The story is about Keira, a college student who is secretly the developer of SLAY, an online fantasy role-playing game. SLAY is a place where she and other black gamers all over the world can escape the racism of other online gaming spaces and proudly be themselves. But when someone in the real world dies as a result of a conflict in the game, SLAY is labelled as dangerous and racist. Confronted with this tragedy, Keira is forced to navigate her personal and online relationships to protect the safe space she has created for herself and so many others.
As I mentioned before, I am not a gamer. I know a bit of D&D, and Keira's game had those vibes, but techy stuff goes completely over my head. So trust me when I say that you don't have to understand anything about the game in this novel to find it a thoroughly enjoyable read. What made me care about Keira's game was not the way it was played or the accuracy of how it was developed. I cared about SLAY because it meant something to people. That's more powerful than any magic a game could conjure up.
The characters were distinct and relatable. Keira is quiet, intelligent, and passionate about her game, and throughout the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that she is incredibly resilient despite the huge toll SLAY's controversy has taken on her. Meanwhile, her sister Steph is more bold and outspoken, and unafraid to address people when they're being ignorant. There is a scene where Steph calls out Keira's friends in the most collected and calm way and I was shaking at how powerful it was. But we also see Keira experiencing immense grief for the child who lost his life over her game in that same scene. She is unable to be calm - and why should she be? I loved how Morris addresses the fact that both responses are okay, and that black women don't have to be constantly responsible for educating others.
I also loved the glimpses we got into the lives of the other characters in Keira's life, including Cicada - a biracial French gamer who helped Keira with maintaining the game. There were a couple scattered in there that I'm not sure brought a lot to the story, but I liked how it highlighted how there is no singular black experience.
Although this is in many places a fun read, it is also incredibly intense. The issues the novel deals with are very real - the lack of safe places of POC online, daily microaggressions, white supremacy, abusive relationships, misogyny and elitism under the guise of empowerment. It is difficult to read at times, but very rewarding.
This book affected me deeply and is quite frankly an essential read for its messages but also its thrilling storytelling and wonderful characters. SLAY is all about black girls in STEM elevating each other, and it should be on everyone's shelves.
★★★★☆
YA Contemporary
Standalone
Keira is Black
Racism, white supremacy, misogyny, video-game violence, murder (off-page), abusive relationship (non-physical), domestic abuse towards trans child (side character)
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