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livrad 's review for:
The Removed
by Brandon Hobson
I'm not sure how exactly to rate this. It took me a long time to get into the story at all, at least 30 percent of the way in. There are a lot of characters and a lot of threads that need to be followed, and there's so much woven into the story--things from history, hints of current events, Cherokee culture, the child welfare system.
By the time I was 75 percent into the book, I was starting to be really impressed and began to make comparisons between this and _Sharks in the Time of Saviors_, which will probably be on the list of top reads for my year. Both books look at modern and historical lenses about the effects of colonialism and racism on indigenous people, legend, sense of place (or displacement), and magical realism. One of them just does it far better than the other.
Considering how pleased I was feeling at the 3/4 mark, I was expecting the book to finish strong. However, all of the characters and threads basically hung there, without being woven together at the end or having their own resolutions. It was a bit of a disappointment.
(Plus, there were some weird hints of Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching meets Jumanji that never manifested either.)
What I really wanted more of were the legends and history from Tsala and more of Maria and Wyatt's story in the book.
By the time I was 75 percent into the book, I was starting to be really impressed and began to make comparisons between this and _Sharks in the Time of Saviors_, which will probably be on the list of top reads for my year. Both books look at modern and historical lenses about the effects of colonialism and racism on indigenous people, legend, sense of place (or displacement), and magical realism. One of them just does it far better than the other.
Considering how pleased I was feeling at the 3/4 mark, I was expecting the book to finish strong. However, all of the characters and threads basically hung there, without being woven together at the end or having their own resolutions. It was a bit of a disappointment.
(Plus, there were some weird hints of Alyssa Cole's When No One Is Watching meets Jumanji that never manifested either.)
What I really wanted more of were the legends and history from Tsala and more of Maria and Wyatt's story in the book.