The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! ๐
jacquelynjoan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is a wonderful book full of love of community and culture and family, but in a complicated, real-feeling way. There is a lot of tragedy and saddness there, but it doesn't totally overwhelm you because there is balance and the main character is rooted in her values and has a support system.ย
I live in the USA, so on Native land, and I really appreciate any opportunity to learn more about the land I live on and the people who have cared for it for centuries before my great grandparents moved here from Italy. Especially when the author makes it so fun to learn!ย
Minor: Sexual assault, Child death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Homophobia, Gun violence, Genocide, Sexual violence, Murder, Dementia, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, Bullying, Rape, and Racism
cartermon4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Gun violence, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Colonisation, Addiction, and Car accident
Minor: Vomit
whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Murder, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Death, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Alcohol and Addiction
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
The writing ranges from dry to pointedly (in other words, unnaturally) quotable, and the dialogue is somehow even more stilted and unrealistically grammatically flawless than the narration. A few spoken lines toward the end literally go on uninterrupted and with no stuttering or backtracking for 100+ words; virtually no one, let alone who's suffered recent repeated physical trauma, is that eloquent. Information is revealed in stilted blocks and repeated ten times over. I don't think any teenager -- or person at all -- in the history of cell phones has ever texted like the teenagers in this book are written as doing.
In terms of substance, there's a lot left to be desired as well. All of the individual narrative threads -- or at least most of them -- would make interesting stories, but here they're all kind of crammed into one unbalanced mess. Is the central plot supposed to be Daunis's complex relationship with her family members and community? Her desire to pursue a career in medicine/science and unite traditional and more modern "scientific" practices? Her recovering from and learning about the factors leading up to her best friend's sudden, tragic death? Her role as an undercover informant in an FBI investigation involving meth and her community (as much suspension of disbelief as that requires)? Her and Jamie's relationship? A general critical overview of the treatment of Indigenous women in American and Canadian society? It's never really decided, and so we jump awkwardly from one to the other without more natural transitions or better multitasking, leading to really overall odd pacing.
The general emotional pacing never quite hits either. A significant medical detail about the protagonist is made explicit for the first time 70% in and never serves any real relevance (and is outright contradicted or ignored at other times). Major traumatic events like the murder of Daunis's best friend and
The characters -- including, perhaps especially Daunis -- lack depth, whittled down to one trait (not even one that is shown, but told... multiple times). The supporting cast especially kind of blends together as a result of that weird pacing and unrealistic, stilted dialogue. I couldn't get a real sense of any of their motivations, so the culprit reveal and relationships all feel more than lackluster. In that regard, the romance is particularly egregious, even putting aside the core issues with
Overall, quite disappointing execution of multiple interesting premises, and I remain bewildered by the overwhelmingly positive response. Perhaps it was a great book for many others, but nothing about it ended up clicking or sitting well with me.
(Also, urine, even your own, is not actually sterile! Please do not use it as a substitute for hydrogen peroxide. I know this is set in 2004 -- as little as there is to solidly ground it there -- and a lot of people believe that myth even today, but it just feels... irresponsible to include in a book like this, especially framed as an objective valuable fact.)
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infidelity, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Car accident, and Child abuse
captaincocanutty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Pros: I felt engaged with the main characters and the setting, the plot felt real and urgent, and giving the main character issues beyond the main plot made her feel more grounded and like an actual person. The writing and relationships demonstrate how people who aren't with us anymore, either in this world or the next still affect who we are in the present, how we think and the decisions we make.
Cons: There is almost too much going on, I think a few subplots could've been removed for the sake of keeping track of everyone. A few times a character would be reintroduced and I would have to rack my brain to remember why they were relevant. The push/pull between Daunis and Jamie felt kind of repetitive and I would've skimmed it down for the sake of cohesion. I also was able to guess almost half of the people involved in the meth operation in the first half of the book, which I don't like being able to do.
In the end, I would recommend this to someone who enjoys mystery/thriller type of books.
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Drug use, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Violence, Death, Suicide, Addiction, Racism, Car accident, and Gun violence
charliebriggs96's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Racial slurs, Rape, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Drug use, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
deepcurvesahead'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Racial slurs, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Rape
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Misogyny, and Sexual content
redefiningrachel'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Car accident, Colonisation, Blood, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit and Domestic abuse
miniingrid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Infidelity, Addiction, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, Grief, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Rape, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Torture and Slavery
stephs_cozycorner's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. ย
I canโt believe it has taken me so long to pick up this book. ย Kicking myself with regret for procrastinating with this one.ย
I really donโt think anything I say will do this book justice, nor is there anything I can say that probably hasnโt already been said.ย
I absolutely loved the MC Daunis Fontaine.ย She was one tough cookie.ย A very strong female character that is the narrator of the story.ย ย
This YA debut from author Angeline Boulley was written so beautifully. ย I love learning new things in the books Iโm reading and Boulley really dives deep into the Native culture, the language and history. ย
It was a slow burn that really comes together in the end.ย There are some very hard topics, so please make note of the trigger warnings below. ย
And can I just add how stunning this cover is.ย ย
โ ๏ธ CW:ย Drug abuse, murder, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, racism, suicide, gun violence, death of a parent, car accident.
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, Car accident, Murder, Racism, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Gun violence