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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this quite a lot! Really surprised it's a debut too. It's so emotionally rich and the world building was great. I wouldn't call this a true horror novel but definitely a thriller with elements of horror and magical realism. Love that this is from an Indigenous author who tied in so many cultural aspects, including struggles and challenges of living on a reservation. Also loved that this spotlighted the MMIW epidemic in an interesting way and highly recommend the author's note as well. The second half of the book was particularly great, I was riveted waiting to see what would happen. I also really loved the exploration of Anna being Two-Spirit and wish we could have seen more of that! The dual plotlines were difficult to follow at first, and I had to go back and catch up on things a few times, but once I figured it out pretty early on it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.
Mostly about the murdered and missing indigenous women situation. I enjoyed Anna's character as somewhat of an outcast.
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
Don’t skip out on the authors note at the end!! I appreciate the intentionality behind what was included and the delicacy of the trigger warning. Nick Medina just nailed it on every level.
Admittedly the timeline of the book initially was tough for me to sift through but the pacing of the mystery sucked me in. I love magical realism as a background for horror. Nick Medina did a great job respectfully blending elements of the different tribal myths to do the world building of this reservation. There was a lot of issues tackled beyond the very real epidemic of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. The loss of cultural information from losing elders who are fluent speakers stood out in the midst of the horrific trauma of what was happening to the women and girls. The broken family dynamic of Anna’s family and what drove her sister to be groomed was so sad. I really resonated with Anna’s dilemma as an older sister to preserve her relationship with Grace but feeling the need to protect her from being a reckless teenager- been there. I really liked this book and would definitely read another by Medina.
4.5 stars
This book was so good. I was totally hooked and loved it. The characters were well thought out and even the ones that didn't have as much time on-page were easy to remember and make sense of. The only thing that knocked this down for me a little bit was the timeline was hard to keep up with, but I think it would have been easier if I had been reading a physical copy instead of listening on audiobook.
MMIW is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, and I really respect how well this author shed light on the issue without making it a spectacle of entertainment. It was a heart-wrenching, beautiful story of the bonds of sisterhood and community.
This book was so good. I was totally hooked and loved it. The characters were well thought out and even the ones that didn't have as much time on-page were easy to remember and make sense of. The only thing that knocked this down for me a little bit was the timeline was hard to keep up with, but I think it would have been easier if I had been reading a physical copy instead of listening on audiobook.
MMIW is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, and I really respect how well this author shed light on the issue without making it a spectacle of entertainment. It was a heart-wrenching, beautiful story of the bonds of sisterhood and community.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has a lot of different motifs and themes going on, some of which it executes much more successfully than others. That aside, this is a wonderful novel that is both captivating and heartbreaking.
First and foremost this is a really in-depth, wonderful story that delves into the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women. The trafficking element and blasé attitude from the local officials is addressed with frankness. I think that this is a really sympathetic portrait of the struggles of living on reservations, even those that are “up and coming” with casino money. Of all the things it did, I felt this was most successful.
I also loved that the main character, Anna, was coded as being two-spirit. However I do wish the character was able to put things together for some resolution or at least acknowledge the connection. I felt like it teased a two-spirit story but didn’t fully commit. I would have preferred a little more attention or follow through.
What I thought this book did least successfully was the high school bullying of Anna. With Grace there were so many elements to point at that made her ostracism believable—she was considered promiscuous, the was sisters with an undesirable sibling. Anna though it seemed a little bit like they just really were grasping at straws. She was ugly? And she wore men’s clothes? It just all seemed like a stretch and needed something more concrete to make it sound believable.
I appreciated the weaving in of native stories into the narrative and thought that was a great character trait for Anna and that those two elements worked together really well.
First and foremost this is a really in-depth, wonderful story that delves into the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women. The trafficking element and blasé attitude from the local officials is addressed with frankness. I think that this is a really sympathetic portrait of the struggles of living on reservations, even those that are “up and coming” with casino money. Of all the things it did, I felt this was most successful.
I also loved that the main character, Anna, was coded as being two-spirit. However I do wish the character was able to put things together for some resolution or at least acknowledge the connection. I felt like it teased a two-spirit story but didn’t fully commit. I would have preferred a little more attention or follow through.
What I thought this book did least successfully was the high school bullying of Anna. With Grace there were so many elements to point at that made her ostracism believable—she was considered promiscuous, the was sisters with an undesirable sibling. Anna though it seemed a little bit like they just really were grasping at straws. She was ugly? And she wore men’s clothes? It just all seemed like a stretch and needed something more concrete to make it sound believable.
I appreciated the weaving in of native stories into the narrative and thought that was a great character trait for Anna and that those two elements worked together really well.