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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I'll admit this is the first Indigenous fiction novel that I've read and really enjoyed! I found that the writing style was very approachable to me as a white reader. The story flowed really well and it was a fast and enjoyable narrative read.
The novel also dealt with so many topics, including the spiritual culture of the Anishinaabe peoples and the large emphasis on grief and loss as Hazel, our protaganist, handles the recent loss of her father. She's working to solve this mystery of land that her father owned and left to the family, but that other's are trying to turn into a mine for industry and the economy. I found this interesting and it speaks to the land disagreements that have been a large part of the white & Indigenous history in Canada. I also enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic between Hazel and Gus because it reminded me a lot of my own brother/sister relationship. Two siblings who can have very different personalities and approaches to life, but who can also find unity in shared experiences and have that protectiveness for each other.
I will certainly read more books by Karen McBride, as I hope that she continues to write #ownvoice novels. I learned a lot about the Anishinaabe peoples from this story and I would certainly recommend this novel as an Indigenous read, especially to other Canadian readers.
The novel also dealt with so many topics, including the spiritual culture of the Anishinaabe peoples and the large emphasis on grief and loss as Hazel, our protaganist, handles the recent loss of her father. She's working to solve this mystery of land that her father owned and left to the family, but that other's are trying to turn into a mine for industry and the economy. I found this interesting and it speaks to the land disagreements that have been a large part of the white & Indigenous history in Canada. I also enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic between Hazel and Gus because it reminded me a lot of my own brother/sister relationship. Two siblings who can have very different personalities and approaches to life, but who can also find unity in shared experiences and have that protectiveness for each other.
I will certainly read more books by Karen McBride, as I hope that she continues to write #ownvoice novels. I learned a lot about the Anishinaabe peoples from this story and I would certainly recommend this novel as an Indigenous read, especially to other Canadian readers.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I've been diversifying the stories I read lately, ans am always delighted by how magical Indigenous lore is and it feels like a privilege to be able to experience it through stories like this. It's a slow burn of a story, but if you care about the environment and preservation of culture (esp Indigenous ones), you will find yourself rooting for this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Genocide
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't connect well with this one unfortunately. I felt everything was over-explained and there was a lot of telling, if that can explain well what I'm trying to say...
It's a beautiful publication with chapters featuring exquisite illustrations as title pages.
It's a beautiful publication with chapters featuring exquisite illustrations as title pages.
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a satisfying read, a story of a young woman finding her place, reconnecting with her heritage, and fighting injustice. It’s quiet, with tropes and beats that sneak up on you, and has a beautiful, positive portrayal of modern Indigenous life. There’s also some great dialogue. Unfortunately, I’ve read a lot of stories that use the same tropes and beats, and though McBride uses them well, they don’t seem to have much spark here. Still, it’s a solid debut and I’ll be interested to see where she goes from here.
My favourite parts, surprising nobody who knows me, were whenever Nanabush turned up, and the way McBride realizes the spirit world and its “magic”. Nanabush is wonderfully cranky and annoyingly cryptic (though I got frustrated a few times that he couldn’t just say something or understand where Hazel was coming from more), and McBride writes his crow body language wonderfully. And the spirit world? Lovely and eerie at the same time, definitely a timeless and separate world and exactly how it should be. The more magical elements of the story were great, and not overdone. I really liked how those worked and the sense of power behind them. There were a couple scenes where I thought, “Oh, that is cool.”
But enough about that. McBride’s also good with character. Her secondary characters shine especially, every one different and none of them playing to “type”. Even Hazel’s dad, who's only really seen in occasional flashbacks, is rounded and vibrant. Going along with the characterization are a strong ear for dialogue and an ability to create very solid, complex relationships. A lot of the conversations are snappy and realistic—McBride’s great at sass—and Hazel and her mom, to pick one example… that’s a mother and daughter, definitely.
That said, Hazel’s own personality didn’t always feel solid. Sometimes she was a believable twenty-something, and other times she seemed older and more jaded than she probably should have. Trying to get a handle on her was hard. I also struggled with some of her interactions with Nanabush—how long it had been since her last one, why she flipped between annoyance with him and a sort of angry, desperate need for his company, that sort of thing. I’m not sure if these are white reader problems, though. They certainly could be.
