Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Neige des lunes brisées by Waubgeshig Rice

52 reviews

emalderwood's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Death, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

Minor: Genocide, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Addiction

kellyofcali's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

While I appreciated this post-apocalyptic tale from a First Nations author, I sometimes struggled a bit with the pacing - the action moved in spurts, and sometimes stepped into and out of dreams or through time a bit confusingly. It also almost skipped over the actual action, which was an interesting choice - not sure 100% how I felt about it. Overall though, I liked the story and the setting, and it was an easy listen (I did audiobook). Be warned, the narrator reads quite slowly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Cannibalism

Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Xenophobia, Addiction, and Animal death

sapphire_mayo's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Murder, Suicide, and Gun violence

Minor: Death, Alcoholism, and Colonisation

r_o_s_e's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Colonisation, Abandonment, and Animal death

Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Suicide

Minor: Cursing, Cannibalism, and Violence

tigger89's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

I liked this a lot, as the change in perspective led to a different take on the post-apocalyptic genre. After all, as mentioned in the book, what's one more apocalypse to a people who have already weathered multiple? In addition, we're used to following such narratives from the perspective of the wanderer, rather than from the village the wanderer happens to wander into. I will say it takes a while to build tension, but by the time things really start going I was flipping pages, desperate to find out what happens next. I was reminded of Stephen King's social horror, where he introduces you to a small, self-contained community and then crumbles it before your eyes.

If you can go into the story without having the "monster" spoiled for you, I recommend it. See if you can figure it out yourself(there is enough information, but you have to have some background knowledge to recognize the clues), and if not you can read the acknowledgements at the back for a keyword to google. I actually liked that it wasn't completely spelled out in the text, because that allows two interpretations of the plot. I first enjoyed a plot taken literally, then did a bit of homework reading and got a bonus plot for my consideration.

My only real complaint is that some loose ends weren't tied up. A few characters just kind of disappeared near the end, with their fates unspecified after the climactic scene. For a book where the tension centered so much about the fate of the community, it's a glaring omission when the narrative seems to forget about members of said community. We also never get an answer as to what cut the community off in the first place. I was personally okay with that one, but I can see it being a dealbreaker for some people. There is a sequel coming out this fall, Moon of the Turning Leaves, which might hold some answers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Alcohol

theliteraryhooker's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

This is a very different take on your typical post-apocalyptic story. It's a slow burn, and if you're looking for a lot of detail on the actual apocalyptic events, you won't find them in this novel. What you will find is a gripping character study with an undercurrent of intense tension simmering beneath the events. The main group of characters are engaging, enough so that I felt Evan's emotions as I was reading. My only small complaint is that there are a LOT of minor characters that only come up once or twice and I had some trouble keeping them straight and remembering who they were tied to in the main cast, whether they'd been mentioned before, etc. Otherwise though, this novel captured me and I can't wait to read the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Animal death

silvae's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Alcohol, Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism, Animal death, Blood, Suicide, and Alcoholism

blacksphinx's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Alcohol, and Gun violence

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Suicide and Cannibalism

erkietheturkey's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Death, Blood, and Cursing

Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Grief, Racism, and Suicide

emilily's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. This book packs a punch. Don't be deceived by the slower pace of the first few chapters. Soon things kick off, and the rest of the book is so tense that it's hard to put down. This books masterfully transitions from a very realistic contemporary tale of life in a Northern Anishinaabe community... to a world that begins to crumble. The rest of the book toes the line of becoming an apocalyptic thriller. Anishinaabe lore, traditions, and language are weaved throughout the story, and there is some powerful allegory here, looking at colonialist invasion on Anishinaabe territory, but through a creative lense.

All around a great read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Colonisation, and Gun violence

Moderate: Grief, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcohol and Suicide