For me I find them quite the opposite: the books certainly deal with the racism of the era, and of the gnawing terror that it was (and is, in different but similar ways) to be black in the slaveholding south of the United States. But the appeal for me is the way the protagonist, and his friends, family, and community find ways to be brave, and kind, and joyful in the face of that. I like stories set in imperfect worlds (obviously 'imperfect' is an understatement when it comes to 1830s United States), where characters accept that they cannot fight and dismantle all the horrors, and don't exactly reconcile themselves to said horrors — simply find ways to survive and build community in spite of them.

I think that's just right -- and it's the whole point of the series for me. The one book I found too grisly and OTT to reread was the second one, Fever Season. I love how determined Ben and his family/circle are not just to survive, but to thrive.

-- Xuya stories! I really love that verse.