We All Fall Down

We All Fall Down held my interest despite its flaws. This book demonstrates imagination, originality, creativity, and talented writing. It is not a classic high fantasy as one might assume from looking at the cover. It is a mash up of urban fantasy and fairy-tale. The plot was convoluted; it meandered, stalled and then exploded in a rapid denouement which occurred in the last twenty pages. The magic system and prophecy were not explained well. The author attempted to take on the topic of police violence against Black people, but didn't handle it sensitively, or in a way that was relevant to the plot. In the story a white woman, Jack, falsely accuses a Black man of a murder, resulting in the man being mistreated by the police. Jack does not face consequences for her behavior and seems to shrug it off. LBGTQ+ readers have identified harmful themes such as misgendering. Other reviewers address these issues in far more depth and with far more eloquence. This book is a case for the employment of sensitivity readers during the editorial process. It was promoted as a YA novel but is really New Adult since most of the main characters seem to be in their twenties. Overall, We All Fall Down had an interesting premise, but faced problems with pacing, plot and the insensitive handling of racial issues.