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whitedaylilies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A thrilling sequel that I didn’t know I needed! I absolutely fell in love with Cherie Dimaline’s story and characters in The Marrow Thieves and was so excited to come across this next part of the adventure. The characters are so rich and the writing is so compelling. I read this entire book in one day, which is very rare for me. I will admit that I listened to the audio at the same time so that sped things up for this slow reader…and the narration was superb! This story pulled at the heart strings so many times. The love that this family has for each other is just so beautiful and palpable! The stakes are so high for them and they just keep surviving, keep protecting each other, keep telling their stories and sharing the bits of language that they remember. As an ancestor of colonists to Turtle Island, I do the work I can to unlearn the false history and systemic racism that I grew up with, and stories like this are so important for teaching that if we are not careful that past becomes the future and that can never be allowed to happen again (and many would agree that the “past” is still present for Indigenous People of Turtle Island). I highly recommend this book and it’s first…go read immediately!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual violence, Gore, Medical content, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Torture
thazell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
This was the perfect continuation of 'The Marrow Thieves' and god did I ever love it. I could not put this book down, I was always reaching for it to continue to the next chapter, to find out what happens next. This book had me within its grasp, I was sitting at the edge of my seat and overfilled with emotions. Compared to the first book we got to feel the more dystopian side of the plot which I found really enjoyable, instead of just seeing the characters on the run from these unknown and mysterious recruiters we get to see the insides of how everything works. The world-building was done in such a great way where I also felt the panic and dread French felt, nothing was revealed too fast or not fast enough but just right as we discovered the secrets of the operations of the schools. Not only was there more world-building but we got to experience multiple pov's of characters, this was done really well. One thing I really enjoyed was seeing the character development and relationship development as the characters were put into harsh situations that they hadn't experienced before, it was a true moral vs survival situation which I truly enjoy. I loved being inside the other characters' heads and following them on their adventures, there were also a few surprising POV's but they were so amazingly done that it didn't interrupt the pace that the story had. Author Dimaline did a fantastic job with this sequel and I can't help but want more despite such a beautiful ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death
yasmilktea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Death, Racism, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Child abuse
nataliebootlah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
From The Marrow Thieves, French is back in this gripping sequel.
It picks up where we left off—in a ravaged world where Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow, which is believed to bring back dreams. French and his found family are still on the run, willing to do anything to stay out of the hands of the Recruiters.
When French is captured and ends up at a school, he must decide how far he’s willing to go to escape. On the outside, his family is deciding the same thing. Through brutal trials, questions of character, love, loss, and everything in between, we see what freedom means for this family.
Dimaline captures a fictionalized version of the very real residential schools that took place in the US and Canada, where Indigenous people were sent to boarding schools to sever their cultures and traditions. It is a harrowing look into North America’s history and a reminder of what happened right under the soles of our feet.
It picks up where we left off—in a ravaged world where Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow, which is believed to bring back dreams. French and his found family are still on the run, willing to do anything to stay out of the hands of the Recruiters.
When French is captured and ends up at a school, he must decide how far he’s willing to go to escape. On the outside, his family is deciding the same thing. Through brutal trials, questions of character, love, loss, and everything in between, we see what freedom means for this family.
Dimaline captures a fictionalized version of the very real residential schools that took place in the US and Canada, where Indigenous people were sent to boarding schools to sever their cultures and traditions. It is a harrowing look into North America’s history and a reminder of what happened right under the soles of our feet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Child death
lancakes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Just not for me. I was really happy with where the first book left off. This sequel was really dark, I don't why it felt so much more difficult to read than the first one, but I just felt like 1) there were less gruesome details in Book 1, and 2) the horror was better balanced by tenderness and care among the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Incest, Genocide, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Racism
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Picking up right where The Marrow Thieves left off, it was fantastic to return to this world. I opted to listen to the audiobook this time, and I feel like I was even more immersed in the world. This might be a dystopian-esque world, but it parallels what is currently happening to the Native population. There were some really powerful moments, and man, by the end, I didn't want to stop listening. I needed to know what was going to happen next.
While The Marrow Thieves didn't necessarily need a sequel, I loved the way that the world was expanded. Honestly, I can't wait to see what else Dimaline comes up with.
While The Marrow Thieves didn't necessarily need a sequel, I loved the way that the world was expanded. Honestly, I can't wait to see what else Dimaline comes up with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Forced institutionalization
2treads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
“Story is a home, it’s where we live, it’s where we hold everything we’ll need to truly survive— our languages, our people, our land..." – Miig
Dimaline stuns with the depth of feeling she is able to conjure with her words as she leads us back to Frenchie and his family, his community. When your very marrow is the most precious resource in a shattered world, where and how far can you run to remain free?
Hunting By Stars expands the portraiture of found family established in The Marrow Thieves, focusing a wider lens into community, memory, resistance, family, and love; giving the reader insight into the misguided and warped thinking of the Institute, its mandates and changing goal.
Dimaline draws upon Indigenous history and experiences with residential schools, how that horrific past can still be excavated and used to detail a trauma that has not been healed and that Indigenous peoples still encounter and live with today. The phrase 'kill the Indian in the child' occurs more than once and impresses upon the reader that manipulation and indoctrination is also a part of what was done then and that has bearing on the treatment of Indigenous bodies today.
But, what stays with me after reading this novel and having experienced this series, is the power of choosing family; of living one's truth and keeping tradition, story, and identity foremost as we move ever forward.
"They never win when we remember.” – Miig
Dimaline stuns with the depth of feeling she is able to conjure with her words as she leads us back to Frenchie and his family, his community. When your very marrow is the most precious resource in a shattered world, where and how far can you run to remain free?
Hunting By Stars expands the portraiture of found family established in The Marrow Thieves, focusing a wider lens into community, memory, resistance, family, and love; giving the reader insight into the misguided and warped thinking of the Institute, its mandates and changing goal.
Dimaline draws upon Indigenous history and experiences with residential schools, how that horrific past can still be excavated and used to detail a trauma that has not been healed and that Indigenous peoples still encounter and live with today. The phrase 'kill the Indian in the child' occurs more than once and impresses upon the reader that manipulation and indoctrination is also a part of what was done then and that has bearing on the treatment of Indigenous bodies today.
But, what stays with me after reading this novel and having experienced this series, is the power of choosing family; of living one's truth and keeping tradition, story, and identity foremost as we move ever forward.
"They never win when we remember.” – Miig
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
raccoonbirb_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Torture
Moderate: Child death and Death
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