiera's boyfriend. He has strong opinions about blackness and preserving black culture.
Harper - Kiera's white friend and sister to Wyatt
Wyatt - Harper's brother
- I thought the gaming scenes were exciting and cinematic.
- I loved how the author wrote from the POVs of other Black characters from all over the world. It's very important that our own community as well as non-Blacks understand that Black people are not a monolith.
- This was a strongly written debut in terms of prose. It was so easy to get into the flow of the writing. I thought the pacing was done so well.
- SLAY covers a multitude of topics such as: being Black enough for your own community, online harassment and bullying, microaggression, and toxic masculinity. There's also a lot of discussion on the many facets of being Black. Like whether saying something is 'ghetto' is still okay and varying opinions on AAVE. Her white friends ask inappropriate questions as if she is the spokesperson for all Black people.
- The book is sex positive. Her parents are more relaxed about Kiera and her bf having sexual intercourse.
- There's a scene where Malcolm calls Kiera out for code-switching (or changing her voice) around her white friends. He then says, "I want you to be yourself around me, and around them. I want my black goddess all the time, but you out here sounding like you work in a call center."
- Later, there's a conversation with Malcolm who is vocal that he doesn't support interracial relationships and believes the world wants to divide Black women and Black men. He states, "That's all you see in movies anymore". The interesting thing about Malcolm is that he has very, very valid points but it becomes problematic when there's an undertone of prejudice and disdain.
- If you want a summary of Malcolm, take it from Kiera:
•"Something Malcolm makes me feel guilty about not being 'black enough'."
•"He's pro-black and antiwhite, two ideologies that sometimes overlap but are not the same thing. He's pro a lot of things, but to realize he's not nearly as progressive as I thought---that's hard for me to admit."
•"Malcolm made me realize another threat to my people, one that's less obvious, one that creeps in slowly like a disease. The threat of self-hatred."
I do feel like Malcolm could have been so much more fleshed out as a character. He's a significant character and I wish there was more details about his background. Maybe he could have been included as an additional POV like other characters. I want to know what parts of his upbringing influences his views so his actions make more sense. I felt like Malcolm slowly became a caricature. I also think some of his toxicity could have been more directly confronted.
- Besides my main issue that I discuss in the spoiler section, I honestly think the exact same book could have existed without another Black teen death. I think the nuance and complexity of blackness can be visible without someone dying. That's not all we are. We're not all connected to someone who is a victim of racially-motivated murder or gang violence. It's very possible that the author included this as part of the plot from personal experience, but I felt like there wasn't that much of an impact on the overall plot. I hope one day I see more #blackboyjoy in #ownvoices YA.
- Conclusion: I thought this was a solid, hard-hitting debut but some of the edges could have been smoothed over just a little better. I thought the conflict was wrapped up a little too cleanly. Maybe the final copies will have fixed some of the issues. SLAY gave us strong, Black lead rep and eye-opening discussions. I think a lot of Black girls will feel so seen by this book. Despite my personal gripes, I'm beyond thrilled that this book exists.
**SPOILERS**
__
That was cool! SLAY has some good themes and I enjoyed the gaming aspect. However, some of the execution was unfulfilling, mainly when it came to Malcolm's storyline. There were some issues I had, but otherwise it's a pretty good book.
Full review to come closer to the publication date!
__
January 20, 2022
I got chills reading this book. It is the book that you wish would never end, the book that you wish would just keep on going forever. The beginning was admittedly slow, but it quickly picked up. It felt so raw, so real, so amazingly beautiful. And lastly, cause this won’t be a long review, I love Kiera and Claire’s friendship. It’s awesome.
PLEASE READ THIS
PLEASE READ THIS
July 18, 2020
ASHHSDHDHSHHSHHS THE ENDING THOUGH...I KNEW IT!!!! ANYWAY GO READ THIS STUNNING BOOK! :D
June 23, 2020
*****2020 Reread: This is just as good as the first time! Definitely recommend. *****
Slay is "...a double entendre, meaning both 'to greatly impress' and 'to annihilate'." and this debut YA by Brittney Morris does indeed slay! This is a book about Black culture, identity politics, toxic masculinity, microagressions, racism and sexism in gaming, the importance of safe spaces, and the complexities of being Black in a majority white environment. It is deeply rooted in Black cultural touchstones and icons, but it something that everyone should read for a variety of reasons. I will talk about the book more below, but I recommend you check out these own voices reviews as well:
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (this includes a very valid criticism of the twist in the book, though for me it's still a 5 star read)
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The book follows 17-year-old Kiera Johnson, one of four Black students at her high school, and the secret developer of the virtual reality MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game for those non-gamers) know as Slay. After experiencing a great deal of racism as a Black gamer, Kera decided to create a game that celebrated Blackness and was a safe space for other Black gamers. But when a player of Slay is murdered over an in-game conflict, news programs questions whether this game that excludes white people is dangerous, racist, and illegal.
The description of Slay is really cool. It has an immersive world and involves card-based duels with very creative powers based on pieces of Black culture. The plot is well-paced and interesting, with vignettes from the perspective of players in different cities and parts of the world which I really liked as a way of demonstrating the diversity of the Black experience in diaspora.
