Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Die Traumdiebe by Cherie Dimaline

24 reviews

morganpearcy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This is Dystopian Speculative Fiction written by an Indigenous author about Indigenous peoples after the climate crisis reaches a point where the world shuts down and most everything dies. Indigenous peoples all over the world are being hunted by white folx to harvest their bone marrow so that white folx (who have lost the ability to dream and are dying in droves) can dream again and survive.

One of the reasons why I love Dystopian Speculative Fiction so much is because I personally find it profoundly hopeful - the kind of thing I read when I need my faith in humanity restored. This book has moved me in so many ways. I couldn’t put it down. It explores what it is to be human. What it is to survive - and empathy. There are some really good topics explored, including:

- Creating your family of choice.
- Caring for an aging Elder. 
- Protecting children to let them be kids for as long as possible. 
-  Humanity and the motivations of those who have lost theirs. 
- Community repair and harm reduction, even when the world is burning down.
- What it means to have enough.

Highly recommend. Very applicable to today. This book is such a joy to read, and such a great exploration of indigeneity and our humanity. 

Be prepared with a box of tissues. And TW for chapter, “Wab’s Coming-To Story” for sexual assault. Surprisingly, handled delicately - but still very triggering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Dementia, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, and Trafficking

el_pacheco's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Trafficking, War, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Genocide, Torture, Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

anxiousnachos's review against another edition

dark

4.25

Wow, this was an incredible read. The language and prose itself is genuinely stunning, so so evocative, I am in love with the way Cherie Dimaline writes description. Inspired by the history of colonial trauma and residential schools in Canada, it does have a lot of very horrifying and chilling content, but it also has moments of hope, laughter with family and friends, beauty and dreams. 

Content warnings: violence, blood, gore, eye injury, rape, kidnapping, residential schools, colonial trauma, racism, nonconsensual medical experimentation, torture, pedophilia, death, murder, death of parent, death of loved one, death of child 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Blood, Child death, Grief, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Torture

sauvageloup's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

A gripping and beautiful book! 

Pros:
- the writing is gorgeous! if i highlighted books, it would be filled with highlighter. Some sentences and metaphors were just stunning, it's really poetic whilst still being grounded, brutal without being gratuitous, and really poignant too. The plot was perfect too, enough happening to keep it moving without it being rushed, the final twist totally surprising me.
- the characters were perfect too, especially Miigwans, Rose and the narrator, Francis/Frenchie himself. The trauma they've been through is obvious though not leaned heavily on, and Frenchie's crush is a reminder that he's still so young.
- the worldbuilding is original and brilliant, hugely awful but with hope through the Native Americans' survival.
- i loved the inclusion of Story, the language, the reverence the younger ones show their elders and the learning and how the community pulled together. I've never read a book by a Native American but this was a brilliant reason for why I should find more of them.
(- the worldbuilding and beautiful language reminded me loosely of Station Eleven, and that can only be a very good thing!)

Cons:
-

I wasn't too impacted when RiRi died... i don't rly know why, whether it was a fault with me or the writing. Was much more impacted when Miigwans and Isaac were reunited at the end <3

- sometimes the worldbuilding verged on a bit too tell-y for me and a little unoriginally presented maybe? but it was a minor detail

(not a pro or con, but I was suprised by how often the narrator/author used 'Indians' to describe themselves. I really thought that was considered a slur and Native American the "proper" term? something to look into i guess)

Overall, a wonderful book, i think maybe my first 5 star of the year, definitely want to read more by this author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Blood, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Addiction, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Torture and Pregnancy

overall tone is hopeful, but some brief but very heavy bits, particularly with the sexual assault

offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! It is beautifully written and kept me engaged the whole time. The world-building and story telling is excellent. Cannot recommend enough!

Spice level: 🌶.5/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Vomit

Content warning: Residential Schools

booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, and Violence

gdobson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, and Hate crime

Minor: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault

kayleyhyde's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Animal death, and Torture

Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, and Rape

sonygaystation's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really, really liked this. It takes a familiar genre of YA post-climate change dystopian fiction and makes it fresh and interesting with indigenous characters and a compelling narrator in Frenchie. One of the things I struggle with most with dystopian fiction is that it so often feels like the things that make a world dystopian are hinged on how white people (myself, of course, included in this grouping) view and interact with the world. Lots of the things white characters experience in dystopian novels are things BIPOC experience right here and right now. It feels kind of telling that so many of the 1- and 2-star reviews I see on this book are overwhelmingly from white people. I think every aspect of this book feels infused with Dimaline, her culture, and her identity. I see it reflected in the story-telling, the entire plot, and the relationships of the characters with each other. The dystopian aspect more a backdrop for the characters, this book is overwhelmingly about the things you do for the people you love, and how you continue to connect and build community with each other when the world tries its hardest to extinguish you. It's pretty brutal in parts and it doesn't shy away from the nuances of systemic mistreatment of First Nations, indigenous, and Native people at the hands of white oppressors, but it ends timely and hopeful and packs a pretty intense punch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture

Minor: Animal death

ginadapooh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, and Violence