Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

110 reviews

lilcoppertop's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

sonygaystation's review

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective 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

I really, really liked this. It takes a familiar genre of YA post-climate change dystopian fiction and makes it fresh and interesting with indigenous characters and a compelling narrator in Frenchie. One of the things I struggle with most with dystopian fiction is that it so often feels like the things that make a world dystopian are hinged on how white people (myself, of course, included in this grouping) view and interact with the world. Lots of the things white characters experience in dystopian novels are things BIPOC experience right here and right now. It feels kind of telling that so many of the 1- and 2-star reviews I see on this book are overwhelmingly from white people. I think every aspect of this book feels infused with Dimaline, her culture, and her identity. I see it reflected in the story-telling, the entire plot, and the relationships of the characters with each other. The dystopian aspect more a backdrop for the characters, this book is overwhelmingly about the things you do for the people you love, and how you continue to connect and build community with each other when the world tries its hardest to extinguish you. It's pretty brutal in parts and it doesn't shy away from the nuances of systemic mistreatment of First Nations, indigenous, and Native people at the hands of white oppressors, but it ends timely and hopeful and packs a pretty intense punch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death

manderz219's review

challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

THIS. BOOK. I loved it. A not far-reaching dystopian YA novel that doesn't gloss over anything. Climate change has destroyed much of the land, settlers have lost the ability to dream, and Indigenous people are being hunted for their bone marrow - AND they're the only people who can fix the mess the world is in. It's a coming of age story at the same time for our main character, Frenchie, though we learn so much about other people too. This book packs a punch - check the trigger warnings and READ IT if you feel you're able. Wow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Addiction

lilymurph's review

challenging emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder

teacupsandfirereads's review

dark sad 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? Yes

3.0

I am not a sci-fi reader, nor do I read much young adult fiction, and dystopian is out of the question. However,  this book was still on my TBR, but not a priority. My book club picked this and so it encouraged me to pick it up. It gets a lot of acclaim and has won many honours and awards. However, this was a challenging read for me, one, because it is not my go to, but also that the subject matter itself was not easy. In fact, though it was a short book and it went by fairly quickly, it took a lot of effort to read and I don't believe it was the right book for me at the time.

The writing of this novel is well done, it portrays the message is just the right way. I know indigenous writers writer in more of a storyteller fashion, of which white settlers are not accustomed to, where much is not directly said and rather left up to the imagination. I do feel that this aspect benefitted this story in some ways. But I also felt that the characters had been on the move for five years, yet it felt like they had not gotten very far. In a way, I felt this story would have been more convincing if it had been more detailed in the showing, rather than telling.

This story has many facets and I believe it will lead to a great discussion at book club. Though I know this book was not for me, despite my best effort, I still believe it it one worth knowing and having read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Racism

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape

ginadapooh's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Blood

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Animal death and Rape

siobhanward's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

 Ugh, this was just so good. I absolutely tore through it and I just wish there was more. The story was so good and so heartbreaking and honestly, too real.

I loved the characters and how French grew throughout the story. I loved that we got to learn more about so many of the characters and the world they were forced to live in. This book was really well-written and so well-executed. There wasn't a word wasted.

I sometimes hesitate to give five star reviews, but there was nothing about this book that I didn't love. It's definitely not something that I would have picked up on my own, so I'm so happy that it was recommended to me 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Violence

elinordashwood's review

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A really wonderful book that draws on the combined horrors of residential schools and environmental degradation through racial capitalism, albeit with a fantasy twist. Although I would have liked to see the fantasy aspect explored more in depth, as well as a greater sense of direction throughout the novel, (plus I could have done without the love triangle), it was overall a very good read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Medical content, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent

bekah445's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Sexism, Excrement, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Religious bigotry