Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

121 reviews

brianna_moye's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide

Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

ladykatka's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

5.0

This has been on my radar for awhile and I'm glad I finally read it. I understand why it is on the reading list in Canadian schools. This is quite a powerful read and very emotional. I listened to the audiobook and the music between chapters leaves you with a deep feeling of dread. Well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, Racism, and Violence

alex_wordweaver's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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

Moderate: Death and Kidnapping

Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, and Child death

oliviawright1014's review against another edition

emotional fast-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

This book broke me in the best way possible. Absolutely beautiful writing and had me hanging on the whole time. Super emotional and definitely check trigger warnings but this book packs a punch in 230 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape and Child death

pcharp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child death and Death

thebookkeepers's review

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I heard the author speak about this book at an event, so I went in with a premise, which was actually the big reveal. Knowing this helped me understand the story for it was very ambiguous and not clearly laid out what was happening to the indigenous people of this world right away. I read this with my 15-year-old son and while he loved it, I found it very slow-paced and not entertaining. The ending scenes were the most exciting and set this book up to continue more in the series. I think book 2 will cover more of what I expected book 1 to be about (victorious indigenous magic wielders overthrowing their oppressors). 

LGBTQ+ rep: M/M romance for side characters

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death, and Racism

Moderate: Rape, Child death, Animal death, and Sexual assault

lpdx's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Torture, Trafficking, Animal death, Colonisation, Death, Medical trauma, and Hate crime

Moderate: Confinement and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Drug use and Cannibalism

roseleebooks's review

challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

I did not quite know what to expect when I picked this up, but by the end it packs a powerful story. This book has a quiet horror that builds as you read, with each story, memory, and stop in the journey further expanding the dystopian reality the characters are living in. It helps to have some historical reference to events such as the 60s Scoop, many of the horrors in this book have a historical reality that informs them. Overall this book offers hope in the face of horrors, in the building of communities and of connection to the natural world. Hope for those who dream.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Rape

sshabein's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Child death

charrlee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

When I opened The Marrow Thieves, it was definitely not the type of book I was anticipating. That being said, I really enjoyed the read! Cherie Dimaline has utilized her book to break open the lid on a very important conversation: what does means to have Indigenous futurity? Specifically, the implementation of Anishinabee (often referred to as "the language" in the book) throughout the book really held my attention. As I read The Marrow Thieves I found myself reflecting on Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, and I believe there is an important dialogue that can be had when connecting these two texts. After all, there is much to learn from the land and the language, and The Marrow Thieves will tell you that much.

Dimaline's book is extremely moving: from (found) family, reconnection to roots, and navigation through loss, there is truly so much to gain from reading her work. Though perhaps, what is most bone chilling about this book, is that we already know this story; it has happened before. Additionally, I found the read especially challenging because it made me rethink my definition of apocalypse. In a world that is all to eerily similar to our own, Dimaline makes you confront the fact that the apocalypse has already occurred, is continuing to occur, and will occur -- simultaneously, and specifically against Indigenous people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racism, and Genocide

Moderate: Kidnapping, Body horror, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking and Child death