Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline

21 reviews

nidzi_c's review against another edition

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

3.0

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apple_atcha_reading's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad 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? No

4.0

Read via audio on Libby loan.
I have a lot of thoughts about this story. I really enjoyed the found family aspect, of all these women coming together from all corners of North America to create a community centered on uplifting women and marginalized groups, who have historically been preyed on by white supremacy, the patriarchy, and vengeful men.
Stella was the true stand out character for me. Her development as the story progressed was one of my favorite elements of this story. To some it may have been more clear where Stella and the overarching story was heading, but I was pleasantly surprised and teared up when the big reveal took place at the end. I loved the relationship Lucky and Stella had. Having aging family members myself, it felt realistic the way Lucky deeply loved and cared for her aging ailing grandmother, but simultaneously wished she could make her someone else's problem.
What I appreciated the most of the overall story was the diversity of characters within the coven. Different backgrounds, ages, sexualities, there were so many wonderful characters to get to know as we learned the history of the coven and the spoons. I enjoyed the stories each woman told about their discovery of their spoon, and how it led to them joining the coven, allowing their confidence to blossom surrounded by people who understood and wanted them to succeed.
The pacing and depth of this novel is the only reason it’s not a 5 star read for me. I struggled with the pacing around the 65% mark and on, because to me it felt off kilter or somewhat rushed.
There was a sense of elements being rushed, like there was just too many sub plots or characters to give them the time they deserve. Not to say I didn't enjoy what Dimaline wrote, this is my observation and wish for more. My biggest qualm is about the last chapter or two, where I desperately wish we had more context or exposition explaining the what and why about the characters and the spoons. Maybe we'll get a sequel following up with the aftermath of the collection of the spoons
(and international covens??)
? One can hope, but I also like my stories to be nicely packaged with more concrete endings.
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blacksphinx's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

Of all the things that rubbed me wrong about this book, from its rah rah girlboss girlpower vibes, to it's paper thin antagonist, to
fixing dementia with magic
, it's the fact that the covid pandemic is canon to this book and not once is a character shown taking any precaution against it. "Oh but you see, the book takes place in 2022 so it's not an issue anymore!" As of the time I'm writing this review in late 2023, over 1,000 Americans have died directly from covid each week for the last 11 weeks in a row. If the author didn't want to deal with the thought of masks or air filtration or testing, all she had to do was remove a single sentence confirming the pandemic existed. That's it! But no, her thinking about the pandemic was as shallow as her thoughts on feminism and capitalism. 

The main thing it had going for it was that at least this girlboss book has a genuinely diverse cast of women who are allowed to be girlbosses, including a trans woman and many women of color, that was a nice touch. However, I have never known a trans person who would immediately offer up their dead name to a stranger like that. It was just a mess. 
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rorikae's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'Venco' by Cherie Dimaline is a contemporary fantasy steeped in family and collective magic. 
Lucky St. James is struggling to take care of her grandmother, Stella, who has been dealing with memory problems. One day, she finds a spoon stuck in a wall in their laundry room and suddenly, she is pulled into a world of magic where a group of witches have been searching for the people to complete their coven. Lucky is number 6 and the witches only have a few days to find the final spoon and the final witch. Heading off on a road trip, Lucky will have to take care of her grandmother while also battling an ancient evil for the final spoon. 
Dimaline continues to create incredible characters that are the backbone of her stories. Lucky and Stella (plus all of the witches) read like real people with all of their strengths and faults. In much the same way, the big bad of this story, who is truly terrifying, also feels eerily real. This story is quite specific, rooted as is in a timed hunt for a specific object and person. This specificity allows for the characters to blossom. This story celebrates family and the connections present in community. I would have loved to learn more about the larger organization of VenCo. This story is much more focused on a small group within the larger organization. 
This story does feel like there is a much larger world that could be explored and I would love to see Dimaline return to this world and these characters. At times, it did feel like it was leading toward the start of a series but the story does wrap up neatly (with possibilities for more if the author chooses). 
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zombiezami's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

5.0

My favorite Cherie Dimaline book so far
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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

I really enjoyed this one and it is a fun quick read.  There are several women from lots of different backgrounds who all come together on a quest to find an item, as well as the last witch to complete their coven.  The villain is very bad and (CW) sexually assaults people by messing with their ability to consent, and I feel like the book doesn't deal with that, or even acknowledge it.  Tbf, the main characters don't really know it, but it feels like that aspect is underwritten.  There were a few questions I had about the plot or world building, but I was able to put them aside and just appreciate the book. 
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savvylit's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.0

Pros:
• Lucky and Stella's grandma-granddaughter relationship. Beautiful and believable.
• Witchy illuminati vibes.
• Queer and indigenous rep.

Cons:
• The plot meandered.
• Needed more character development from secondary characters.
• Main villain seemed kinda cheesy and merely served as a plot device.
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cassielaj's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

A MASTERPIECE. I already know I’m never going to shut up about this book. This story comes together in the perfect juncture of feminism, magic, found family, and learning who you are by joining something bigger. The characters are people I wish were real, the plot ebbs and flows with adventure and moments of quiet contemplation. The way Cherie Dimaline explains the magic system of the book is my favorite magic I’ve encountered, and the phrases she crafts are magic themselves. Please read this book. 
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howlinglibraries's review against another edition

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2.5

 DNF @ 65%

I wanted so badly to love this book, but the writing was such a struggle and I finally gave up when my buddy read partner finished it and told me it didn't get any better. I loved the indigenous representation, the inclusion of a fantastic trans woman, casual queer rep everywhere, and the relationship between Lucky and her grandmother Stella... but none of that was able to redeem this book from the fact that it suffered from poor pacing and far too many characters and perspectives. I think VenCo tried to do too many things in too few pages and that ultimately hindered the entire book from succeeding.

✨ Representation: Lucky is Métis, Freya is trans, multiple side characters are queer and/or BIPOC 
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rachbake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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