Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

50 reviews

christinaj1021's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.75

Okay WOW. What a phenomenal read!

If you enjoy apocalyptic novels, this is a spin on the classic tropes, setting, and pacing that you would find in any others.

The setting being in a Northern Ontario First Nations community (on rez) completely shifts the focus from how apocalypse novels usually go. The threat of starvation, violence, etc., isn't front and center- something else is. (I can't give it away but it was majorly impactful!)

I must read Rice's next novel. I highly recommend Moon of the Crusted Snow to anyone who likes apocalypse/dystopian feel books. It also has short chapters and is about 200 pages overall, so it's a good read for those who don't have much time or focus!

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overthinkereading's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

“Survival had always been an integral part of their culture. It was their history.”

Post-apocalyptic isn’t really my genre, but this book was SO GOOD. Anxiety-inducing in the best way possible, and a gorgeous Own Voices addition to survivalist storytelling (I loved the inclusion of Anishinaabemowin on equal footing with English). The descriptions of place and characters made the setting, scenes and people jump off the page. I won’t say there’s a shocking twist at the end, but the penultimate scene and the character responsible for its closure was a nice surprise.

Sensitive readers should absolutely check CWs and be prepared for descriptive, intense imagery and situations.

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savvylit's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Moon of the Crusted Snow is an excellent addition to the post-apocalyptic survival genre. To start, Rice's portrayal of the winter weather is top-notch. From maintaining wood stoves to being buried in snow drifts, winter was incredibly present in Moon of the Crusted Snow. Almost like it was a character itself.

The pacing of this novel is perfect. Rice never dwells too long on a specific moment. By always moving the narrative past drudgery to the next memorable event, the timeline of Crusted Snow passes in a way that feels organic and true to life.

Last but not least, the plot balances the bleakness of survival with hope and perseverance. There is a moment in the book where the protagonist, Evan, speaks with a community elder. She tells Evan that she isn't too worried about current events. On the contrary, the Anishinaabe have already survived multiple apocalypses in their history. The events of Moon of the Crusted Snow are just the latest entry in thousands of years of resilience and survival.

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lyndsay_bibliophile's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Moon of the Crusted Snow is a slow burn, with a beautifully eerie setting, rewarding patient readers with its nuanced portrait of community, resilience, and uncertainty. The build-up is masterful, heavy with foreshadowing. Rice subtly paints a picture of their simple, resilient lives, making the impending disaster feel all the more chilling.

As unease creeps in and grocery shelves echo the eerie panic of the pandemic, you know something big is brewing. The constant anticipation is gripping. This is a book that begs to be read in the heart of winter, its stark prose mirroring the frozen landscape.

While undeniably fictional, the story resonates with the enduring strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples. However, for a book that lingers so long in the quiet dread, the ending felt rushed. It left threads dangling. Thankfully, there's a sequel, and I'm eagerly reaching for it to complete the journey.

Content Warnings

biobeetle's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective tense 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

4.0

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shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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lady_of_the_labyrinth's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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rorikae's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'Moon of the Crusted Snow' by Waubgeshig Rice is a slowly creeping horror novel about an Anishinaabe community working to survive the winter after power and communications go out. As the power outage persists, a mysterious man arrives at the community, seeking shelter. But his arrival creates change within the community as division begins to grow between the community members.
Rice does an exceptional job of creating slowly lingering dread that continues to grow throughout the story. He creates the perfect atmosphere in an isolated community, dealing with the perils of winter while trying to save their stores. A lot is shown through small moments in the community that continue to build and build. There is a slight fantastical element but this story relies on the natural horrors of a community seeking survival and how one person can create division through small, deliberate actions.
I will definitely be reading more of Rice's work in the future as it's clear that he has a talent for slowly creeping horror and creating atmosphere.

Content Warnings

emalderwood's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

kellyofcali's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

While I appreciated this post-apocalyptic tale from a First Nations author, I sometimes struggled a bit with the pacing - the action moved in spurts, and sometimes stepped into and out of dreams or through time a bit confusingly. It also almost skipped over the actual action, which was an interesting choice - not sure 100% how I felt about it. Overall though, I liked the story and the setting, and it was an easy listen (I did audiobook). Be warned, the narrator reads quite slowly.

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