ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
OK, OK, representation matters. I've mentioned this before. And, it makes a difference if the stories are good as well. It makes a difference to, if the people in the story are flawed, aren't all perfect, and are just like you and me, because that is part of representation as well.
Well, except Cole is a bit more than you and me.
For one thing, he was dead at the end of the second book in the series, and comes back to life in this final book in the series.
The best part of this story, which is about why there is a sickness spearding on the reserve Broken Sky, is the lightness that the story takes, despite all the death going on around the characters.
Helps that there is spirit being that appears through out the books, Choch, a sort of trickster demi-god, who is very meta, always making comments about the process of the story, and how there can be no swearing.
And Cole and his friends are also super aware. When it is discovered that Cole has super speed power, they talk about naming him as a super hero:
Highly recommend the whole series.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Well, except Cole is a bit more than you and me.
For one thing, he was dead at the end of the second book in the series, and comes back to life in this final book in the series.
The best part of this story, which is about why there is a sickness spearding on the reserve Broken Sky, is the lightness that the story takes, despite all the death going on around the characters.
Helps that there is spirit being that appears through out the books, Choch, a sort of trickster demi-god, who is very meta, always making comments about the process of the story, and how there can be no swearing.
And Cole and his friends are also super aware. When it is discovered that Cole has super speed power, they talk about naming him as a super hero:
"I do need one thing. I mean, as a non-sterotypical Indigenous sueprhero.."
"Not named Black Bison or Chief Running Cloud or Shaman or..."
"Right,"
"And what would that be?" Brady put down the comic he'd been looking through, ElfQuest on top of The Fury of Firestorm
Highly recommend the whole series.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
elizabethlk's review against another edition
5.0
Ghosts is an excellent conclusion to the Reckoner trilogy, and also an excellent introduction to the Reckoner Rises comics series. Like the previous entries to the series, there is a lot of death but there's also a lot of hope, and it's wonderful to see them band together to achieve their goals. The fourth-wall-breaking sense of humour is a lot of fun, as is the way it plays with superhero tropes. It's also great to have a supernatural mystery series and superhero story that is about Indigenous characters but sets aside stereotypes to embrace those characters as their full selves (the benefits of letting authors tell stories about characters that share their backgrounds). It's also great to see the protagonist struggle with anxiety in a way that looks different from how anxiety is portrayed in the previous books, representing a complex array of experiences.
I've loved this series, including this volume. I would highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to starting the comics.
I've loved this series, including this volume. I would highly recommend it and I'm looking forward to starting the comics.
mattgroot1980's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
amsquared's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible conclusion to the trilogy! The storytelling is wonderful, so much action and so many twists to keep the reader turning pages. But more important to me, this book is healing. How empowering to see these young people find their strengths, learn to accept themselves, but not the injustice around them, and to forgive themselves and each other for not being perfect. I’m already looking forward to re-reading the whole trilogy, and to read what comes next.
cweichel's review
4.0
This was some finale to this superhero/science fiction/fantasy trilogy.
With Cole Harper's death at the end of the last book, Mihko Laboratories has ramped up it's nefarious research in Wounded Sky. The community has been cut off from the rest of the world. More people have gone missing. The Upayokwitigo is still around.
How can Cole and his friends deal with all this since Cole was killed in the last book. How can a ghost still dealing with anxiety, be of any help at all?
I was on edge all the way through this book. I kept anticipating something terrible and then it would happen. That would get dealt with, and then my anxiety level would ramp up again as I waited for something terrible to happen again.
Robertson has talked about dealing with anxiety himself. I've been wondering if this pattern of tension in story parallels life dealing with this problem.
With Cole Harper's death at the end of the last book, Mihko Laboratories has ramped up it's nefarious research in Wounded Sky. The community has been cut off from the rest of the world. More people have gone missing. The Upayokwitigo is still around.
How can Cole and his friends deal with all this since Cole was killed in the last book. How can a ghost still dealing with anxiety, be of any help at all?
I was on edge all the way through this book. I kept anticipating something terrible and then it would happen. That would get dealt with, and then my anxiety level would ramp up again as I waited for something terrible to happen again.
Robertson has talked about dealing with anxiety himself. I've been wondering if this pattern of tension in story parallels life dealing with this problem.
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