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A review by spicycronereads
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was an interesting concept - a post apocalyptic North America where the apocalypse was a combination of climate change, colonialism, and capitalism. So…near future sci fi. The central concept - that non-indigenous people have lost the ability to dream and now hunt and try to harvest dreams from indigenous folks, killing them in the process - was really strong.
The story initially follows MMC Frenchie as his family is displaced and eventually lost. He joins a group of other indigenous folks in his quest to continue following his parents’ direction to travel North. But it feels more like an ensemble of characters rather than necessarily Frenchie’s story. We get glimpses of the backstories of a few of the secondary characters and as result they seem to almost have more dimension than Frenchie or his love interest Rose, the multi racial character who joins the band of travelers. There was a bit more showing rather than telling in terms of character development so I didn’t quite feel as drawn in as I could have.I would have liked more back story on Minerva. Obviously her role as elder is really important but that and the brief story of her SA is kind of all we know. Similarly, there was no attention to where Frenchie’s dad had been all this time or how he came to be where he was. Same for Isaac. Though I was pleasantly surprised when it was him among the other group. I expected it to be someone else from Frenchie’s family
That said, it was still an enjoyable read. As I said, the concept is really interesting. It is well-paced. I read most of it in a day. And there are a few twists that are simultaneously predictable and surprising. Don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling.
In terms of diverse representation, the book is primarily indigenous characters, with a few multi racial characters here and there. There is a gay man among the main characters.
There is a romance subplot but it is also suffers from the author telling rather than showing. It also goes from the character stating they are in love with the other person to later only really liking them. So that was a bit confusing. I give it one swoony heart. 💖
Overall, I liked it, despite these issues. They didn’t accumulate to the light where I didn’t enjoy the book. I will likely read the second one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 💖
The story initially follows MMC Frenchie as his family is displaced and eventually lost. He joins a group of other indigenous folks in his quest to continue following his parents’ direction to travel North. But it feels more like an ensemble of characters rather than necessarily Frenchie’s story. We get glimpses of the backstories of a few of the secondary characters and as result they seem to almost have more dimension than Frenchie or his love interest Rose, the multi racial character who joins the band of travelers. There was a bit more showing rather than telling in terms of character development so I didn’t quite feel as drawn in as I could have.
That said, it was still an enjoyable read. As I said, the concept is really interesting. It is well-paced. I read most of it in a day. And there are a few twists that are simultaneously predictable and surprising. Don’t want to say more for fear of spoiling.
In terms of diverse representation, the book is primarily indigenous characters, with a few multi racial characters here and there. There is a gay man among the main characters.
There is a romance subplot but it is also suffers from the author telling rather than showing. It also goes from the character stating they are in love with the other person to later only really liking them. So that was a bit confusing. I give it one swoony heart. 💖
Overall, I liked it, despite these issues. They didn’t accumulate to the light where I didn’t enjoy the book. I will likely read the second one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 💖
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Animal death
Reservation schools, SA happens once on page (though not described in detail) and once mentioned in passing.