Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

111 reviews

enyltiak's review against another edition

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Was assigned this book for a class on historical perspectives in young adult literature and just somehow never finished it during the term. This was a year ago and I have just had zero desire or drive to finish it despite being so close. As a concept it was so intriguing, but ultimately the execution did nothing for me.
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leahjanespeare's review against another edition

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4.0

Wow, a very important but pretty brutal read. It's that near-future that we can't really call dystopian nowadays because so many similar events have happened in real life now. It is a boy's pov which I didn't expect going in (these days there aren't as many out there) and it wasn't my favorite, but the story is really about survival and community, so there were a lot of other elements I did like. I say 'like' but wow are there a lot of disturbing things here. Just make sure to check general trigger warnings before diving in - any Indigenous history is going to be 'hard' to read, but as a white person I think it is my responsibility to be aware of the history (or in this case slightly-ficitonal history). It's basically an extension to the horrible history of Indian boarding schools, something both Canada and the US love to keep burying. Anyway, I recommend.
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brianna_moye's review against another edition

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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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ladykatka's review against another edition

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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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rachelfayreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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jjyork's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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thebookkeepers's review

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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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lpdx's review against another edition

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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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sshabein's review against another edition

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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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alyssabookrecs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed reading this. I can see how others would not (there were some aspects that had me questioning, such as the romance between the narrator and a supporting character), but overall this was a 4.5 ⭐️ read, if not a 5 ⭐️ read.

I believe that this book is not meant to have a fully closed conclusion. The arc of the book does not operate like the arc of other YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic books. Instead, we are witness to the lives of Indigenous youth, new adults, and Elders on the run, as we learn their coming to stories, who they meet along the way, and the loss not only in the moment but also in the years being on the run.

I questioned French being the narrator, but ultimately he proved that not all of narration needs to be “do do do”: it is also learning, observing, synthesizing, building trust.

I bawled like a baby at the end. It was really lovely, the last few chapters.
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