I gave this book 5 stars though it really deserves 4.5 (Goodreads really needs to offer half stars but I digress). There are many characters and several things are going on at a time. I always find it clever and interesting when authors bring all their characters together in one novel. I appreciate the writer's ability to create a world & stick to it. However, there were MANY instances in which I found the plot just too complex. I will not complain because I, for one, am sick of the stereotypical, simple plots found in most urban novellas. The connection between Genevieve/Nichelle and Genesis seemed very real, I could tell that King took a significant amount of time to think through their brother-sister relationship in connection to the relationships of the other characters. She's one urban novelist who does a great job developing her characters, oftentimes the main character is the most realistic in her complexities but whatever. Tierra & Renny's "relationship" was a failure in my opinion, and really could have been edited from the novel, but I suppose King needs a way to create other tales about Renny & Nichelle/Genevieve. I "hope" Tierra is really dead this time - I'm sick of unrealistic/unlikely deaths and disappearances that are so common in these types of novels. Heads up writers: this is a novel, a book, a story - not a soap opera. Sheesh. Precious and Supreme still seem to take the forefront of every single King novel. I really don't like Precious, so maybe I'm just biased. And the Future Aailyah epilogue was a complete waste. I mean, please don't let King fast forward through the lives of all her characters to create Aaliyah as a teenager. We've already read the story of the future Aaliyah - about 15 years ago in "The Coldest Winter Ever" - certainly we don't want King to try her hand at that storyline, too.

Anyway, this is a fairly decent urban novel. And I appreciate its "complexity" and King's thorough storytelling. She's done an amazing job and I definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in urban fiction and to lovers of the genre, like myself. Don't miss the "Trife Life to Lavish" series - part 1 is good & I'm telling you, part 2 is even better!!!