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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Giving a spotlight to MMIW, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women plaguing the US and Canada, we meet Mara who is new to living at the Blackfeet reservation. Soon she is pulled into the mystery of a missing girl as well as a girl found murdered during a celebration. Twists, turns and multiple point of views will have readers guessing until the last heartbreaking pages. Don’t miss this excellent debut novel.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This review is based on an uncorrected E-proof ARC, courtesy of Netgalley.
Mara Racette lives on the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, but she's never quite fit in as anything but an outsider. When a classmate's older sister goes missing, Mara is asked to participate in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway ceremony in honor of the missing girl. The ceremony goes awry when another teenage girl is found murdered, and Mara finds herself embroiled in finding the truth alongside new tentative friendships with Loren, Brody, and Eli. The MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) movement is brought to the forefront in this gorgeous YA novel. Two missing and murdered Blackfeet women bring local conflicts and suspicions to a frenzy. Can the local authorities be trusted to objectively investigate the cases?
The novel uses shifting first person accounts to tell the story; I'm not sure it was the most effective method for this particular book. The chapters are very shortThis review is based on an uncorrected E-proof ARC, courtesy of Netgalley.
Mara Racette lives on the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, but she's never quite fit in as anything but an outsider. When a classmate's older sister goes missing, Mara is asked to participate in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway ceremony in honor of the missing girl. The ceremony goes awry when another teenage girl is found murdered, and Mara finds herself embroiled in finding the truth alongside new tentative friendships with Loren, Brody, and Eli. The MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) movement is brought to the forefront in this gorgeous YA novel. Two missing and murdered Blackfeet women bring local conflicts and suspicions to a frenzy. Can the local authorities be trusted to objectively investigate the cases?
The novel uses shifting first person accounts to tell the story, which I'm not sure was the most effective method for this particular book. The chapters are very short, which makes the plot somewhat choppy. I also never felt really connected to any of the characters, but I'll admit that may be the slow pace at which I read this one. There is beautiful imagery describing the ceremonies and rituals of the Blackfeet people, which play a very active part in this mystery/thriller. I've read more engaging thrillers that center the MMIW movement, but this is an excellent YA novel in the canon. Family ties run deep and loyal, and even in the close-knit community of the reservation, everyone has secrets.
Mara Racette lives on the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, but she's never quite fit in as anything but an outsider. When a classmate's older sister goes missing, Mara is asked to participate in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway ceremony in honor of the missing girl. The ceremony goes awry when another teenage girl is found murdered, and Mara finds herself embroiled in finding the truth alongside new tentative friendships with Loren, Brody, and Eli. The MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) movement is brought to the forefront in this gorgeous YA novel. Two missing and murdered Blackfeet women bring local conflicts and suspicions to a frenzy. Can the local authorities be trusted to objectively investigate the cases?
The novel uses shifting first person accounts to tell the story; I'm not sure it was the most effective method for this particular book. The chapters are very shortThis review is based on an uncorrected E-proof ARC, courtesy of Netgalley.
Mara Racette lives on the Blackfeet Reservation with her parents, but she's never quite fit in as anything but an outsider. When a classmate's older sister goes missing, Mara is asked to participate in a traditional Blackfeet giveaway ceremony in honor of the missing girl. The ceremony goes awry when another teenage girl is found murdered, and Mara finds herself embroiled in finding the truth alongside new tentative friendships with Loren, Brody, and Eli. The MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) movement is brought to the forefront in this gorgeous YA novel. Two missing and murdered Blackfeet women bring local conflicts and suspicions to a frenzy. Can the local authorities be trusted to objectively investigate the cases?
The novel uses shifting first person accounts to tell the story, which I'm not sure was the most effective method for this particular book. The chapters are very short, which makes the plot somewhat choppy. I also never felt really connected to any of the characters, but I'll admit that may be the slow pace at which I read this one. There is beautiful imagery describing the ceremonies and rituals of the Blackfeet people, which play a very active part in this mystery/thriller. I've read more engaging thrillers that center the MMIW movement, but this is an excellent YA novel in the canon. Family ties run deep and loyal, and even in the close-knit community of the reservation, everyone has secrets.
Great YA thriller. MMIWG. Lots of red herrings. I hope this one gets into young people`s hands.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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:
Yes
3.5 stars. a very solid debut novel! the characters were interesting and the subject of missing/murdered native young women was handled with care and reverence, i'll definitely be checking out more of k.a. cobell's work in the future
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Classism
Minor: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation