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madlyreading's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Xenophobia, Car accident, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
Much like Daunis herself, however, the book has one foot in two different worlds and as a result became a meandering mess that failed to capture my attention. It wanted to be a thriller and a mystery story with an unconventional sleuth, but it also wants to be a coming-of-age, slice of life story from a character with a background that is sadly all too often overlooked.
My complaints are as follows:
- I found it very unbelievable that the FBI chose the immediate witness as their inside agent, let alone a teenage girl who they chose on the merit of getting an "honorable mention" at some science fair. Ron and Jamie themselves also came across as incredibly bumbling and don't seem to do much investigating themselves. I understand they don't want to disrupt the daily life of the Ojibwe people and don't know much about the area, but come on - it's in the name itself - the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Daunis would actually want to co-operate with the FBI seeing how often she goes on about (very justifiably) hating cops. This is especially egregious when, as I've read,
the fake relationship between her and an undercover agent goes from fake to real. Not only would a good undercover agent NEVER have casual relations with a civilian informant, it gives me the ick that someone who so ardently hates cops would settle "for the right one". Especially for someone whose people have been brutalised by law enforcement. - Speaking of relationships, I didn't find Daunis as bad as some other reviewers did (considering her background, the fact her grandmother is now permanently hospitalised and she's always on the end of a lot of discrimination, I think she's allowed to act out a little), but her constant slut-shaming of other girls was very grating, and also very hypocritical considering her and Lily talked constantly about "snagging" (read: shagging) other guys.
I feel like if Boulley had eliminated the FBI presence and had Daunis be an amateur sleuth trying to solve the mystery herself (Jamie still could have assisted her; he could have been retooled to be just some guy who was divorced from his cultural roots, having been forced to move around for his own safety), this would have corrected a lot of problems.
I'm not going to get into the scene where
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual assault, Gun violence, Racism, Misogyny, and Rape
lonicera_fragrantissima's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Racism, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Forced institutionalization, and Genocide
journalsmarts's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I think the book starts off a little bit slow, but it picks up and just snowballs extremely fast. With that said, I think all the "slowness" is necessary, as there's a lot of plot threads to set up and I think they were all well-tied in the end.
Edit: I forgot to add this in the original, but check the content warnings. There's some heavy stuff in here, and I really wish I had known about some of it beforehand.
Moderate: Rape, Drug abuse, Suicide, Medical content, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Sexual assault
clouds_on_clouds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Racism, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
iamsammie27's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Violence, Drug abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Car accident
Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, and Racial slurs
mandathebiblio's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Rape, Grief, Racism, Drug use, Violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicide, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs
hmetwade's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Death, Car accident, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Grief, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic relationship
baileyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Gun violence, Drug use, Addiction, Classism, Car accident, Murder, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Grief
redsshelves's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault