Strangers

Strangers comes from the mind of David A. Robertson, an award-winning writer of children's books, who has taken his first foray into the YA genre.

So welcome to the nowhere town of Wounded Sky. A peculiar place inhabited by denizens still haunted by the tragic fire that broke out at the local school where so many children died. Dark secrets abound and tragedy isn't far behind as the story unfolds with a sombre, morose tone.

The main protagonist is Cole, one of the few survivors, who is suffering from deep psychological issues stemming from what he witnessed on that tragic day. Cole is forced to return to Wounded Sky to face his demons and hopefully save his town before it is too late. Being YA fiction, Cole is characteristically imbued with the requisite special powers to battle the dark forces coalescing for now in the background.

Let's us not forget to mention the seemingly omniscient coyote spirit guide, Choch and the effervescent ghost, Jayne, who both come to Cole's assistance when he needs it most.

I struggled with the first half of the book as the author meandered with the plot, but fortunately he noticeably tightens his writing in the second half and ends on a stronger note.

Strangers is the first book in The Reckoner series, so there are many unanswered questions and mysteries that are not resolved. There are also a few plot holes, such as who actually killed one of the victims, as the main murderer denies having a hand in that murder? Also, why did the murderer camp in the forest and more perplexingly, leave highly sensitive material lying around in the tent?

The principal issue is that the dark forces behind the scenes aren't revealed in any way. The research facility on the outskirts of Wounded Sky is only mentioned in passing eight times. I was hoping that the book would conclude with a few revelations in this regard to set up the sequel, but it was not to be.

A solid effort with much potential, which will hopefully set up a strong series going forward.

This was a fun YA mystery with a supernatural twist rooted in indigenous folklore. The first half of the book left me a bit confused--I think it could have used a bit of tightening. The second half, however, I loved! Robertson really hits his stride, and a lot of the build-up we see early on pays off.

This book had two mysteries: what drove our main character Cole away from Wounded Sky, and what dark forces are causing mysterious problems in Wounded Sky. The first was great for character development, and the second was great for plot. It felt like the first half of the book was dedicated to what drove Cole away, and the second half focused on the more plot-driven elements. I would have loved for these two narratives to be integrated throughout a bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit!

Impressively imaginative novel! Its unique Indigenous perspective was refreshing alongside vivid characters and witty dialogue. Looking forward to reading more of the Reckoner series!

How many Canadian detectives are there? How many are First Nation? How many are teenagers? I somehow doubt there are a whole lot there.

David Robertson writes Cole as a typical teenage boy, except, as we go further in the novel, we discover he is not typical. That when he saved his friends from a burning school, by lifting a wall, it was not a one off. That there is more than we know about Cole.

And then there is Coyote, disguised sometimes as a man, and sometimes as a coyote, who is trying to prompt Cole into some sort of action. That is often the problem with young heroes. You have to push them to do what they are supposed to do.

The last quarter of the book pushes the story along, at a good pace, and if the whole book had been like that, it probably would have gotten four stars. The opening of the book is a bit on the slow side, but then, since this is looking like a trilagy, perhaps that is just to get to know the characters.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

It took me a little to get into this one as the beginning and backstory seemed to slow down the pacing. However, this was a fun YA supernatural mystery and I look forward to the next book!

4.5 stars for the first in a promising YA supernatural trilogy, this book is a mystery, but its also about a community constantly dealing with tragedy, and how the individuals cope with this. It takes place in a remote Indigenous community, and features some interesting characters such as a trickster figure, and a few of the teens who are well developed. There are some tragic events here for sure, but the interesting parts are how the characters deal with it and some of the Cree culture that makes this a unique story for this age group. Although, there is some language used that is authentic but not typical of a middle grade fiction that I would shelve in my classroom I am so eager to find MG novels written by and about Indigenous peoples in Canada, I almost want to just buy this and throw it on my shelves anyways (for grades 5 and up). There really are not any other concerns I would have with my kids reading this, but again, its a series so who knows where it will go from here. David Alexander Robertson infuses some humour into the story with his teens' wit, and most of all with the Coyote character. Okay, minor spoiler ahead, stop reading if you want. There were a couple of moments near the end that made me want to go back and re-read a part because I might be missing a piece that links together parts of the mystery. That's kind of hard in an e-version for me though. Even though this is a series, and I didn't expect a tidy resolution, but it seemed like one of the characters did and I thought they should have known better.

