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couldyounot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Cursing, Murder, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Child death, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, and Child abuse
directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Trafficking, Gun violence, Colonisation, Blood, Racism, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
eve_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
⁕ My own ties to indigenous culture is very minimal, so I am in NO way an expert or authority on these topics, but my personal opinion (as well as the many reviews from own voices readers on Goodreads, etc.) is that this a great introduction to discussing white supremacy and its impact with younger readers. I wish I had books like this in high school instead of Hatchet and To Kill a Mockingbird.
⁕ We get many of the background characters' "coming to" stories, which provided some context to the state of their dystopian society. I admit that I wanted a little more world-building, but I don't think it was necessary to the plot and overall message Dimaline was trying to get across.
⁕ The ending is such a beautiful display of resiliency and hope. I cried and snotted all over the place when I read it.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Child death, Grief, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
alexalily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Genocide, Colonisation, Child death, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, and Animal death
the_wistful_word_witch's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
**POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW**
Ms Dimaline is a true storyteller. Her world-building is horrifyingly realistic, given the subject matter. Her characters are fully realized and your focus is instantly drawn to them. She is uniquely capable of making you care deeply for all of them. I love her descriptions of the bonds batween virtual strangers who are still family because of their shared history. I cried in several places and the ending was perfect for the story. It leaves you with hope, despite it not really being a resolution.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Torture
jessthanthree's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
el_pacheco's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Trafficking, War, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Genocide, Torture, Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
graciffer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: War, Child death, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy and Animal death
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
4.25
Content warnings: violence, blood, gore, eye injury, rape, kidnapping, residential schools, colonial trauma, racism, nonconsensual medical experimentation, torture, pedophilia, death, murder, death of parent, death of loved one, death of child
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Blood, Child death, Grief, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Torture
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- 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
Pros:
- the writing is gorgeous! if i highlighted books, it would be filled with highlighter. Some sentences and metaphors were just stunning, it's really poetic whilst still being grounded, brutal without being gratuitous, and really poignant too. The plot was perfect too, enough happening to keep it moving without it being rushed, the final twist totally surprising me.
- the characters were perfect too, especially Miigwans, Rose and the narrator, Francis/Frenchie himself. The trauma they've been through is obvious though not leaned heavily on, and Frenchie's crush is a reminder that he's still so young.
- the worldbuilding is original and brilliant, hugely awful but with hope through the Native Americans' survival.
- i loved the inclusion of Story, the language, the reverence the younger ones show their elders and the learning and how the community pulled together. I've never read a book by a Native American but this was a brilliant reason for why I should find more of them.
(- the worldbuilding and beautiful language reminded me loosely of Station Eleven, and that can only be a very good thing!)
Cons:
-
- sometimes the worldbuilding verged on a bit too tell-y for me and a little unoriginally presented maybe? but it was a minor detail
(not a pro or con, but I was suprised by how often the narrator/author used 'Indians' to describe themselves. I really thought that was considered a slur and Native American the "proper" term? something to look into i guess)
Overall, a wonderful book, i think maybe my first 5 star of the year, definitely want to read more by this author!
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Blood, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Addiction, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Minor: Torture and Pregnancy
overall tone is hopeful, but some brief but very heavy bits, particularly with the sexual assault