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miramichireader's review against another edition
5.0
My full review of this wondrous book is here: bit.ly/BlueBearWoman
tinga's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
terraineel's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5 stars
I picked up the audiobook with 0 idea what the novel was about. You can say that I was surprised at the Canadian and indigenous setting, a spirituality I wasn't expecting at all.
The story is split into different sections that I felt didn't really contribute to one another. Whilst the overarching story of Victoria embracing her shaman abilities was compelling, there didn't feel like there was a plot thus making the long road trips meandering. The first part was interlaced with chapters from Victoria's grandmother (I think, I was kinda confused about the family tree but that's my fault for listening to the audiobook and very quickly forgetting characters), which didn't really add anything to the story in my opinion besides showcasing what Cree life was like back in the day. Especially in respect to the book as a whole, it contributed nothing to Victoria's arc, which only really started in the 75% mark. There is a clear sense of repetition through the road trips Victoria takes that show her changing mental state but it did make the story feel repetitive, especially since the overarching 'plot' of finding her uncle's bones goes in and out of relevance but ultimately fuels both journeys.
There are arguably two plot twists in the novel which came out of nowhere and so there was that element of surprise, which I feel could've been better executed if Daniel's character was just more fleshed out.
Despite the lack of investment and care I had for the plot and large cast of characters, I was very interested and invested in Cree culture and shamanism, the problems they face due to the institutionally racist policies imposed by the Canadian government. Indigenous culture is so underlooked by the media and there is hardly any representation in conventional arts so it was really refreshing to learn about their reality rather than the stereotypical depictions.
Overall, the intriguing cultural aspects weren't enough to compensate for the emotional disjointedness I felt for the rest of the story. Highly recommend if you're interested in an Own Voices, indigenous novel.
I picked up the audiobook with 0 idea what the novel was about. You can say that I was surprised at the Canadian and indigenous setting, a spirituality I wasn't expecting at all.
The story is split into different sections that I felt didn't really contribute to one another. Whilst the overarching story of Victoria embracing her shaman abilities was compelling, there didn't feel like there was a plot thus making the long road trips meandering. The first part was interlaced with chapters from Victoria's grandmother (I think, I was kinda confused about the family tree but that's my fault for listening to the audiobook and very quickly forgetting characters), which didn't really add anything to the story in my opinion besides showcasing what Cree life was like back in the day. Especially in respect to the book as a whole, it contributed nothing to Victoria's arc, which only really started in the 75% mark. There is a clear sense of repetition through the road trips Victoria takes that show her changing mental state but it did make the story feel repetitive, especially since the overarching 'plot' of finding her uncle's bones goes in and out of relevance but ultimately fuels both journeys.
There are arguably two plot twists in the novel which came out of nowhere and so there was that element of surprise, which I feel could've been better executed if Daniel's character was just more fleshed out.
Despite the lack of investment and care I had for the plot and large cast of characters, I was very interested and invested in Cree culture and shamanism, the problems they face due to the institutionally racist policies imposed by the Canadian government. Indigenous culture is so underlooked by the media and there is hardly any representation in conventional arts so it was really refreshing to learn about their reality rather than the stereotypical depictions.
Overall, the intriguing cultural aspects weren't enough to compensate for the emotional disjointedness I felt for the rest of the story. Highly recommend if you're interested in an Own Voices, indigenous novel.
anmcnulty's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
This was an absolutely beautiful book. Beautiful writing, beautiful characters, extremely vivid setting. I thought this was going to be an easy five stars. However, I hated the ending. It felt like it cut off very abruptly and a lot of plot lines were left hanging.
This was an absolutely beautiful book. Beautiful writing, beautiful characters, extremely vivid setting. I thought this was going to be an easy five stars. However, I hated the ending. It felt like it cut off very abruptly and a lot of plot lines were left hanging.
rthesquirrelgirl's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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