A review by oliviahamilton
One Of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

An interesting concept and a relatively quick read. I found the main character grating -- not because of her activism, but the simplistic way she viewed acceptable activism. I also found the explanation at the end rushed. Sometimes it felt like certain characters should have caught on to what was happening more quickly, and the "suspicious" ones should have been confronted more thoroughly, which was frustrating as a reader. It made it feel like they lacked depth, even though they all had interesting backgrounds. But the topic and conceit were interesting, and the way it explored the impact of racial trauma and social justice were thought-provoking and important. Seeing now that this author has mostly written YA, I see how that simplistic YA style leaked into this book that wrestles with very adult issues.

I wish there had been more exploration in the epilogue of King's rationale, or maybe some history of how Carlton Way had slowly convinced King this was the only option. It bugged me how he was the "perfect husband" til the very end. Also, why are the Wellness Center folks still black, albeit more white passing, if the goal is to turn into white families? Why make a black neighborhood at all if that is the goal? And why don't Keisha or Jasmyn bring up colorism more explicitly? I felt like the book was missing an exploration of colorism/the intersections of race and class. Jasmyn brings up the guilt a lot, but I would have loved a deeper character from Compton or her childhood. Overall, some loose ends but an interesting read.
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