Reviews with content warning for Blood - Moon of the Turning Leaves

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

14 reviews

clemrain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I picked this up not knowing it was a sequel. Regardless, I don’t think it’s necessary to read the first book (though I intend to) because I didn’t feel lost.

This book made me cry. It was written so softly and always punched you hard when you’re not expecting it. The pacing is brilliant. Slow in the following of the journey, tense and fast in difficult situations. It flows well. I didn’t find myself bored at all.

The characters mean a lot to me. I wanted them safe. And each brutality to them hit me. I’m happy with the ending but it is bittersweet. Leaves room for another book but I wouldn’t say it’s a necessity.

I really appreciated how Indigenous cultures and ideas took center in this book. It wasn’t an apocalypse more than it was how people thrive and follow their beliefs even in hard times. There’s a lot of talks about “land being reclaimed” in the apocalyptic genre, but I’ve found they create an antagonistic caricature of tribal cultures. This book is what I would expect realistically what cultures who connect with the land would do.

The white man being an oppressor is never going to end it seems. I couldn’t find the addition of white supremacy in these times unrealistic. It could’ve been easy to create savages of these white groups just as much as it is for white literature to do the same to Indigenous cultures. However, I didn’t find that to be the case. As much as these characters weren’t centred, they were still more than just a foreign entity. And a realistically scary one too.

Overall, this book doesn’t have much in terms of plot. It’s very similar to The Road. There is a journey, and the story isn’t about the destination. You have to care about the journey. And I did. Great read.

Content Warnings

dananana's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful

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

3.5

Content Warnings

musicalpopcorn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Years after the events of Moon of the Crusted Snow, the survivors need to try and find their people a new place to live.

This was a fantastic sequel. It was like a simmering pot, slowly getting hotter. It was vivid and beautifully written. I enjoyed it immensely.

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laurareads87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Moon of the Turning Leaves picks up over ten years after its predecessor left off; the Whitesky family and a small community group have left their homes and are now living further north. This novel follows a small group, including Evan and his daughter Nangohns, who decide to leave south to the shores of the Great Lakes see what remains of the world and find a new place for the community to live.

This novel reads less ‘horror’ than its predecessor; I may like this one even better than the first. I found myself very invested in the characters’ journey, and feel like this novel has so much to say about resilience and hope amidst despair. I have read others describe at least the beginning as slow, but I didn’t find it to be. I loved Rice’s thorough incorporation of Anishinaabemowin.

This could almost work as a standalone; though it does mention individuals and events from the first book, it does so in ways that wouldn’t be totally baffling to a new reader. That said, I would definitely suggest reading Moon of the Crusted Snow first. Both books are excellent, and it provides valuable context to this one.

Content warnings: death, murder, violence, gun violence, suicide, racism, racial slurs, blood, death of a non-human animal, verbal threats of sexual assault, mention of cannibalism

Content Warnings