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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best books I have read all year. I will aggressively recommend this book to anyone who cares to listen.
Great debut! I loved learning more about the Lakota tribe and their customs while also being hooked on the story plot. Highly recommend this one.
This is a very interesting mystery/thriller set on Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The main character is the local vigilante (since the federal government declines to prosecute many crimes), so there are a few scenes that are a bit violent for me, but considering he's the main character, I would say they're somewhat kept to a minimum. It felt like it had a strong sense of place for Rosebud. There are some scenes of traditional Lakota ceremonies, which is an interesting peek into their culture. Virgil is the legal guardian of his nephew, who gets into trouble at the beginning of the book with drugs coming into the reservation, leading Virgil to go on a mission to find out where they're coming from. The story also does a nice job of incorporating Native history that many Americans are probably unaware of. It's action packed but also introspective. I thought it was all really well done.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Though it is marketed as a "thriller," the first 3/4 of the book has a slow, meandering pace before it picks up at the end.
Some of it was just a bit clunky, and I think another round of edits to tighten it up would have helped.
I liked the setting and learning more about modern Lakota culture.
Some of it was just a bit clunky, and I think another round of edits to tighten it up would have helped.
I liked the setting and learning more about modern Lakota culture.
Indigenous author writing contemporary crime fiction set on the Rosebud Reservation and South Dakota offers up a debut that combines modern day problems and characters struggling with their native identity. Virgil is the reservation's enforcer, a vigilante who serves up punishment on miscreants for a small fee, miscreants who neither the reservation police nor when it's a felony, the feds, will bother to prosecute. Virgil is also raising his teenage nephew, Nathan, orphaned when his mother died in a head on collision. You like Virgil and Nathan, and when Nathan nearly dies from a heroin overdose, you really hope they can pull through. In the course of untangling Nathan from the drug dealers, Virgil uncovers more corruption and graft among those he's known his entire life.
The crime plotting is a little rough here and there, but the heart of the plot is really Virgil's redemption and ultimate embracing of native traditions and faith. In setting out to save his nephew There's an opening left at the end for more books with Virgil, hinting at a slightly different future.
There's a lot about Lakota traditions and spirituality. The book could have used a glossary - although since I was reading an ebook, it was easy to look up the Lakota words/expressions used and historical events mentioned - the more obscure ones that is.
The crime plotting is a little rough here and there, but the heart of the plot is really Virgil's redemption and ultimate embracing of native traditions and faith. In setting out to save his nephew
Spoiler
he's also saving himself, leaving the hate and anger behind that have driven him to use his fists for a living.There's a lot about Lakota traditions and spirituality. The book could have used a glossary - although since I was reading an ebook, it was easy to look up the Lakota words/expressions used and historical events mentioned - the more obscure ones that is.
adventurous
mysterious
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes