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jassmine's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
"Do you understand this lesson?" she asked Kannujaq. "Wealth makes power. Power makes fear. Fear makes slaves."
I had this on my TBR since I read Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories and decided that searching out more by the contributors might get more indigenous authors on my TBR very effectively. The funny thing is, I don't think I read any of the books added from this batch yet and this book was actually written by authors of my least favourite story from that collection 😂 (Lounge had to really search for that because I made no notes of the authors in my review of that book...)
Anyway, I really liked this book, keep in mind that it's a Middle Grade and it reads as such, but I really appreciated the message of non-violence this sends, although there is some violence in the book, just so you know. This is a story of Kannujaq (which means copper btw) who comes across a camp of Tuniit who is just getting raided by a group of Vikings. At the center of the book is the question of the Vikings' motivation since the camp doesn't look particularly worth raiding.
This is a very short book and not that much actually happens, so I think I'm going to leave off my description here. I really enjoyed this, although I wasn't completely satisfied with the note it ended on and there is also sexual abuse in the backstory of one of the characters which was handled a bit weirdly. (I would liked it if the reaction was a little more sympathetic.)
But yeah, this was pretty good, I enjoyed it and there are also some illustrations if that's something you are into. Nice short read that I would recommend if this is something that sounds good to you!
rainbowbrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.75
franksreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jinmichae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
I really loved the evolution of the world being full of strange spirits and monsters, to one where it's all just different kinds of humans doing things for their own reasons.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Slavery
panelparty's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Popsugar 2023: Historical Fiction
Read for Read Harder 2023: YA by Indigenous Author
After reading [b:The Wolf in the Whale|39603796|The Wolf in the Whale|Jordanna Max Brodsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540397050l/39603796._SY75_.jpg|61191627] I was so excited to get another story along a somewhat similar vein, but this one just didn't do it for me. The writing is pretty clunky and a lot of things are repeated over and over for no reason.
Read for Read Harder 2023: YA by Indigenous Author
After reading [b:The Wolf in the Whale|39603796|The Wolf in the Whale|Jordanna Max Brodsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540397050l/39603796._SY75_.jpg|61191627] I was so excited to get another story along a somewhat similar vein, but this one just didn't do it for me. The writing is pretty clunky and a lot of things are repeated over and over for no reason.
elizabethlk's review against another edition
4.0
Taking a look at the Inuit, Tuniit, and Vikings who lived in the Arctic a thousand years ago, this book is a wonderful historical fiction. I've been reading many books published by Inhabit Media, and this one lives up to the high expectations that the previous books have set for me. This is also not the first book I have read from Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, and this is as good as books I have previously read from them.
The characters are interesting, the setting is interesting, the story is interesting. The way the authors choose to tell the story as though they are in front of you, narrating a history aloud, works really well here. I have never read any story with a setting like this, but it works so well that I can't help but wonder why not.
Definitely recommended for adults and children alike. Any fans of historical fiction or even fantasy are sure to enjoy themselves. The cover of this book labels it as "book one" and I certainly hope there is more to read of it in the future.
The characters are interesting, the setting is interesting, the story is interesting. The way the authors choose to tell the story as though they are in front of you, narrating a history aloud, works really well here. I have never read any story with a setting like this, but it works so well that I can't help but wonder why not.
Definitely recommended for adults and children alike. Any fans of historical fiction or even fantasy are sure to enjoy themselves. The cover of this book labels it as "book one" and I certainly hope there is more to read of it in the future.
meredithdardannes's review against another edition
3.0
To preface, I'm well aware that this book was intended for younger readers, and that I shouldn't necessarily base my entire review on the fact that it read a bit young for me.
This book was fine. I think the premise was cool, and that it easily could have been really interesting, but the execution didn't really work for me. It moved too fast which left a lot of events just glazed over instead of properly developed. The main character didn't seem to have any development, and what he did get was outright stated instead of shown, which didn't make it feel as earned.
Also, the parts where the authors spoke directly to the reader didn't add anything to the story, and I felt like they interrupted the flow with information that easily could have been worked into the narrative.
There was nothing outright bad about the book, and I'm sure middle grade readers would find it interesting, but I'm probably not going to think about it again.
This book was fine. I think the premise was cool, and that it easily could have been really interesting, but the execution didn't really work for me. It moved too fast which left a lot of events just glazed over instead of properly developed. The main character didn't seem to have any development, and what he did get was outright stated instead of shown, which didn't make it feel as earned.
Also, the parts where the authors spoke directly to the reader didn't add anything to the story, and I felt like they interrupted the flow with information that easily could have been worked into the narrative.
There was nothing outright bad about the book, and I'm sure middle grade readers would find it interesting, but I'm probably not going to think about it again.