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alexandrathegreat89's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Bullying, Suicide, Child death, Grief, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
danielnski's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I could not put this book down when I started it. It is an extremely compelling YA take on colonization, indigenous history, residential schools, and political movements aiming to fight against that oppression through some efficient world-building and deeply compelling and empathetic characters. The plot and pacing are taut, like a good thriller, but without losing its emotional centre or leaving character development behind. I would strongly recommend this for anyone looking for a way to educate themselves or kids and adolescents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Torture, Sexual violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Confinement
anjelicat's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Racism
allisonplus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual content and Rape
cestnicka's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a good book for a debut novel, but it had a few issues that made me not able to love it, which is too bad as I so wanted to love it!
The book is about a world that is divided into two peoples; the mainlanders and the gutter people. We follow our main character and her coming of age story and the hardships and realizations you make as you grow up and learn about the world around you.
The setting mimics the history of Canada and Australia, which I thought was a really cool plot for a book. It supposed to be dystopian, but it mimics almost exactly what happened to the Indigenous people of those countries. The invasion, colonization, systemic and institutionalized racism, slavery, kidnapping, poverty, sex trafficking, and systems of oppression.
it's a fast paced book and it does get you to think about the world around you. The plot mostly kept me engaged, but about half way through I did find the book lost a lot of steam because the concepts and themes were almost too dumbed down for me.
the book felt young, like it's supposed to be geared towards YA, which is I think why it felt slow in the middle. The plot was alright, but the characters and their interactions/conversations and the writing itself felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. And the characters themselves are young so I had a hard time connecting with them.
I feel I already know and read a lot about this topic, so the way it's presented in this book, it really didn't add anything for me, despite how promising it felt.
That being said I think this would make a great YA novel for high school students and realizing that what happened to the Indigenous people can sound like a dystopian novel. It's a great intro into the history of the indigenous people as you can make so many comparatives while still keeping them engaged.
The book is about a world that is divided into two peoples; the mainlanders and the gutter people. We follow our main character and her coming of age story and the hardships and realizations you make as you grow up and learn about the world around you.
The setting mimics the history of Canada and Australia, which I thought was a really cool plot for a book. It supposed to be dystopian, but it mimics almost exactly what happened to the Indigenous people of those countries. The invasion, colonization, systemic and institutionalized racism, slavery, kidnapping, poverty, sex trafficking, and systems of oppression.
it's a fast paced book and it does get you to think about the world around you. The plot mostly kept me engaged, but about half way through I did find the book lost a lot of steam because the concepts and themes were almost too dumbed down for me.
the book felt young, like it's supposed to be geared towards YA, which is I think why it felt slow in the middle. The plot was alright, but the characters and their interactions/conversations and the writing itself felt like it was geared towards a younger audience. And the characters themselves are young so I had a hard time connecting with them.
I feel I already know and read a lot about this topic, so the way it's presented in this book, it really didn't add anything for me, despite how promising it felt.
That being said I think this would make a great YA novel for high school students and realizing that what happened to the Indigenous people can sound like a dystopian novel. It's a great intro into the history of the indigenous people as you can make so many comparatives while still keeping them engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Colonisation
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Classism, and Suicide
kay_greene's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Sexual assault
rebornrosess's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
an incredibly impressive debut novel! i had to read this for class and i can see why. despite this being a fiction novel, it’s scarily grounded in a reality that feels all too familiar and richardson does a great job at creating a lived-in world (although it does become very expositional at time.)
i was really loving this novel up until the second part. cw: sexual assault why the hell was it necessary for rowan to make sexual advances on elimina in exactly the same way her sexual abuser did?? right after she disclosed that to him on the SAME page?? it was incredibly disappointing especially given it drove the rest of the novel’s plot.
that scene soured my opinion on the novel for a while, especially because it never addresses it again, but other than that, i’d say this is an essential read. a heartbreaking and visceral look into systemic racism.
i was really loving this novel up until the second part. cw: sexual assault
that scene soured my opinion on the novel for a while, especially because it never addresses it again, but other than that, i’d say this is an essential read. a heartbreaking and visceral look into systemic racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Child abuse, Racism, Police brutality, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Classism, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Bullying and Death of parent
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.0
For the longest time, I wasn't drawn to this book. But I am not really sure why. It was available to borrow from my library as an ebook, so I picked it out for Black History Month. And wow, wow, wow! It was not what I was expecting, but was so much more. I feel Richardson has a masterpiece on her hands. I truly don't know what more to say. It was beautifully done all around. Not an easy read, but an important one that frames injustice in a whole new light. Please read it and don't sit on it like I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Death, and Rape
Minor: Classism and Racial slurs
deejavu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Suicide, Rape, and Racism
abatt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Racism, and Miscarriage