summerb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, War, Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Classism, Colonisation, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cultural appropriation, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality
bookworm247's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Car accident, Cursing, Drug use, Racism, Gun violence, Child death, and Grief
bootsmom3's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Colonisation, Death, and Genocide
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Sexual assault
lanid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Murder, Bullying, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Gun violence
voxelbee's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Child death, Addiction, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, and Torture
Minor: Racial slurs, Colonisation, Bullying, Car accident, and Genocide
brookey8888's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
davidbythebay's review
- 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
5.0
The writing was fast paced and flowed so beautifully. It was rich and I could see and smell and taste and hear everything Virgil Wounded Horse and the other characters experienced. It was so beautifully done.
I would like to see the author write more in this world with these characters. (Prequels? Sequels? Just tangential loosely related novels? Whatever.) The ending is open for further stories just enough to be enticed. And the definitive fates of certain characters are not known and I would like to see what happened there, but I am sufficiently happy with how it was all handled. Not every string needs a bow, just a loose knot is enough.
I am always interested in the spiritual aspects of different cultures and religions. This had such a beautiful amount of spiritual events that I will absolutely be reading more about these and other Indigenous peoples. I thought it was not only a wonderful look into a culture that is generally glossed over in white American schools, but also a history that is seldom told. I learned about the Battle of Little Big Horn in school and that there were numerous casualties with the Indigenous population suffering great losses. I never heard the perspective of it being a genocidal slaughter like it is expressed here. I had my hunches, but never knew about these events enough. I’ve always wanted to read more Indigenous history and culture and now I am excited to begin soon.
I highly recommend reading this is you love mysteries, thrillers, family dramas, and even justice and philosophical texts as there is enough to discuss and explore more. And that feeling of joy and wanting to explore topics more is the highest praise I think a book can ever be given. Five stars.
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
kerrygetsliterary's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
opinionsofawolf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Pedophilia
kachina's review
As a fellow white Indigenous (and Oceti Sakowin) relative, I just felt like so much of this book played into strange colonizer stereotypes.
Something in the spirit of it felt...off. I think there’s a lot of nuanced discourse around whiteness and Indigeneity, and a lot of uncomfortable learning, too.
So much of this felt like a white Native pity fest. Not to dismiss the nuances of the particular pain of being ostracized from your own community, I know that pain well, but it feels so centered in this book in a weird way that implicates other non-white or white passing Natives in a way that feels like something an author of this age should’ve grown out of by now.
I also felt like there was some weird lateral oppressive stereotype deployment in terms of how Latinx folks were portrayed but that’s a whole other can of worms.
In all; I wanna support fellow Indigenous creators and writers, but outside of my work this book has really put to the forefront for me how much I don’t think I’ll be reading cishet, white male stories in the future.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse