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kinomatica's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
'Empire of Wild' by Cherie Dimaline is an emotional story surrounding one woman's attempt to save her husband.
Joan believes her husband is dead when she stumbles into a religious tent in the Walmart parking lot and finds a man that looks remarkably like him preaching. But Viktor doesn't remember her and is now going by the name Eugene Wolff. Joan knows that this man is her husband and will stop at nothing to get him back, including taking on the revival group that seems to have brainwashed him and the stories of more than wolves that are lurking in the woods.
From the first paragraph of this book, I was hooked. Dimaline has an engaging and evocative writing style that clearly paints the world she has created in stark but emotional prose. From the beginning, Joan and each of the supporting characters flew off the page as if they had been plucked from real life. Add to that an enticing mystery as the reader tries to figure out what happened to Viktor right alongside Joan and this story was near perfection. Dimaline does a great job of breathing folklore and a hint of the speculative into a world that is otherwise down to earth. I have been excited to pick up her work for some time and now I can't wait to read everything that she has written.
Joan believes her husband is dead when she stumbles into a religious tent in the Walmart parking lot and finds a man that looks remarkably like him preaching. But Viktor doesn't remember her and is now going by the name Eugene Wolff. Joan knows that this man is her husband and will stop at nothing to get him back, including taking on the revival group that seems to have brainwashed him and the stories of more than wolves that are lurking in the woods.
From the first paragraph of this book, I was hooked. Dimaline has an engaging and evocative writing style that clearly paints the world she has created in stark but emotional prose. From the beginning, Joan and each of the supporting characters flew off the page as if they had been plucked from real life. Add to that an enticing mystery as the reader tries to figure out what happened to Viktor right alongside Joan and this story was near perfection. Dimaline does a great job of breathing folklore and a hint of the speculative into a world that is otherwise down to earth. I have been excited to pick up her work for some time and now I can't wait to read everything that she has written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, and Kidnapping
mikki_9's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Grief, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Death, Child abuse, Abortion, Body shaming, and Murder
Minor: Blood and Medical content
imyril's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Joan and Victor were two souls united against the world until the night Victor stormed out after a fight and never came home. When Joan finds him leading a prayer meeting a year later, he’s a stranger with her husband’s face, who claims not to remember her. What happened to Victor out in the dark?
A dark fairytale of love at first sight and loss at first betrayal, set in the Métis communities of Canada where the rogarou haunts the night. This lyrical tale of love and loss and connection may have passed fantasy readers by (especially outside its native Canada), but it’s worth seeking out for those who enjoy character-driven, mythological drama.
3.5 stars
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A dark fairytale of love at first sight and loss at first betrayal, set in the Métis communities of Canada where the rogarou haunts the night. This lyrical tale of love and loss and connection may have passed fantasy readers by (especially outside its native Canada), but it’s worth seeking out for those who enjoy character-driven, mythological drama.
3.5 stars
Full review
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, and Racial slurs
Minor: Homophobia and Addiction
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
While this isn't a genre I normally read, I was intrigued by the premise. Plus, Cherie Dimaline is a fantastic writer. This is infused with myth and darkness. At times, it feels like there are too many characters to follow, even though Joan grounds the entire story. And that ending! Dimaline wasn't afraid to end on a bold note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Gore, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Car accident and Drug use
readingbetweenthenotes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I can't remember ever reading a book about or written by a Native American author (something I'm ashamed of but working now to change). I'm really glad to have started with this book by Cherie Dimaline! Her writing had a hauntingly beautiful quality and I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience.
This book had such a unique premise and was unlike anything I've ever read before. I really felt for the protagonist Joan, who was desperately trying to get her husband back and facing the most fascinating of obstacles.
Empire of Wild truly captivated me from start to finish. The prologue grabbed me instantly and each chapter drew me further into this twisty story. Parts of the book read like an urban legend (with which I've always had a fascination) or an episode of Supernatural (one of my favourite shows). So if those are things you enjoy too, I'd definitely recommend this one!
The book also provided a great insight into Native American culture and I loved learning about the different beliefs and practices of these people. Dimaline did a great job of highlighting and challenging the prejudices still faced by these communities. I also really appreciated the family dynamics that were portrayed.
I won't say anything about the book's ending, other than this book was a JOURNEY! Overall, I'm just very pleased to have read this one and would definitely recommend it, if you like the sound of it!
This book had such a unique premise and was unlike anything I've ever read before. I really felt for the protagonist Joan, who was desperately trying to get her husband back and facing the most fascinating of obstacles.
Empire of Wild truly captivated me from start to finish. The prologue grabbed me instantly and each chapter drew me further into this twisty story. Parts of the book read like an urban legend (with which I've always had a fascination) or an episode of Supernatural (one of my favourite shows). So if those are things you enjoy too, I'd definitely recommend this one!
The book also provided a great insight into Native American culture and I loved learning about the different beliefs and practices of these people. Dimaline did a great job of highlighting and challenging the prejudices still faced by these communities. I also really appreciated the family dynamics that were portrayed.
