Cherie Dimaline

Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden-but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves. "Miigwans is a true hero; in him Dimaline creates a character of tremendous emotional depth and tenderness, connecting readers with the complexity and compassion of Indigenous people. A dystopian world that is all too real and that has much to say about our own." Kirkus Reviews

The Marrow Thieves

Lindsay

“Dreams get caught in the webs woven in your bones. That’s where they live, in that marrow there.”

In this futuristic dystopian novel for teens, the Indigenous people of North America are on the run in a fight for survival.

archie

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The concept sounded a tad more dystopian and high stakes than what it ended up being. It was more of an introspective character driven story than an action packed plot driven narrative. I like both, but I like when I know what to expect. For this, the synopsis made it seem like the latter. Because it was more character based, the descriptions of what was happening fell flat because the author was less focused on the action beats. This lead to some plot points being too rushed for me.

Certain parts of it felt like an anthology, which I actually really liked. It delved into the backstory of some of the characters, and I liked that peek into who they are. However, it felt out of place when this group is supposed to be running for their lives and on a mission. I think the execution of this story could have been better, but there were parts that were truly intriguing and well written enough to warrant a solid 3 star rating from me.

Nik ✨

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The concept sounded a tad more dystopian and high stakes than what it ended up being. It was more of an introspective character driven story than an action packed plot driven narrative. I like both, but I like when I know what to expect. For this, the synopsis made it seem like the latter. Because it was more character based, the descriptions of what was happening fell flat because the author was less focused on the action beats. This lead to some plot points being too rushed for me.

Certain parts of it felt like an anthology, which I actually really liked. It delved into the backstory of some of the characters, and I liked that peek into who they are. However, it felt out of place when this group is supposed to be running for their lives and on a mission. I think the execution of this story could have been better, but there were parts that were truly intriguing and well written enough to warrant a solid 3 star rating from me.

Patrick Book

I’m not generally one for apocalyptic YA, but this is a remarkably substantial story that is notable for its deep and pointed reflection of the Indigenous loss, oppression, and trauma of the real world.

elizabeth

This skews a little more YA that my typical pick. It dips its toe into angst. It doesn't give me a lot to gnaw on if I put my Pretentious Literary Critic hat on. The world is not very fleshed out and it's a thinly veiled retelling of history (and, tbh, current events). The ending too clean (although it apparently leads straight into the sequel). 

But I liked it! The premise reeled me in and the pace kept me there. The "rag tag team of misfts" thing is a little cliche, but the individuals that comprise the group interested me. (I don't know if the author fully delivered on that interest, but the interest was there.) The writing wasn't boring. I'd probably be obsessed with this book if I read it in high school.

Spooky Clair

I liked this story. Found myself entirely pulled in at times. However, I felt like it ended prematurely. It felt unfinished. Frenchie has a lot of growing up to do.

Starts strong with some breadcrumbs of the bad parts of YA but then leans into the usual schlock in the second half and just kind of makes it mid.

Derek Graf

jocelyn

Gillian Rose

It was interesting to read this so close to Parable of the Sower as they both involve the climate crisis in marginalized communities. I liked this, but I felt it kind of lost its way toward the end? Or I lost focus again. I really have problems lately.

Jeannette Ordas

At times this was a gripping and fascinating journey, but other times it wandered and stagnated before getting on track again. It's not just a dystopian nightmare about climate change but has a lot to say about the genocide of indigenous people and the brutal residential school systems. Unfortunately, it felt a bit sexist...while there were strong women characters, they were relegated to the background and in traditional roles like mystic and girlfriend. I wanted to like this more and while I did enjoy it and consider it a good and worthy read, it just wasn't a great one.

