Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline

25 reviews

schausjk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I started this book immediately after finishing the first, but I almost wish I'd waited longer between books. I kept finding continuity errors that I probably otherwise wouldn't've if it had more time for the story to rest in my brain and for me to forget small details. After all the revelations about Minerva and the power she carried, I really would have thought there would have been more acknowledgement of what she did. The author shared in the afterword that there wasn't originally going to be a sequel to The Marrow Thieves, and it really shows. If this had been originally set up to be a book with sequels, some of the things that exist in the second book could've been more deftly woven into the worldbuilding. 

The Frenchie plot was an interesting and emotional take on the deep horror of residential schools. Aside from that, most of the emotional beats didn't quite hit as deeply as they did in the first one. That being said, I still appreciated being able to see more of the characters.

My rating honestly would've been lower, but I've seen several low reviews out there specifically complaining about the book's so-called "forced diversity" (ugh.) by not making white people the focus in a specifically indigenous book (which... what??) and through the inclusion of a gay couple and a two-spirit character, so I'm rating it a bit higher out of spite for those other reviewers.

TLDR: Not a bad book, but not nearly as well put together as the first one was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Torture, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, and Cannibalism

Minor: Child death and Drug use

nerdsbianhokie's review against another edition

dark tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, and Racism

lisettemarie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Hate crime, Genocide, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Blood, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Trafficking, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Infertility, Ableism, and Cannibalism

Minor: Terminal illness, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Abandonment, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Alcohol, Drug use, Slavery, and Vomit

Residential schools.

odeminan's review

dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Torture, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Blood, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Alcohol

sarahalesbrittain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Confinement and Pregnancy

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Blood, Pregnancy, Torture, Confinement, Violence, Medical content, and Racism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, and Cursing

Minor: Sexual content, Deportation, and Child death

Incarceration

katischr's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely amazing! The character development was fantastic in this book and I'm so glad we got to see more of Rose, Chi-Boy, and Wab. The story was incredibly dark but needed to be, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, and Torture

augustar14's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

If possible,  maybe even better than the first book.  But honestly, both need read together,  in order,  carefully.  This book is incredibly well written, adds new layers and levels to the lives of every character from the first book,  and brings new characters with different experiences.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Confinement, Colonisation, Torture, Genocide, Cursing, Cannibalism, Violence, Grief, Classism, Abandonment, Blood, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

megdconway's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Genocide

Moderate: Torture and Pregnancy