The same might go for my problem with the tropes and beats in general, or it could just be that I’ve read a lot of urban fantasy and know how these sorts of stories go. Even if McBride gets to the same places without the same kick as pure urban fantasy does, I was rarely surprised when one chapter had a moment of self-doubt or another featured an antagonist and a setback. That said, I appreciated that so much of the climax was still unexpected, and felt much the same as Hazel afterwards.
The final thing I liked about this book is McBride’s ability to interweave Hazel’s growing confidence in herself with the problems with the quarry, the white guy from town, and the spirit world. I loved seeing Hazel come into herself and her power and solve the mystery, but the parallels and complexities don’t stop there. McBride’s doing some interesting, clever things there, though it might be a white reader thing again that I felt they never quite clicked into place.
So yeah, there’s lots I liked about this, and some things that left me profoundly meh, and that evened out to an all right read. Can’t say I loved it or hated it. It’s a worthwhile read though, and like I said, a solid review. I suspect people who’re less familiar with urban fantasy plots would enjoy this more than I did.
To bear in mind: Contains racist and misguided white people, the past death of a parent, attempted suicide, and land rights … shenanigans, to put it nicely.
6.5/10
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I just sent this to Karen McBride on Twitter: @kmcbridewrites I just finished your book Crow Winter and I devoured it from the moment Nanabush takes over in chapter 8 to the end. I haven’t had such a big crying cathartic end to a book in a loooong time. Thank you. So satisfying. I believe every word. Miigwetch.
I picked this book out because it's part of the Ontario Library Association's Evergreen nominees for the year. I haven't read them all yet but this is my favourite so far. I found the first 7 chapters a bit slow, sort of modelling on Hazel's dizzy return to her home after the death of her father maybe, but once Nanabush takes on a greater role, I was all in and couldn't stop reading. It's a great choice for Evergreen and Karen McBride will definitely be on my 'must-read' list now.
Not only that but I think it would be a great book to teach to a class! As an English teacher I'm often looking for favourites to add to new perspectives. Since Hazel is just returning to her rez after university, I think it would really speak to the emotions that all graduating students have about leaving their community. The pieces about the Seven Grandfather teachings and the Sweat Lodge protocols would be really informative and lead to a lot of great discussions and special guests. I've recommended Medicine Walk as independent reading before, but Crow Winter will definitely also be on this list now.
I picked this book out because it's part of the Ontario Library Association's Evergreen nominees for the year. I haven't read them all yet but this is my favourite so far. I found the first 7 chapters a bit slow, sort of modelling on Hazel's dizzy return to her home after the death of her father maybe, but once Nanabush takes on a greater role, I was all in and couldn't stop reading. It's a great choice for Evergreen and Karen McBride will definitely be on my 'must-read' list now.
Not only that but I think it would be a great book to teach to a class! As an English teacher I'm often looking for favourites to add to new perspectives. Since Hazel is just returning to her rez after university, I think it would really speak to the emotions that all graduating students have about leaving their community. The pieces about the Seven Grandfather teachings and the Sweat Lodge protocols would be really informative and lead to a lot of great discussions and special guests. I've recommended Medicine Walk as independent reading before, but Crow Winter will definitely also be on this list now.
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for providing me an advanced copy of this wonderful book.
What would you do if you found yourself being in contact with the trickster demigod that you heard stories about growing up? What would you do if you found out that you could contact the Spiritual world, and cross between through memories and dreams? Following the loss of her father, Hazel returns to Spirit Bear Point First Nation reserve to be with her mother and to reconcile her grief. She dreams of a crow, who tells her that he is there to help her - Nanabush, the Algonquin demigod, trickster and shapeshifter. Together they need to determine the truth about a quarry that seems to be clouded in a complicated history filled with lies and deceit.
Incredibly written, so wonderfully deep in culture and history. Seriously recommend.
