Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

6 reviews

booklover_04's review

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, War, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Grief, Racism, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Genocide

Minor: Sexual harassment

kelly_e's review

emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Title: Daughters of the Deer
Author: Danielle Daniel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: March 8, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Haunting • Moving • Illuminating

📖 S Y N O P S I S

1657. Marie, a gifted healer of the Deer Clan, lost her first husband and her children to an Iroquois raid. In the aftermath of another lethal attack, her chief begs her to remarry for the sake of the clan. Marie honours the ways of her people, and Pierre, the green-eyed ex-soldier from France who wants her for his bride, is not the man she would choose. But her people are dwindling, wracked by white men's diseases and nearly starving every winter as the game retreats away from the white settlements. If her chief believes such a marriage will cement their alliance with the French against the Iroquois and the British, she feels she has no choice. Though she does it reluctantly, and with some fear--Marie is trading the memory of the man she loved for a man she doesn't understand at all, and whose devout Catholicism blinds him to the ways of her people.

1675. Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Algonkin - caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful - a woman to be shunned, and worse.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Daughters of the Deer was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint! A work of historical fiction inspired by the author's family history. I was transported into the story from the very first page.

In this delicately told novel, Danielle Daniel reaches back through the centuries to touch the very origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent, disruption of First Nations culture. It paints a portrait of how French colonization and religion tore apart families and communities, and attempted to eradicate culture and ways of knowing in the Trois-Rivières region of Quebec during the 1600s. Additionally, it touches on differences in cultural perspectives to two-Spirited individuals.

Despite the heartbreaking nature of the story, the mother/daughter relationship between Marie and Jeanne was so wholesome and genuine. It was just so beautiful to watch unfold, as was Jeanne and Josephine's relationship. It's so well written that it moved me to tears, while at other times igniting such anger. And had me hoping that everything work out.

An outstanding debut novel and tribute to the author's ancestors! This beautiful, powerful novel honours women who have literally fallen through the cracks. It's not often I'd re-read a book, but this is one I can see myself re-reading down the road. I will definitely be keeping my eye on what this author's releases next.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• historical fiction lovers
• anyone wanting to educate themselves on the impacts of French colonization in Quebec
• readers who like mother/daughter relationships

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"They take without asking and speak of this land being new. But how can it be new if we have always been here?" 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child death, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, Addiction, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal death

genocide, death, death of partner, colourism, drowning

kknel01's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Torture

ivybaggs's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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 is an emotional story that is told in a very caring way the way danielle wrote this was beautiful even if the story itself is heart wrenching it drew me in at the start and it drew tears at the end. when an author can make you feel such emotion and a connection with its characters you know their a good writer. these stories need to be told because every indigenous person deserves to have their ancestors stories told and theirs and especially the women and two spirited. i need everyone to read this to open their hearts and eyes and not only read an exceptional book but recognize that this may be fictional but it did happen the characters may be made up but these things have happened 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, Grief, Homophobia, Genocide, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Rape, Murder, Blood, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Outing

Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Domestic abuse

ibjilln's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Sexual violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Murder, Hate crime, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, and Death

Moderate: Sexism, Medical content, Cultural appropriation, Murder, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Child death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Outing

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

sillylittlereader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Child death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Hate crime, and Homophobia