Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

45 reviews

purplepickle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Death of parent, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

triley's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Child death, Racism, Colonisation, and Trafficking

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Police brutality

Minor: Cannibalism, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Animal death

tales_told_in_gold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

It was the title that caught my eye - immediately, I wondered, "who's out here stealing bones?" 

Starting off as a random find at the library, "The Marrow Thieves" ended up being a layered emotional journey loaded with enough sucker-punch twists to make my heart ache. The narrative voice that Dimaline weaves into her characters is truly a skill to admire. She makes you feel like you're sitting right there beside them, listening to their stories as they captivate you with memorable tales of love and grief and joy and pain. 

We follow the perspective of Frenchie, a teenage boy whose coming-of-age in this world of environmental destruction and cruelest inhumanity towards Indigenous peoples lead him to discover what it means to be a survivor of a rich heritage being systematically targeted by those who seek a cure to their own lost culture. 

How do you hold on to what you have left? How do you regain what's been eradicated? How far would you go to protect your loved ones? 

Give this speculative novel a read if any of those questions intrigued you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Racism, Genocide, Violence, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Rape

munchkennina's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Rape

Minor: Alcoholism and Cannibalism

kchin's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Heartbreaking, heartwarming, love, loss, fear, hopeful, devastating, all at once. An incredible YA read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Murder, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child death, and Trafficking

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Death of parent, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism

theangrystackrat's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

A story of hope, resilience, and finding strength in your roots. Frenchie and his brother are on the run in a post-apocalyptic world where white people can no longer dream so they hunt the indigenous folks who still can. This was a heartbreaking yet healing coming of age story that will gut you to your core. It gave me goosebumps and brought me to tears. Just an amazing read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, and Death of parent

thatsssorachael's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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: Racism, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Kidnapping and Gore

Minor: Animal cruelty

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

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