Reviews - Looking for Smoke

636 reviews for:

Looking for Smoke

K.A. Cobell

4.14 AVERAGE

austenheroineinprogress's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

rebecca_labrador's review

5.0

dark informative mysterious 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: Complicated

assesgrass's review

5.0

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell is a phenomenal, well written, complex, character driven novel.

Cobell does an amazing job at providing information about MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) while still captivating the reader with the plot and characters of the book.

The characters are very interesting, I very much enjoyed each and every one of them till the very end. Each has their own battle with the world and within themselves, the written story showing you can change and learn from your past is such an important part to add to a story.

Looking for Smoke is definitely in my top favourites of all time and best read of 2025

Content Warnings

srbibliotecario's review

3.0

dark 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

amieeaya's review against another edition

4.25

I listened to this but wish I had read it to keep track of the different perspectives. This is a classic who done it with a lot of culture added, which worked for me. Lincoln list 2026.

sydneylangford's review

4.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What a powerful read. Equal parts gripping and tense, and informative and engaging—this is a truly knockout debut! I learned a lot about Blackfeet traditions, modern native teenage experiences, rez life, as well as the MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women) movement. Cobell deftly shed light on these serious topics and high percentages of native women who experience violence. That representation and awareness is so incredibly important. Overall, the murder mystery was page-turning and the addition of a 5th “unknown” POV kept me wondering… I will say, the final whodunit reveal and the unmasking of the “unknown” narrator felt a little rushed and unsatisfying with not a lot of time to really sit with the revelation or the consequences of the events in the last few chapters. That being said, though, I really enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to read Cobell’s future work!

Content Warnings