Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

45 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Gun violence, and Cursing

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Suicide

overthinkereading's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Cannibalism, Suicide, Colonisation, and Racism

lyndsay_bibliophile's review

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Colonisation, Animal death, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Cannibalism and Alcohol

biobeetle's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Colonisation, Animal death, Suicide, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Addiction

mjthomas43's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Death

Minor: Suicide, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Murder

emalderwood's review

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Death, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

Minor: Genocide, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Addiction

sapphire_mayo's review

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Murder, Suicide, and Gun violence

Minor: Death, Alcoholism, and Colonisation

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.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Classism, Murder, Colonisation, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Violence

fmcphaden's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is an incredible take on the post-apocalyptic survival genre. It takes place on a First Nations reserve in northern Ontario; this cultural, historical and political context changes everything. Although it could probably be read just for plot, some basic understanding of the Anishnaabe experience with Canadian colonialism takes it from good to amazing.

(I said “it’s complicated” for diverse characters because it’s almost entirely Anishnaabe characters. Having said that, it uses the small number of white characters in a way that perfectly explores cultural conflict.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Colonisation, and Death

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Suicide, Addiction, Racism, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Classism, Cannibalism, Gun violence, and Animal death

I loved it as a reader, and jumped at the coincidental chance to bring it into my high school class. The students love it too despite finding it challenging.

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

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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