Summary Paragraph
Book CWs: For a list of content/trigger warnings, tropes, and representation found in this book, check out its page on BookTriggerWarnings.com!
Premise
Quan Banks has been in and out of the prison system since he was a child. Having grown up in a not-so-stellar family environment, he doesn’t have the best support network around.
When an officer is shot to death and a weapon is found on the scene with Quan’s prints on it, things don’t look too good for the young man. Things only get worse when Quan is arrested and confesses to the crime.
Through a series of flashbacks and letters, we not only learn more about who Vernell LaQuan Banks Jr. really is, but also what events lead him to that fateful night.
Purchase Here (affiliate links): Amazon (Dear Justyce), Amazon (Dear Martin)
Review (No Spoilers)
I think it’s safe to say that Nic Stone is one of my favorite authors of all time. When I read Dear Martin earlier this year, I was a hot crying mess over how much that book spoke to me. I have never related to a character more than I related to Justyce, so when I found out that a sequel existed, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Dear Justyce centers on Quan Banks, one of the side characters in Dear Martin. While I didn’t relate to Quan as much as I did to Justyce, his story is just as powerful and well-written. Nic Stone has a way of writing that is practically poetic. In fact, when I was reading the book, the voice in my head was not my own but rather Elizabeth Acevedo’s, which was kind of weird but also very interesting lol. If those two authors came together to write a book, I’d probably die on the spot of pure excitement. I know for a fact that a book written by the two of them would rip my heart to shreds and I’m 100% here for it.
The story of Quan is told through a series of flashbacks, letters, and regular narration and I don’t think it would have work better any other way. The flashbacks and letters make the reader feel something that regular narration wouldn’t come close to doing, and the more you read, the more your heart aches for Quan and the amount of pain he’s been through.
If you haven’t already picked up Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, you need to do so right now. These books will change your life.
Jenjenreviews 