Maggie Gordon

Wow... if you read the back of this book, you might get the sense that The Marrow Thieves is your typical YA dystopia just with Indigenous protagonists. You would be mistaken. The speculative aspects of Dimaline's novel are not particularly important. What shines is the Indigenous narrative about loss of culture, abuse and murder by a majority population, yet survival and resilience. It's a powerful, painful book that does not hold back. It moves slowly compared to many other offerings in the YA field, but it's such a valuable book that has the potential of teaching non-Indigenous teens at an early age about what white supremacy does to Indigenous people without also framing Indigenous people as some sort of mythical people who lived in the past.

Fraser Simons

After a bit of a rocky start this book gets terribly, terribly good. It pulls no punches whatsoever and sits squarely in intersectional climate fiction. 

The world has changed as the glaciers melt, bringing a near constant rain with it. Repeating the past, the Canadian government has begun snatching indigenous people away, never to be seen again. There are rumours that most people do not dream anymore and this drives them mad. These people believe that the indigenous people hold some key they must possess for the heavy locks on their mind. 

The story is about a found family, their stark pasts, and what moving forward looks like in the face of systemic oppression and hopelessness. It’s not always dark and sometimes hard to read, but it is as dynamic as the people in it, making it a rewarding and worthwhile read.

     dear god i love found family tropes and this little found family>>>> 
     i do think the part after they found the council should have occupied a way longer portion of the story, so the ending doesnt feel so rushed. and some of the supposedly emotional scenes felt incomplete and empty, especially with the reunions. sometimes the emotions changes so fast it gives me whiplashes.
      but overall, the concept of this book is incredible and the story is raw, impactful and certainly very important.   

mira lee

absolutely stunning, harrowing, heart-breaking & heart mending all at once

Nadine 

Very impressed by this book bringing in a dystopian view of indigenous rights. Some gripping writing.

Jocelyne Lessard

I normally don't rate books that I read for school, this book was very different and I actually cared to pull out the themes and symbolism. I wouldn't complain about writing an essay.

ARPITA ♡

having to take a test on this book in two days has made me hate it a little

update: got a 4 on the test

Emily

Changing my rating to 3 stars because I have absolutely no memory of anything that occurred in this book. If it's that forgettable, I can't give it 4. 

--

Objectively speaking this book is worth five stars. Unfortunately for me, the circumstances in which I read this book made it a four. I know, it’s unfair, but that’s just how it goes. Because I started this book right before band camp, I put it down for a long period of time before picking it back up again, and I think that caused it to lose some of its impact for me. This is a serious case of the problem is not you, it's me.

The Marrow Thieves sounds like a typical YA dystopian, but it honestly reads a lot more like historical fiction. The story is raw and impactful and depicts a horrifying version of the future that seems like it could be all too realistic.

So many scenes in this book were heartbreaking, and are ones that I will never forget.

Overall I found this book to be very interesting and heartbreaking in more ways than one.

Emily C Peterson

Tejumola Niquel

Characters: I thought the found family trope was very well executed, and I thought the the ways in which the main character dealt with the realities of his situation were accurate for a 16 year old. I do wish the side characters would have interacted a bit more with the MC.
Atmosphere: It was a forest. There wasn't really much to it.
Writing: This definitely gave me high school reading vibes, which I didn't like since this came out in 2017. The writing reminded me a lot of Oryx and Crake.
Plot: I really loved the plot of this. I was uncomfortable, I was angry, I was sad, and I was happy. I thought that the premise was well thought out and I think the tie in to American history was well done.
Intrigue: I will say that I had little intrigue, but that did not hinder my enjoyment of the book. This was definitely not plot driven or character driven... it was simply a story, but I enjoyed that.
Logic: I didn't quite get the backstory of how the world ended up "here". It felt like there were parts missing that were a big part of the reason why these people began running in the first place, and I wish we would have gotten that a bit more clearly.
Enjoyment: I really felt like this was a book that needed to be written. It talked a lot about environmentalism and how human psychology directly effects the world around us. It was a bit eerie to see resemblances of our days now, and overall I was driven to read this book because of what this book stood for.

The Marrow Thieves

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