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A review by saracatalyst
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. I was hopeful and intrigued from the start, but it just did not hold up as I kept reading. The more I think about what worked and what didn’t in this book, the more I feel like it needed to go through at least one more significant revision.
There were good ideas here, and I feel like it *could* have been a good read, but it just wasn’t.
Early on, I found it pretty hard to keep straight who we were reading about and how they were related to the other characters. At a certain point I just gave up. The character development felt lacking and uneven. It felt like the author was trying, and some passages and sentences really stuck, but overall a lot didn’t work.
There was random homophobia in the book at one point. I doubt it’s a reflection of the author’s belief, but it’s not completely clear why it was there at all. It was never particularly relevant in any way - either needed to be fleshed out to show why it was relevant or just edited out! Same with some random misogyny from Joan toward other women and an offhand comment comparing the German villain to Hitler, because of course.
Also, I am completely not down with the ending. Why is Zeus a rogaru now? Because he, a preteen, told his mom he hates her? Really? I’m so uncomfortable with a message that this sweet kid who feels and kind of is abandoned deserves this fate in any way. Absolutely miss me with that shit.
Loved the cultural context and blending of different myths. Jotted down a few really good sentences. Overall, not a big fan of this one.
There were good ideas here, and I feel like it *could* have been a good read, but it just wasn’t.
Early on, I found it pretty hard to keep straight who we were reading about and how they were related to the other characters. At a certain point I just gave up. The character development felt lacking and uneven. It felt like the author was trying, and some passages and sentences really stuck, but overall a lot didn’t work.
There was random homophobia in the book at one point. I doubt it’s a reflection of the author’s belief, but it’s not completely clear why it was there at all. It was never particularly relevant in any way - either needed to be fleshed out to show why it was relevant or just edited out! Same with some random misogyny from Joan toward other women and an offhand comment comparing the German villain to Hitler, because of course.
Loved the cultural context and blending of different myths. Jotted down a few really good sentences. Overall, not a big fan of this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia