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A review by _fallinglight_
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book wasn't what I expected bc I thought it was gonna be more on the traditional, melancholic missing persons stuff (Book Riot misleading recs strikes again for me lol) but this is a fantasy almost fairy tale like adventure with Indigenous culture and issues thrown in for cohesiveness, and funny to boot, so it was even better. I wasn't too impressed with the writing at first but the author won me over. I was even handling the Evangelical Christians bashing in name of anti capitalism and all that bc even though I believe in God I'm aware this religion is beyond help until that weak ass unnecessary last minute drama reveal ending and the kid being turned into a damn rogarou wtf , it was so annoying! But I really enjoyed the story and Joan's quest and her love for this dude (and Victor's for her, very swoony) for like 90% and how as plot driven and fast the story is it also felt immersive and didactic for me as a reader outside of the community. It was fun reading these characters and appreciating their culture. Only the ending robbed it from being completely amazing to me.
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Pregnancy