I am still in awe and reeling at the beauty of this novel. I cannot believe that this is a debut from Karen McBride, as you would believe that she had been writing novels for years. I constantly found myself writing down the wonderful quotes from this book, the deep and meaningful insights into life, love, and loss that are central to this story. McBride navigates the difficult topics surrounding life on the reserve, the complicated past between the Aboriginal people and the white people in the next town, and the intricacy of grief and mourning when someone integral has passed away.
I thought that the addition of Nanabush and the Spiritual Guides was so important to the story, bringing the cultural and spiritual teachings to the forefront. The use of the language helped to remind the reader of the importance of culture and language on the reserve, and how it keeps the people connected to their people and the past. I found it a little difficult at first, but there was a guide in the back to assist with the words that I did not know. It was very useful. And the family dynamics portrayed in this book were fantastic and realistic. From a mother and daughter who have lived separate from each other for a bit and do not have an emotional relationship, to the sibling relationship that I laughed at how realistic their conversations seemed.
I believe that usually I am not supposed to share quotes from an ARC, but I just have to share this one line that made me absolutely laugh out loud and read it to family members. It is from Nanabush about the other crows around him: "They're so irritating now that they've forgotten how to speak. Their groups used to be called 'murders' because they were smart and cunning, but now I think that title is better suited to the urge you get when they won't shut up." BRILLIANT! A completely accurate sentiment.
Upon completing this novel, I immediately passed it to my mom who is also a reader. She loved it as well, and often we have quite different tastes in books. I am certain that this book could be read and enjoyed by almost anyone. My mom is even planning to use this book as a book club read with her friends, which I am quite excited about for them! I am so glad I could pass this wonderful book on to more people.
Meegwetch to Harper Collins Canada for sending me this wonderful read, and a big meegwetch to Karen McBride for writing this incredible story into existence.
What would you do if you found yourself being in contact with the trickster demigod that you heard stories about growing up? What would you do if you found out that you could contact the Spiritual world, and cross between through memories and dreams? Following the loss of her father, Hazel returns to Spirit Bear Point First Nation reserve to be with her mother and to reconcile her grief. She dreams of a crow, who tells her that he is there to help her - Nanabush, the Algonquin demigod, trickster and shapeshifter. Together they need to determine the truth about a quarry that seems to be clouded in a complicated history filled with lies and deceit.
Incredibly written, so wonderfully deep in culture and history. Seriously recommend.
I am still in awe and reeling at the beauty of this novel. I cannot believe that this is a debut from Karen McBride, as you would believe that she had been writing novels for years. I constantly found myself writing down the wonderful quotes from this book, the deep and meaningful insights into life, love, and loss that are central to this story. McBride navigates the difficult topics surrounding life on the reserve, the complicated past between the Aboriginal people and the white people in the next town, and the intricacy of grief and mourning when someone integral has passed away.
I thought that the addition of Nanabush and the Spiritual Guides was so important to the story, bringing the cultural and spiritual teachings to the forefront. The use of the language helped to remind the reader of the importance of culture and language on the reserve, and how it keeps the people connected to their people and the past. I found it a little difficult at first, but there was a guide in the back to assist with the words that I did not know. It was very useful. And the family dynamics portrayed in this book were fantastic and realistic. From a mother and daughter who have lived separate from each other for a bit and do not have an emotional relationship, to the sibling relationship that I laughed at how realistic their conversations seemed.
I believe that usually I am not supposed to share quotes from an ARC, but I just have to share this one line that made me absolutely laugh out loud and read it to family members. It is from Nanabush about the other crows around him: "They're so irritating now that they've forgotten how to speak. Their groups used to be called 'murders' because they were smart and cunning, but now I think that title is better suited to the urge you get when they won't shut up." BRILLIANT! A completely accurate sentiment.
Upon completing this novel, I immediately passed it to my mom who is also a reader. She loved it as well, and often we have quite different tastes in books. I am certain that this book could be read and enjoyed by almost anyone. My mom is even planning to use this book as a book club read with her friends, which I am quite excited about for them! I am so glad I could pass this wonderful book on to more people.
Meegwetch to Harper Collins Canada for sending me this wonderful read, and a big meegwetch to Karen McBride for writing this incredible story into existence.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced