brooketreads's review against another edition
This book wasn’t bad necessarily, It’s just heavy on trauma. There is a lot of mentions of sexual situations/acts (involving minors).
vnture's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
momwrex's review
5.0
I found the writing compelling. Authentic characters struggling as adolescents in the "system" (shelter care, foster care). I'll be reading more by Brandon Hobson.
katherine's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emilyusuallyreading's review
2.0
What I Liked
Hobson is a wonderful writer and crafts a realistic tale from Sequoyah's point of view. I found myself hurting and questioning the world alongside this young man, and his story is not alone.
What I Didn't Like
Where the Dead Sit Talking is terribly dark, and not in a deep or productive way. There is so much sex, death, and gore that in the end, I only felt sickened and not at all inspired.
Hobson is a wonderful writer and crafts a realistic tale from Sequoyah's point of view. I found myself hurting and questioning the world alongside this young man, and his story is not alone.
What I Didn't Like
Where the Dead Sit Talking is terribly dark, and not in a deep or productive way. There is so much sex, death, and gore that in the end, I only felt sickened and not at all inspired.
bethbarron's review against another edition
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
This was a tough read. Hobson takes us inside the mind of a teenage boy who is in the foster system. He has experienced trauma, so we see his attempts to cope and to find himself outside of the trauma. It's thought-provoking.
Lots of TWs.
Lots of TWs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Animal cruelty, Drug use, and Mental illness
driedfrogpills's review
3.0
I think this is a vital book, given how it describes the foster care system through the perspective of a troubled Native American teenager who is growing up within that system as well as the various topics that crop up in Sequoyah's world - drug use, gambling, etc. Foster care and how it affects the kids within it is a topic that isn't addressed a lot in books, and those that do don't quite inspire the same kind of disconcerting feeling as Hobson does here.
This was just not the book for me, and I'm not quite sure how I would recommend it to readers. Sequoyah's mind is a pretty troubled place (understandably so) and to see him struggle with his sense of self by projecting a lot onto Rosemary inspired equal parts intrigue and concerned trepidation. But I felt like the characters aside from Sequoyah needed to be developed a bit more to really make the story less ambiguous. But again, maybe the ambiguity was what Hobson was going for.
I'm giving it three stars because it is pretty well-written and the perspective is important, but for me it was more like a two. Maybe I'll revisit this years from now and see if my feelings have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for a review.
This was just not the book for me, and I'm not quite sure how I would recommend it to readers. Sequoyah's mind is a pretty troubled place (understandably so) and to see him struggle with his sense of self by projecting a lot onto Rosemary inspired equal parts intrigue and concerned trepidation. But I felt like the characters aside from Sequoyah needed to be developed a bit more to really make the story less ambiguous. But again, maybe the ambiguity was what Hobson was going for.
I'm giving it three stars because it is pretty well-written and the perspective is important, but for me it was more like a two. Maybe I'll revisit this years from now and see if my feelings have changed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for a review.
krnisly's review against another edition
Had to stop read around 30% because of talk of ideation of violent sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
song_bird's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
abauer's review against another edition
3.0
A slice of life in the foster care system, Where the Dead Sit Talking takes you into the mind of fifteen-year-old Sequoyah during his time with the Troutt family and fellow foster kids George and Rosemary. Sequoyah has a lot of dark and unsettling thoughts as he struggles with his identity. The book deals with some heavy topics, including substance abuse and suicide. The characters were very well-written, but the story felt incomplete somehow, which may have been the point.