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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Quill lives on a reservation near Duluth, MN. She loves to run and one day, while running in the woods, hears a woman’s scream. She knows that native women go missing at much higher rates than anyone else, often never to be heard from again. She reports it to the tribal police, but goes back to the woods where she finds a beaded earring. Using it as a clue, she embarks on a journey to figure out who she is and where she has gone.
The writing is simple and the storyline intriguing, especially because it takes place in northern Minnesota. I learned more about native women and the problem of white men (specifically pipeline workers) trafficking Native women.
The writing is simple and the storyline intriguing, especially because it takes place in northern Minnesota. I learned more about native women and the problem of white men (specifically pipeline workers) trafficking Native women.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
5️⃣ reasons we gave this book 5 ⭐
1. Relevant Social Issues: The story intertwines fictional elements with real-life circumstances, highlighting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis in the U.S. and Canada, as well as themes of human trafficking and abuse by men working on pipelines in Northern regions - a powerful commentary on something that’s often overlooked.
2. Strong & Resilient MC: Quil, our protagonist, is a force to be reckoned with. Her determination and grit shine as she searches for her missing sisters despite the systemic neglect of Indigenous women by law enforcement. Her refusal to let her sisters be forgotten is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.
3. Emotionally Driven Prose: Reardon captures the raw emotion and intensity of her characters' experiences. Her writing draws you into a whirlwind of panic, frustration, and anxiety, allowing you to truly feel the gravity of the story.
4. Native Experience: Generational trauma, systemic oppression, jurisdictional problems between tribal police and other police/FBI investigations. Their trauma is felt deeply and viscerally. Yet, Indigenous women find resilience and hope through their traditions and spirit.
5. Narration: Erin Tripp passionately shares Indigenous stories with the audiobook world. She brings the characters to life with profound emotional depth. Readon’s powerful storytelling, combined with Tripp’s powerful narration, make this novel an unforgettable read that demands attention.
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
“To so many people we’re nothing but a bunch of drunks—all the while they collect their paychecks ‘serving’ us”
This book, written by White Earth Anishinaabe Nation author Marcie R. Rendon, is a suspense novel that draws attention to the very-real-world issues regarding missing and murdered Indigenous women. Our main character is a woman from Red Pine out on a run, training for the Boston Marathon. When a woman's scream pierces the quiet of the forest, Quill takes up the cause and will stop at nothing to figure out who the scream belonged to and what happened to her.
This book, written by White Earth Anishinaabe Nation author Marcie R. Rendon, is a suspense novel that draws attention to the very-real-world issues regarding missing and murdered Indigenous women. Our main character is a woman from Red Pine out on a run, training for the Boston Marathon. When a woman's scream pierces the quiet of the forest, Quill takes up the cause and will stop at nothing to figure out who the scream belonged to and what happened to her.
Some elements in the book I liked and/or found powerful:
- A Native woman struggling to navigate her multiple identities relating to cultural heritage, familial expectation, and autonomy.
- Systemic oppression, injustice, and mistreatment of Native people and Native land, and how these impact everyday life and add to generational trauma.
- An exposition of how capitalism has impacted Native communities as a whole, as well as on individual levels. Oil pipeline camps with little oversight play a huge part in this book, as well as the corruption of government/law enforcement and the complicity and toxicity of bystander culture.
- The main character is a runner, and her need to run is commensurate with the feeling that she wants to escape the generational trauma of her life. The idea and stigma around therapy is discussed and pondered through the events of this book.
Some elements in the book I didn't love:
- The main character made a LOT of decisions that were unsafe. While I understand her reticence to go to the police, she continues to put herself (and by extension, her children and her friends) in perilous situations that could have been avoided if she had clued others into what she was uncovering.
- There was a lot of detail that was told instead of shown, and entire sections of superfluous information that we didn't need to know. I often like when we get the details of an everyday life, but some of these were entire pages and/or were repetitive.
- At times the book felt preachy, like the author took a pause on the story to deliver a PSA. While I 100% understand that the story's events run parallel to very real world concerns, the reader didn't need to be spoken to directly to understand that. The story itself was enough to get that message through loud and clear.
Overall this was a pretty dark read that exuded a sense of fear and helplessness, which effectively shed light on very real social issues. As I read, I felt both frustrated for and frustrated with the main character as she dove deeper into her quest to uncover the truth. I think that this is a compelling story and the themes were incredibly timely and important, despite me not jiving with the writing at times.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
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:
No
I thoroughly enjoyed this informative and thought-provoking book.
I thought it would be a bit of a scary read but I didn't get that at all. There definitely was suspense but it wasn't as creepy as I anticipated. The writing was easy and had a good flow. Emotions came through, as did vivid imagery.
I am interested in learning more about Native American history and wish there was more on cultural ancestry. This book honors Native Americans, and specifically Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), who are so easily overlooked. The author shines light on the sad reality of disproportionate violence against Indigenous women without excusing links to poverty, historical injustice and more.
Following the narrative of the book, I appreciated the thoughtful discussion questions, and the great background information from the author.
I thought it would be a bit of a scary read but I didn't get that at all. There definitely was suspense but it wasn't as creepy as I anticipated. The writing was easy and had a good flow. Emotions came through, as did vivid imagery.
I am interested in learning more about Native American history and wish there was more on cultural ancestry. This book honors Native Americans, and specifically Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), who are so easily overlooked. The author shines light on the sad reality of disproportionate violence against Indigenous women without excusing links to poverty, historical injustice and more.
Following the narrative of the book, I appreciated the thoughtful discussion questions, and the great background information from the author.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
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:
Complicated
The pacing is off, the editor seemed to not know how to construct sentences with the amount of fragments, and it felt like the characters were teenagers, not to mention that the commentary immediately was too on the nose. It was like reading a PSA.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced