Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Empire of Wild

(Would have been 3 stars but the ending disappointed me enough to move it down to 2.)

I picked this book up because I saw Margaret Atwood recommend it, I'm interested in reading more books by indigenous authors, and I love werewolf adjacent creatures. (The one in this story is a rogarou.)

The setting and the scenes between Joan (main character) and her family are so well written and make me perfectly visualize everything. The small details in character interactions and the places they visit or live in make everything feel so alive and immersive.

One thing I had to get used to is that at least early on the author uses so many pronouns when we're still being introduced to the large cast of characters. I had to reread passages a few times to organize in my head who was doing what or saying what. I'm not sure if the writing got better about naming who did what or if I just got used to it as the book went on.

If you read this book please be aware of the large amount of sexual content most of which is quite graphic. The sheer amount of it in what is a mystery novel surprised me and tbh annoyed me. Everyone other than the kid characters are constantly talking about sex, thinking about sex, or having sex. To the point where I'm just waiting for it to be mentioned yet again in every chapter. Everyone is so freaking horny and most of it is so purposeless to me. Even if you like having sexual content in anything you read, the content in this book feels so out of place so often.

The pacing for most of the book was pretty good. The plot is interesting and gives just enough mystery to make you feel interested but not overwhelmed. And just when I thought the pacing was going too fast I realized that it was pretty well planned!

However by the last few chapters of the book it felt very rushed and everything was a bit to convenient just to wrap the story up.

(There is one scene where Joan travels somewhere, gets angry at something that tbh I felt was just to add conflict and not representative of how she has acted throughout the book, and then gets over it in a couple paragraphs and drives home. :/ Useless.) The last two chapters especially just felt annoying and almost like the author wanted to end on a cliffhanger instead of be content with the story she already finished.

I also felt let down and like some important characters were introduced too late with zero prep and just gone as soon as they came. (No pun intended considering all the sex in this book).

Overall an immersive setting and cast with a fun mystery to keep you on your toes. This all is dragged down by out of place sex and rushed pacing at the end.

Content Warnings

thelizzielibrary's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.0

Not my thing, but starkly written in a beautiful way. I don't love uncertain endings so I was a little frustrated by the end. It was a bit anticlimactic. Also

they kept saying that the Rougaru would come for men who did awful things, but it was never fully explained what Victor had done other than left her during an argument? Like, that wasn't very big compared to what the other men did, so I kept wondering what he actually did throughout

Content Warnings

mr_cain's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

burnt_amber89's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I quite enjoyed this book. I loved reading about the Rogarou and the depiction of this tale from a Metis perspective. I loved the fact that the author didn't explain exactly what the traditional tale was: it kept some sort of mystery, while making me feel part of the community by assuming I knew.
The social commentary embedded in the story is particularly enlightening.
That being said, the writing style was sometimes a little slow, and I was thrown off by the points of views switching from one character to the next.
I am still processing the ending, I applaud its audacity, but maybe it's a little too abrupt ? The jury is still out on this one.

Overall, I think I would recommend this book, it's an easy read, quite gripping sometimes, albeit a little unequal. Great book to get acquainted with traditional folklore and current social issues in indigenous communities. Some violent and/or frightening passages that may make it unsuitable to all audiences (especially at night...). Be sure to check out the trigger warning list before embarking on the journey.

Content Warnings

notthatlibrarian's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

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