Review: Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark

I am going to start by saying I really recommend this book! That is always the most salient part of a review, and in a situation where I am still not entirely sure of my star rating, I think that is a good place to start.

Ring Shout is about Maryse, a young black woman in prohibition-era America, who, along with two other young women of color, hunts down Klu Kluxes, actual demons who have taken the place of Klan members (a different kind of demon). This book is very short, has a strong message, and excellent character development for being under 200 pages.

This is a fantasy/horror book, but if you, like me, are a giant chicken, don't let that scare you off. I didn't find the book scary, probably in part because I was so interested in the symbolism Clark was employing with the monsters presented, but also, I think things lean a little more gross or shocking than scary. So fellow chickens, feel free to read! If you cannot handle any level of body horror, then maybe this isn't for you. There isn't a ton, but significant scenes involve what I think body horror is; I am not actually sure, but it felt like that was what it is.

I really liked the resolution to this book, and the central conflict being hatred; it was incredibly well done. I don't think the book needed more pages to convey its message or story, but I tend to be a person who wants more out of shorter books. I don't think the book would be inherently better if it were longer; I just don't read that many very short books. Maybe the actual problem is I need to read some more short books!

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph. I would recommend this book to so many people! Anyone who loves fantastic (in both senses) takes on historical events, people who like myth integrated into modern fiction (I would recommend this book very highly to any adult who liked Tristan Strong, many of the myths in both books overlap, and the core messaging is very similar in a way that I think readers of that series would love. Also, if you were a Percy Jackson kid, you should see if you are a Ring Shout adult), and anyone who likes incredibly fast-paced speculative fiction.