Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline

19 reviews

the_wistful_word_witch's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Marrow Thieves / Hunting by Stars series is a wonderfully written, scarily realistic, dystopian, young adult, speculative fiction series and I both love and hate it. 😂

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW*

Welp! Looks like I spoke too soon in my review of The Marrow Thieves!! Hunting by Stars starts out with a kick right in the teeth. I felt like the first book had left off unresolved but hopeful, and the second has just shattered that illusion in the first few sentences.

This book gives us an intimate, brutal look at what really goes on in Canada's new residential schools, and the depths to which the dreamless have sunk comes out as French fights to stay sane in this cruel new world so that he can escape and reunite with his family. But his torment isn't over even when he manages to accomplish these almost insurmountable feats, and his family gets dragged down with him on their own flight for freedom... 

There are very few bright spots in this book, and I cried a lot, especially during the last few chapters. The epilogue had me bawling though because Ms. Dimaline once again leaves us with hope, with potential... with dreams.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Genocide, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Violence, Hate crime, Confinement, Blood, Medical trauma, Death, Slavery, Racism, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Minor: Child death

bookcaptivated's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Confinement, Pregnancy, Grief, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Child death

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Grief, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

Minor: Fatphobia

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Xenophobia, and Genocide

Moderate: Abandonment, Trafficking, Torture, Racism, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Medical content

yasmilktea's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, Racism, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Child abuse

betanine's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a dark, dystopian story that makes one’s soul ache. I love the cultural setting that is organic, not stereotypical. I like the look into what it means to be different from the majority and how one can try to become like the majority to survive, even at the cost of losing one’s own identity. These are concepts most of us struggle with on some level. I cannot imagine the pain and struggle one would face because of their skin color or race they were born with. That which is one’s very identity without choice. It reminds me that I want to acknowledge every person’s value, regardless of their identity or origins. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Confinement, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Miscarriage and Mental illness

anaguana's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Genocide, Trafficking, Racism, Medical trauma, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Child death, Cannibalism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Torture

Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Infertility, and Dementia

lancakes's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

3.75

Just not for me. I was really happy with where the first book left off. This sequel was really dark, I don't why it felt so much more difficult to read than the first one, but I just felt like 1) there were less gruesome details in Book 1, and 2) the horror was better balanced by tenderness and care among the characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Incest, Genocide, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Racism

caseythereader's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Sexual violence