Name: Ellie
Grade: 7th
Title: Concrete Rose
Author: Angie Thomas
Published in: 2021
Pages: 360
Rating: 3.5 stars
“Concrete Rose,” by Angie Thomas revolves around a man named Maverick Carter. Maverick Carter is the son of a former gang legend who struggles with poverty. Due to the challenges with earning money, Maverick decides to sell drugs to support his family. Along with selling drugs comes staying on the good side of the King Lords (drug dealers), but Maverick will do all it takes to receive his cash. With this money he’s able to help pay some bills in the family, get a girlfriend, and maintain a fancy lifestyle. Everything is going well until.. He finds out he has a son, his loved one got murdered, and his grades are failing. Throughout this book, Maverick encounters adversity and overcomes what is once thought to be impossible.
I enjoyed this book because it was very interesting. It always kept me on my toes because Maverick had so many challenges he experienced. Towards the end of the story, I started feeling proud of him for being so brave and strong. After all, accomplishing such an amazing feat of trying to avenge his family member and taking care of his son is not easy. The reason why I rated this book 3.5 stars is because it was a very overwhelming roller coaster ride. While reading this, I felt somewhat burdened by the characters’ troubles which might help some people understand the story and perspective more; personally, it was a little too much.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading books with calamity and a bit of a mystery/thriller because of the vengeance. This book expresses the idea that everything can change in the matter of seconds, it’s up to you to find the light in the darkness.
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