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anyaemilie 's review for:
Muted
by Tami Charles
Content warnings:
I knew before I was even a quarter of the way through this book that it was going to be 5 stars. The writing just hit me in a way that I knew this story would knock me on my ass, and by the end, I was a wreck.
One of my favorite things about novels in verse is that when they are done well, they are done SO WELL. They manage to pack such a punch with so few words, and it is something that takes such skill and nuance. For me Elizabeth Acevedo has always been the top tier of that. Tami Charles has vaulted herself up to that same level with this book, in my opinion, because MUTED is a powerful, lyrical, painful, deeply personal book that already had me in tears 80 pages in.
I was on edge throughout the book, yelling at Denver in my head because, as an adult, I could very obviously see that Merc was an abusive, manipulative asshole. And while it took her longer to come to that conclusion, especially without any other trusted adults around, it definitely made for a tense reading experience. But Charles very accurately and believably portrayed the mindset of an 18-year-old girl: at that point in your life, you think you know everything. You’re technically an adult, so you take that to heart, and think you know enough to take care of yourself. This is especially true of Denver because she’s watching her parents’ marriage fall apart. They can’t even get their own lives under control, so who are they to tell her what to do?
So many things happened in this book that I did not expect, and I do not want to spoil anything, so all I can say is that you do NOT want to miss this book! I have been waiting for a book to take my breath away this year because my reading has been somewhat lackluster in 2021 so far, and this one knocked it out of the park. Definitely pick it up when it releases on February 2nd!
I have read some of Charles’ other books, but this is my first of her YA novels. After this, I am definitely interested in getting into some of her other YA works, and I can’t wait to see what else she does in the future. Hopefully more novels in verse! Those are some of my favorite things to read, and this is one of the best.
Spoiler
Rape, homophobia, emotional abuse/manipulation, grooming, forced weigh loss, physical abuse, sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, murderI knew before I was even a quarter of the way through this book that it was going to be 5 stars. The writing just hit me in a way that I knew this story would knock me on my ass, and by the end, I was a wreck.
One of my favorite things about novels in verse is that when they are done well, they are done SO WELL. They manage to pack such a punch with so few words, and it is something that takes such skill and nuance. For me Elizabeth Acevedo has always been the top tier of that. Tami Charles has vaulted herself up to that same level with this book, in my opinion, because MUTED is a powerful, lyrical, painful, deeply personal book that already had me in tears 80 pages in.
I was on edge throughout the book, yelling at Denver in my head because, as an adult, I could very obviously see that Merc was an abusive, manipulative asshole. And while it took her longer to come to that conclusion, especially without any other trusted adults around, it definitely made for a tense reading experience. But Charles very accurately and believably portrayed the mindset of an 18-year-old girl: at that point in your life, you think you know everything. You’re technically an adult, so you take that to heart, and think you know enough to take care of yourself. This is especially true of Denver because she’s watching her parents’ marriage fall apart. They can’t even get their own lives under control, so who are they to tell her what to do?
So many things happened in this book that I did not expect, and I do not want to spoil anything, so all I can say is that you do NOT want to miss this book! I have been waiting for a book to take my breath away this year because my reading has been somewhat lackluster in 2021 so far, and this one knocked it out of the park. Definitely pick it up when it releases on February 2nd!
I have read some of Charles’ other books, but this is my first of her YA novels. After this, I am definitely interested in getting into some of her other YA works, and I can’t wait to see what else she does in the future. Hopefully more novels in verse! Those are some of my favorite things to read, and this is one of the best.