I won't say anything about the book's ending, other than this book was a JOURNEY! Overall, I'm just very pleased to have read this one and would definitely recommend it, if you like the sound of it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Death, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
notthatlibrarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Infidelity
pinecone43's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ahhh! Another great, adventure and thrill packed book by this author. I loved the characters of Ajean and Zues the most. I loved how driven Joan was. I loved all the love in the book, from unrequited, to romamtic, familial, and friendships. Strong female characters in this book as well. I did find a few lines to pair body fat with something negative/in a negative context. Fairly subtle or maybe im "over reaching" but i swear once you start to see this trend ( in all forms of media, literature etc) it really sticks out! Also, the scene where the rogaru has more center stage fell a little flat for me and had me a little disengaged the way it was described, reminded me of this anime or something for some reason. Anyway, that was just a slight feeling. Still overall amazing book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Vomit
tachyondecay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Empire of Wild is a supernatural thriller that combines the legend of the rogarou with a woman’s search for her missing husband. But it would be a mistake not to recognize that this is also a story about colonialism, about European/settler ideologies clashing with Indigenous ideas of hearth, home, and connection to one’s community and the land. Just as The Marrow Thieves showcases how settlers can go to any length to extract and exploit resources they see as necessary, Empire of Wild charts how we can lose ourselves to ambition and ego.
Nearly a year ago, Joan’s husband, Victor, walked out on her and suddenly went missing. In the tight-knit, predominantly Métis town of Arcand, Ontario, this was a big deal for a long time, especially given that Victor’s entrance into Jean’s life finally allowed her to settle down in a way that her community never thought she would. Now, Jean stumbles across Victor—except he is the Reverend Eugene Wolff, preacher for a small group of touring Christian revivalists led by the enigmatic, entirely-too-slick Thomas Heiser. Reverend Wolff claims he doesn’t know Jean, isn’t Victor at all—yet Jean is convinced he is her husband. Her resolution to get to the truth leads her into the woods of magic and shadows, even as Victor tries to find the way out of his own woods.
What stands out for me about Empire of Wild is the characters. There are so many interesting characters here: Joan, Zeus, Ajean, Victor, Heiser, Cecile—all of them are significant and, in turn, receive plenty of development from Dimaline. Yet even minor characters, like Jimmy Fine, take on this larger-than-life quality that make this book feel like a kind of modern fairy tale. Joan has gone off the path into the woods, and the people she encounters along the way aren’t just people but parables for her education.
Joan’s relationship with Zeus, the way he tags along like a sidekick but she ultimatly decides she doesn’t want to put him in harms way, is adorable. I enjoy the complex interplay of the characters here, whether it’s the way Joan’s mom and brother give her tough love, or Zeus’ complicated teenage relationship with his mom. Perhaps the most surprising character for me was Cecile, whom I assumed was going to be a one-dimensional minion for the side of the antagonists. Dimaline instead gives us an entire backstory that makes her into an interesting, three-dimensional character whose betrayal both of Joan and of Heiser makes the book all the more fascinating.
Then we have Heiser, whose rapport with canines forms the basis for the supernatural aspects of the book. Heiser isn’t just the leader of a small group of Christian revivalists—he is mainly a consultant for development projects that want to move north. Empire of Wild lays bare the depressing but not surprising ways in which mining companies, other similar corporate outfits, will use religion as a way to captivate and manipulate Indigenous communities whose land they want to develop or exploit. In this way, Dimaline illustrates how colonialism in Canada is ongoing. This book is pointed social commentary about the fact that neither government nor corporations truly treat First Nations, the Inuit, or Métis as sovereign nations. Their consent to development projects is seen as an obstacle to overcome rather than a collaboration to be earned. Heiser is a toxic, irredeemable character—not because he is a white man of European descent, but because he is a white man of European descent who willingly steeps himself in colonial tactics of control and exploitation for his own advancement.
The inclusion of the rogarou mythos precludes reading this story as a simplistic tale of “settler = bad, Indigenous = good” though. Rather, Dimaline stresses (especially through the mouthpiece of Ajean) that there must be balance among the forces of nature. A rogarou is the most extreme example of someone who is out of balance, a man who succumbs to his most atavistic self until it consumes him and leaves him nothing but a beast. Without going into spoilers, the way that Dimaline portrays characters’ internal struggles against their rogarous is fascinating, and while it isn’t always straightforward to follow what’s happening, these dream-like sequences create an important backbone to the novel. They underlie the theme that connection is what is most important. The characters in this novel who succumb to the infection of the rogarou are characters who, in their hearts, feel disconnected as a result of their actions and the actions of others.
This is more than a thriller. It’s a carefully crafted mystery laced with the supernatural the way a chef seasons a soup with the finest of spices. I became very invested in Joan’s quest to get Victor back, and the abrupt and shocking ending—which invites but does not promise a sequel—feels oddly fitting for a book that is simultaneously punk rock and rockabilly/blues. When you read Empire of Wild you need to grab and hold on, but if you manage to do so, this book will take you places.
Originally posted at Kara.Reviews.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Racism, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Racial slurs and Genocide
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