Reviews

This is a dark and subtle book, that really tugs at your heart strings. I thought this was a very well written book that appreciate despite it not really being my thing. I picked it up at the library because I remembered Duncan Barlow talking about it and I respect his opinion. So that reminds me, keep talking about books on social media people it helps authors. More importantly it gets people talking about reading and the joy of reading.

This novel is the story of Sequoyah, a fifteen-year-old Cherokee boy who travels through the circles of hell in the foster care system after his mother is thrown in jail. We are with him when he ends up at new schools, and new homes. A great deal of the novel centers on the relationships that Sequoyah makes and how they effect his life.

Brandon Hobson is a writer I have not read before so I don't know how this novel matches his overall style but the first thing I noticed was the slow-burn and detailed style of the prose. Sequoyah doesn't have a charmed life and this novel feels at times like we are being given a window into moments we shouldn't see. He is a character I had never seen or read before, so I was interested through out to see how he navigated this world. I wanted to help this character out and sometimes the narrative gives the reader a helpless feeling.

It is a coming of age novel, but not in a typical by the numbers way. It doesn't tick off plot points. Sequoyah doesn't come of age into a better situation but his scars and pain are kind of the point. A powerful debut

with_discipline's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

megpsmit's review against another edition

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3.0

I appreciate that this book is very well written and the story telling style was beautifully done. However, the book was just not for me. I didn't like listening to it and the expressions of violence were not for me.

syraluna's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

ruthailuj's review

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4.0

I’m not sure how feel about this book. It is well written and keeps the reader moving along. One part made me uncomfortable. I see that the characters are flawed teens with troubled backgrounds. And although none are bad people doesn’t mean they don’t have dark or bad thoughts.

booktrunks's review

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3.0

This is definitely quite a heavy read, and pretty complex. It’s presented in first person past, and can feel like a diary at times, but somehow most of the book feels like it’s currently happening, and pacing of scenes is quite fast which I enjoyed! Unfortunately there was also a lot about this book and the MC’s narration that I couldn’t quite get a hold of, so I often felt quite disconnected from him. I also didn’t feel like I understood the trajectory of the story, which I often struggle with. I think this is a highly thought provoking read that many would enjoy, even if it didn’t connect with me personally quite as much!

mypacificroad's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

I believe it takes a great writer to give away the plot at the beginning of the book and keep the readers completely interested all throughout.

I was lured into the story by Hobson’s simple and precise writing, but the story was anything but.

Sequoyah is a 15 yr old Cherokee person in the Forster system. He has suffered a lot of abuse from his mother and by the time he’s 14 he’s living in a shelter because his mom is in prison. He keeps mostly to himself until he meets Rosemary in one of his foster homes.

Both teens develop a connection through their shared Native background but I believe what makes Sequoyah obsessed with their foster sibling is their exploration with their gender identity.

Sequoyah’s story is perplexing and complex. As the story progresses he has disturbing thoughts that continue to get more violent. This is shocking because you don’t see them coming so you wave them off as a bad moment, until he has another one.

Even though he talks about his mother and mentions his father, Sequoyah has no one. No family and no tribe, which I believe is what leads him to use isolation as a self-defense mechanism.

This story was deeply sad and felt very personal.

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