Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

19 reviews

kylieqrada's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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

5.0

Cherie Dimaline’s writing is my absolute shit. So many quotable lines! I loved the incorporation of indigenous folklore and the connection between capitalism and religion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Kidnapping, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Homophobia

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Car accident, Gaslighting, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Stalking, Colonisation, Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual violence

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, Pedophilia, Incest, Infidelity, and Rape

jackie_marion's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Racial slurs

jessereadsthings's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Sexual assault

Moderate: Kidnapping and Homophobia

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Sexual content

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Fatphobia, Blood, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Car accident, Racism, and Stalking

Minor: Vomit and Sexual assault

yaoipaddle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

(Would have been 3 stars but the ending disappointed me enough to move it down to 2.)

I picked this book up because I saw Margaret Atwood recommend it, I'm interested in reading more books by indigenous authors, and I love werewolf adjacent creatures. (The one in this story is a rogarou.)

The setting and the scenes between Joan (main character) and her family are so well written and make me perfectly visualize everything. The small details in character interactions and the places they visit or live in make everything feel so alive and immersive.

One thing I had to get used to is that at least early on the author uses so many pronouns when we're still being introduced to the large cast of characters. I had to reread passages a few times to organize in my head who was doing what or saying what. I'm not sure if the writing got better about naming who did what or if I just got used to it as the book went on.

If you read this book please be aware of the large amount of sexual content most of which is quite graphic. The sheer amount of it in what is a mystery novel surprised me and tbh annoyed me. Everyone other than the kid characters are constantly talking about sex, thinking about sex, or having sex. To the point where I'm just waiting for it to be mentioned yet again in every chapter. Everyone is so freaking horny and most of it is so purposeless to me. Even if you like having sexual content in anything you read, the content in this book feels so out of place so often.

The pacing for most of the book was pretty good. The plot is interesting and gives just enough mystery to make you feel interested but not overwhelmed. And just when I thought the pacing was going too fast I realized that it was pretty well planned!

However by the last few chapters of the book it felt very rushed and everything was a bit to convenient just to wrap the story up.

(There is one scene where Joan travels somewhere, gets angry at something that tbh I felt was just to add conflict and not representative of how she has acted throughout the book, and then gets over it in a couple paragraphs and drives home. :/ Useless.) The last two chapters especially just felt annoying and almost like the author wanted to end on a cliffhanger instead of be content with the story she already finished.

I also felt let down and like some important characters were introduced too late with zero prep and just gone as soon as they came. (No pun intended considering all the sex in this book).

Overall an immersive setting and cast with a fun mystery to keep you on your toes. This all is dragged down by out of place sex and rushed pacing at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Grief, Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Infidelity, Colonisation, Animal death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Alcoholism

Minor: Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping

emsim's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Kidnapping, Car accident, Colonisation, and Gaslighting

hctown's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping and Violence

singalana's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Blood, Sexual content, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Vomit, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, and Violence

laurenleigh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I think this was a rec from @boxcarsewing? So glad I finally got around to it! This was a thrilling take on the rougarou legend. Rougarous are mythical creatures similar to a werewolf, and they’re often used in cautionary tales to inspire obedience and fear, especially for children. So fascinating to see how this plays into the issues indigenous people face in Canada and northern US. Dimaline especially explores the heterogeneity of indigenous groups, and how not everyone agrees what is best (e.g. Should a Native person take a well-paying job to better support their family if it’s at the mines that are destroying their ancestral lands?). The plot pacing was very well-done, and oof that ending really got to me!! Did not see that one coming. Content warning for a fair amount of sexual content, FYI.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, and Alcohol