Thematically, this book is incredibly rich and nuanced, grappling with different aspects of racism and microagression, toxic masculinity, and the experience of white friends expecting you to explain and be representative of all Black people. This also looks at the problems associated with ideas of social uplift and rigid ideas about what Black excellence should look like. For teenagers, I think this is a book where some people will feel very seen, and others will be introduced to very important concepts.
There have been some criticisms of the handling of Keira's boyfriend Malcolm, who really embodies toxic Black masculinity. On the one hand, I think those are important themes to explore, especially for teenagers who might not see the dangers of controlling behavior that is supposedly "loving." On the other hand, I do think it would be better if there were another prominent character who demonstrated a non-toxic version of Black masculinity. Concerns over this reinforcing ideas of Black men as "dangerous" are valid ones, though I think the intention here is a good one.
Overall, I thought this was a very strong debut and one I would very much recommend widely.
Slay is "...a double entendre, meaning both 'to greatly impress' and 'to annihilate'." and this debut YA by Brittney Morris does indeed slay! This is a book about Black culture, identity politics, toxic masculinity, microagressions, racism and sexism in gaming, the importance of safe spaces, and the complexities of being Black in a majority white environment. It is deeply rooted in Black cultural touchstones and icons, but it something that everyone should read for a variety of reasons. I will talk about the book more below, but I recommend you check out these own voices reviews as well:
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (this includes a very valid criticism of the twist in the book, though for me it's still a 5 star read)
- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The book follows 17-year-old Kiera Johnson, one of four Black students at her high school, and the secret developer of the virtual reality MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game for those non-gamers) know as Slay. After experiencing a great deal of racism as a Black gamer, Kera decided to create a game that celebrated Blackness and was a safe space for other Black gamers. But when a player of Slay is murdered over an in-game conflict, news programs questions whether this game that excludes white people is dangerous, racist, and illegal.
The description of Slay is really cool. It has an immersive world and involves card-based duels with very creative powers based on pieces of Black culture. The plot is well-paced and interesting, with vignettes from the perspective of players in different cities and parts of the world which I really liked as a way of demonstrating the diversity of the Black experience in diaspora.
Thematically, this book is incredibly rich and nuanced, grappling with different aspects of racism and microagression, toxic masculinity, and the experience of white friends expecting you to explain and be representative of all Black people. This also looks at the problems associated with ideas of social uplift and rigid ideas about what Black excellence should look like. For teenagers, I think this is a book where some people will feel very seen, and others will be introduced to very important concepts.
There have been some criticisms of the handling of Keira's boyfriend Malcolm, who really embodies toxic Black masculinity. On the one hand, I think those are important themes to explore, especially for teenagers who might not see the dangers of controlling behavior that is supposedly "loving." On the other hand, I do think it would be better if there were another prominent character who demonstrated a non-toxic version of Black masculinity. Concerns over this reinforcing ideas of Black men as "dangerous" are valid ones, though I think the intention here is a good one.
Overall, I thought this was a very strong debut and one I would very much recommend widely.
June 16, 2020
The audiobook was fantastic! I loved the multiple narrators and it added even more depth to an already great story. This book kept me up well past my bedtime because I was so invested. I personally am not really a gamer type so I wasn’t sure if I would like this but I was so surprised how much I loved it and all the gaming aspects ~~
December 2, 2019
This is a beautiful written book about being a Black teen that touches topics like racism and cultural appropriation. The setting is a high school with mostly White teens. And it is such a wholesome tale about friendship and trust. And learning how to listen to eachother.
Kiera is our MC, she lives with her sis (who goes to the same High school) and her parents. Kiera who btw kicks ass! Builds her own online game called SLAY for Black people only where everyone can be theirselves. It has become a safe place for many people. And together with Cicada a friend from across the world they keep expanding the game and building this beautiful community with loads of cultural references. I used to play so many online RPGs as a kid to escape reality. Intense times, very important as well.
At some point a kid gets killed over the game irl and this safe place gets under attack. Social media calling it 'racist for excluding and violent hub for thugs and criminals.' While all kinds of opinions are being thrown around, Kiera gets frustrated that SLAY was being turned into something it is not!
I loved the sister bond Kiera and Steph shared. And also Harper their friend who asks everything that comes to her mind. But especially Cicada, the online friendship and trust that keeps growing and getting stronger.
Kiera is our MC, she lives with her sis (who goes to the same High school) and her parents. Kiera who btw kicks ass! Builds her own online game called SLAY for Black people only where everyone can be theirselves. It has become a safe place for many people. And together with Cicada a friend from across the world they keep expanding the game and building this beautiful community with loads of cultural references. I used to play so many online RPGs as a kid to escape reality. Intense times, very important as well.
At some point a kid gets killed over the game irl and this safe place gets under attack. Social media calling it 'racist for excluding and violent hub for thugs and criminals.' While all kinds of opinions are being thrown around, Kiera gets frustrated that SLAY was being turned into something it is not!
I loved the sister bond Kiera and Steph shared. And also Harper their friend who asks everything that comes to her mind. But especially Cicada, the online friendship and trust that keeps growing and getting stronger.
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