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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Believe it or not, but this is a compliment: I almost DNF'd this book; the apocalypse felt too real, and I was uncomfortable. I even had an unsettling dream about this book. In this tale, we are following Evan, primarily, who lives on a Anishinaabe reservation in Ontario as winter is approaching. Then they lose power, internet, cell service, food deliveries, and diesel fuel. The community finds itself cut off, and then a white man/stranger comes and disrupts things. I actually found the second half a bit disappointing. It felt like we were getting bullet points of the story and we never see the white man's machinations, other than at one brief party. I don't know that we need it spelled out, but I would have liked to see more of him being the villain, rather than just being told he is corrupting people. I also found the characterization to be a bit shallow, but maybe they are meant to be types, more than people? There are definitely some good points made about survival, the destruction that white supremacy/colonization has caused to the indigenous people, and maintaining close ties with one's community and beliefs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Classism, Murder, Colonisation, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Violence
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Cannibalism, Blood, and Cursing
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Colonisation, Abandonment, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing, Cannibalism, and Violence
piprigsby's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
i was really excited by the prospect of a sci-fi book featuring indigenous characters, but the first half of the book was more character focused and the plot did not pick up until about half way through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
12_21's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, and Murder
kelseylian's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
As a “southerner” I have been lucky enough to spend some time in northern arctic ice-bound communities. Even though I was there to teach, it was so so clear how little true knowledge I had - truly helpless without the systems of “the south”. This book was fantastic. Surviving up north is about community, humility, thinking ahead, sharing what you have and really respecting the knowledge of those that came before you. Generational thinking over greed. I loved it and hope everyone learns these lessons someday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Suicide, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cannibalism and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Racism, and Colonisation
silodear's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed reading this book. It felt a bit slow and I appreciated the ways it zoomed out of violence and zoomed into apocalypse daily life minutiae. (Not to say it isn’t violent. It definitely is. Just not as explicit in it descriptions as other books, which I appreciate.) I liked it enough to want to read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is a very different take on your typical post-apocalyptic story. It's a slow burn, and if you're looking for a lot of detail on the actual apocalyptic events, you won't find them in this novel. What you will find is a gripping character study with an undercurrent of intense tension simmering beneath the events. The main group of characters are engaging, enough so that I felt Evan's emotions as I was reading. My only small complaint is that there are a LOT of minor characters that only come up once or twice and I had some trouble keeping them straight and remembering who they were tied to in the main cast, whether they'd been mentioned before, etc. Otherwise though, this novel captured me and I can't wait to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Animal death
blacksphinx's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Alcohol, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Suicide and Cannibalism