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danaslitlist's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
Don’t read the synopsis, just enjoy the book itself!
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If you like the forensic anthropology & mystery solving of the TV show Bones, mixed with indigenous folklore horror, and tinged with a splash of Mothman, this book is for you. But my highest recommendation is to avoid the synopsis before reading, I truly think the synopsis does the book a disservice in setting readers up for disappointment.
That being said, I still really enjoyed this story. The mystery of the stolen museum bones tied into issues of NAGPRA seamlessly, raising rightful accusations of museum profiteers purposefully withholding Indigenous remains from Tribal Nations. The horror elements were built up fairly well, with a good mix of body gore and creepy crawly creatures that’ll send shivers running up your spine.
My biggest critiques are the occasional lines of fatphobia laced throughout Monique’s thought patterns (especially the scene where she’s shopping at Walmart) as well as the inconsistencies in pacing toward the end. The fatphobia was entirely unnecessary and undeveloped and honestly I feel like the book should have been at least 50 pages longer in order for the ending to not feel rushed. But overall, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend for any person who’s a big fan of horror!
That being said, I still really enjoyed this story. The mystery of the stolen museum bones tied into issues of NAGPRA seamlessly, raising rightful accusations of museum profiteers purposefully withholding Indigenous remains from Tribal Nations. The horror elements were built up fairly well, with a good mix of body gore and creepy crawly creatures that’ll send shivers running up your spine.
My biggest critiques are the occasional lines of fatphobia laced throughout Monique’s thought patterns (especially the scene where she’s shopping at Walmart) as well as the inconsistencies in pacing toward the end. The fatphobia was entirely unnecessary and undeveloped and honestly I feel like the book should have been at least 50 pages longer in order for the ending to not feel rushed. But overall, I still enjoyed the book and would recommend for any person who’s a big fan of horror!
leeleeski's review
4.0
This was a great book. Read like one of the better X-Files episodes. Some things held it back from being a five star:
There was a lot of unexpected and food and body shaming in the book. Lots of judgement of what people should and shouldn't be eating. It makes sense that the author would focus on this given her prior written. However, it added little to the story. There is an entirely scene body shaming a person shopping at Walmart just because they exist in public in a fat body. It was gross and fatphobic.
The pacing feels off. The supernatural elements of the story don't take off until 200 pages in. Then there's a rush to conclude the story. If there was 100 more pages to build to the final battle, it would feel better. As a result of the rush, some of the secondary plots felt abandoned, like the abduction story. There could have been something more interesting there but instead it was hastily abandoned and the women were limited to being silent victims.
There was a lot of unexpected and food and body shaming in the book. Lots of judgement of what people should and shouldn't be eating. It makes sense that the author would focus on this given her prior written. However, it added little to the story. There is an entirely scene body shaming a person shopping at Walmart just because they exist in public in a fat body. It was gross and fatphobic.
The pacing feels off. The supernatural elements of the story don't take off until 200 pages in. Then there's a rush to conclude the story. If there was 100 more pages to build to the final battle, it would feel better. As a result of the rush, some of the secondary plots felt abandoned, like the abduction story. There could have been something more interesting there but instead it was hastily abandoned and the women were limited to being silent victims.
mnboyer's review
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
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
5.0
Alright, the easiest way to describe my feelings about this are: I absolutely loved it.
Set in Norman, Oklahoma, Detective Monique Blue Hawk and her partner Chris Pierson are investigating a heist/murder at a local museum. What makes this story great is that Monique is, of course, a strong Indigenous female detective who doesn't take shit from anyone -- and that's a good lead to have in a story like this. Chris, well, he's a bit of a mess but don't worry, he's not incompetent (which is nice). There has been a murder at the museum (one guard), with one guard injured in the hospital, and it appears that some old bones have been stolen.
Old bones? [Insert a lot of commentary about NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, for those not in an American Indian Studies department) and the ethics of keeping ancestral bones locked away in museums]. No, on a serious note, Mihesuah is able to weave in a lot of deep commentary about this issue (and many others). She just slips zingers in there, hides information about Indigenous politics and personhood, etc. Yeah, it is a great book.
We eventually seem to discover that the bones belong to a Hatak haksi -- a Choctaw shapeshifting witch. And that's where the story gets a lot of its horror elements, but in many ways it just further delves into Choctaw belief systems.
I loved it. Get it, just get it.
Set in Norman, Oklahoma, Detective Monique Blue Hawk and her partner Chris Pierson are investigating a heist/murder at a local museum. What makes this story great is that Monique is, of course, a strong Indigenous female detective who doesn't take shit from anyone -- and that's a good lead to have in a story like this. Chris, well, he's a bit of a mess but don't worry, he's not incompetent (which is nice). There has been a murder at the museum (one guard), with one guard injured in the hospital, and it appears that some old bones have been stolen.
Old bones? [Insert a lot of commentary about NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, for those not in an American Indian Studies department) and the ethics of keeping ancestral bones locked away in museums]. No, on a serious note, Mihesuah is able to weave in a lot of deep commentary about this issue (and many others). She just slips zingers in there, hides information about Indigenous politics and personhood, etc. Yeah, it is a great book.
We eventually seem to discover that the bones belong to a Hatak haksi -- a Choctaw shapeshifting witch. And that's where the story gets a lot of its horror elements, but in many ways it just further delves into Choctaw belief systems.
I loved it. Get it, just get it.
hellastrong's review
2.0
It PAINS me to DNF this book after I had SUCH high hopes for it. But the editors did this author a serious disservice. There is a good story in here, but it is not well told. I like to think someday I'll try again, but ... at this point I don't care about any of the characters and I have no idea what the plot is supposed to be, so I'm hard pressed to figure out what's going to compel me to pick it up again.
ruhika's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
carlylottsofbookz's review
2.0
Really disappointed in this book. There are so many good reviews…and yet so much is lacking from this book. Like descriptions and fleshed out characters. I’m sure there had to be an editor, and yet, it doesn’t really feel like it.
I was looking forward to this book so much, and it didn’t hold up.
I was looking forward to this book so much, and it didn’t hold up.
ratchel_reads's review
2.0
I liked the first half of this book a lot and then the second half really lost me.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
A police procedural in Oklahoma morphs into an X-Files like horror story with shape shifting demons. The lead investigator, Monique, is Choctaw and open minded when it comes to Native American creation stories. She and her partner, a white man, are drawn into a supernatural thriller after museum guards in Norman are assaulted and one killed over the burglary of indigenous remains that were completely forgotten in a museum closet. Nicely told. The X-Files in reverse gender wise.