Scan barcode
laurareads87's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moon of the Turning Leaves picks up over ten years after its predecessor left off; the Whitesky family and a small community group have left their homes and are now living further north. This novel follows a small group, including Evan and his daughter Nangohns, who decide to leave south to the shores of the Great Lakes see what remains of the world and find a new place for the community to live.
This novel reads less ‘horror’ than its predecessor; I may like this one even better than the first. I found myself very invested in the characters’ journey, and feel like this novel has so much to say about resilience and hope amidst despair. I have read others describe at least the beginning as slow, but I didn’t find it to be. I loved Rice’s thorough incorporation of Anishinaabemowin.
This could almost work as a standalone; though it does mention individuals and events from the first book, it does so in ways that wouldn’t be totally baffling to a new reader. That said, I would definitely suggest reading Moon of the Crusted Snow first. Both books are excellent, and it provides valuable context to this one.
Content warnings: death, murder, violence, gun violence, suicide, racism, racial slurs, blood, death of a non-human animal, verbal threats of sexual assault, mention of cannibalism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Gun violence, and Racism
Moderate: Blood and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault and Cannibalism
evelikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Suicide, Racism, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
readingwithkaitlyn's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Hate crime, and Death of parent
Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Gore, Suicide, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Genocide
Minor: Drug use, Terminal illness, Ableism, Alcohol, Child death, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Grief, Stalking, and Medical trauma
Mo residential schools.paronomaniac's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Suicide, Child death, Blood, Racism, Animal death, and Racial slurs
noble_editorial's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is the ideal sequel to Rice's debut novel. Expect a bit of a slower start with this one, but know the payoff is worth the wait. It's everything you could want in a post-apocalyptic novel: adventure, tension, and a wide range of emotiion.
I find speculative fiction told through an Indigenous lens tends to invite introspection, and I particularly appreciate the richness that it lends to this book. The reader is invited to reflect on the question of "What if?" and although that isn't an entirely pleasant exercise, it's certainly an insightful one.
This is a book you will think about long after closing it.
I find speculative fiction told through an Indigenous lens tends to invite introspection, and I particularly appreciate the richness that it lends to this book. The reader is invited to reflect on the question of "What if?" and although that isn't an entirely pleasant exercise, it's certainly an insightful one.
This is a book you will think about long after closing it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
joannalouise's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
annemaries_shelves's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.5
4.5 stars
I loved the experience of reading this book - despite the constant stress and tension.
And hearing Rice talk about this book at the Ottawa Writer's Fest made the reading experience even more special as he discussed some of the themes of the book and the experience in writing it.
Despite the tension and stress of the unknown (and uh, scary encounters), it's ultimately a hopeful book about learning to reconnect with the land, live in a good way, and return to your cultural roots - spiritual and geographically.
Because most of the book follows our 6 walkers as they traverse Northern Ontario down to the Georgian Bay, the nature writing is a focal point. And Rice's nature writing was wonderful. I could so easily picture every landscape in my mind, and felt like I was walking alongside our characters (though thankfully I was not in the same danger they were). Nangohns was a delightful character to have as a POV - seeing her experiences as someone who's really only grown up post-event and also still maturing into an adult, was special. I felt like she was a guiding star for the rest of the characters and the plot.
I also think he did a great job showing through interpersonal interactions and character descriptions that the real sickness/cause of this apocalyptic event is white supremacy and the desire for power. Folks who live well, are respectful of the land and each other, and rely on community for support are happy, healthy, and hold good relationships. In comparison, white folks who are racist and mean, hell bent on power through murder, are clearly falling apart physically and spiritually. It's a stark and well-crafted contrast.
And that ending... it's what I expected and I sobbed through the last 5-10 pages. It's so sad but also hopeful. Sheer poetry.
Knowing that Evan managed to arrive in the lands of his ancestors where the birch trees grow, and experience it for such a short period of time before dying... that hurt my heart. He was a favourite character from the first book and seeing him achieve his goal of finding his family and community's ancestral and future home but not being able to live there with them... masterfully done story-wise.
If you read Moon of the Crusted Snow, I urge you to read the sequel - it's well worth it.
I loved the experience of reading this book - despite the constant stress and tension.
And hearing Rice talk about this book at the Ottawa Writer's Fest made the reading experience even more special as he discussed some of the themes of the book and the experience in writing it.
Despite the tension and stress of the unknown (and uh, scary encounters), it's ultimately a hopeful book about learning to reconnect with the land, live in a good way, and return to your cultural roots - spiritual and geographically.
Because most of the book follows our 6 walkers as they traverse Northern Ontario down to the Georgian Bay, the nature writing is a focal point. And Rice's nature writing was wonderful. I could so easily picture every landscape in my mind, and felt like I was walking alongside our characters (though thankfully I was not in the same danger they were). Nangohns was a delightful character to have as a POV - seeing her experiences as someone who's really only grown up post-event and also still maturing into an adult, was special. I felt like she was a guiding star for the rest of the characters and the plot.
I also think he did a great job showing through interpersonal interactions and character descriptions that the real sickness/cause of this apocalyptic event is white supremacy and the desire for power. Folks who live well, are respectful of the land and each other, and rely on community for support are happy, healthy, and hold good relationships. In comparison, white folks who are racist and mean, hell bent on power through murder, are clearly falling apart physically and spiritually. It's a stark and well-crafted contrast.
And that ending... it's what I expected and I sobbed through the last 5-10 pages. It's so sad but also hopeful. Sheer poetry.
If you read Moon of the Crusted Snow, I urge you to read the sequel - it's well worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
sarah984's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was a little bit slow for me at first, a lot of day to day descriptions of travelling, and a few of the side characters feel like they're just there to pad out the team (sorry Tyler) but overall a great hopeful post apocalyptic story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Violence, Gore, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Pregnancy
There are threats of rape and allusions to women kept as “concubines” by the militia but no rape occurs on page.
More...