Where do I begin with this book? It is absolutely amazing! And although it is strongly rooted in the Cree culture, it is the type of book that can be enjoyed by adventure loving teens and adults regardless of their knowledge of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. The murders, the mysteries, and Cole’s personal development are enough to keep the pages turning.

Robertson’s role as educator on, and member of, the Cree Nation really shines through in his writing. It is refreshing to encounter a work devoid of stereotypes and stigma, and where the religious and cultural practices portrayed throughout are treated with a beauty and respect only someone who truly values them can. We need more books like this. Period. Teachers and librarians take note, you need to add this book to your collections (and it would make a waaaay more interesting novel study than Lord of The Flies).

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely yes! I have already recommended it to all of my middle and high school colleagues for purchase after it’s release in the new year. Not only do library collections need new, engaging, diverse YA literature, but we also need works that represent Indigenous peoples from Indigenous perspectives. Strangers does this beautifully AND it has the kind of action that will attract readers without them really knowing they’re engaging with diverse lit. This baby is a must read, and I am so angry that I have sit quietly and wait for the remaining to books in the series to be written.

It took me a little while to get into this one, partly because it's confusing at the beginning what the backstory is, but once I did get into it I liked the small-town politics of Wounded Sky a lot, although some of the adults' reactions to Cole seemed kind of exaggerated. I know the author is a graphic novelist so I wonder if maybe some of the problems I had with the book are to do with him not being as used to working in prose? I enjoyed it and I will probably check out the sequels to see where he goes with it, but I would have liked a little more depth to the characters and backstory I think.

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

So I felt like I thought this book was going to go a very different direction than I figured. Looking back on the synopsis, I can see where I went wrong, but I have this one not in my book about a quarter of the way in that says, "OMG what is happening". But I loved that about this book.

Strangers was continually surprising me. Cole as a character was fascinating. There's this genuine painful past and it's only unraveled a fraction in Strangers. At the same time, there were really wonderful side characters that were detailed. It's my pet peeve when the side characters are not well described - but Robertson nails it! Not only is there diversity (First Nation teenagers, and two gay characters), but they share memories and relationships. The side characters form a net of connections.

Strangers begins with a fantastic hook that makes you want to read, and it never really lets up. Robertson only confounds our expectations, merging superhero and the 'fantastic'.

“Strangers” by David Roberston is a magical bit of Canadian literature focused on indigenous teens.
The plot is crafted and woven together nicely while retaining that mystery aspect that leaves you wanting for more. It was able to capture my attention from the start and left me wanting the sequel then and there.
The characters are well-rounded, and our leading boy is relatable. It is rare for me to find a novel that has all the characters feel like real people, fleshed out as much as possible, without the book being a tome.
The romance is not forced on readers in an overbearing manner, which is always a plus. It did feel a tad weird to have such a big emphasis on love from such a truly young age, but I found it to be more up to the reader to decide how much of that reliable or not.
Ultimately, the book is well written and I am eager for the next installment.

A copy of the book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up. The only reason this amazing indigenous young adult mystery (with a little supernatural) story doesn’t get a full five stars... I hated the very last page. For me the story was perfect, up until a sequel tease was put in . While I knew it was a series, and will look forward to encountering these characters again, the way the last page sets up the sequel cheapened the entire story for me. Almost as though it lessened what had just happened because more was to come. It's a real shame and very frustrating to adore a story so much and then have it feel like a marketing device instead of the beautiful ending. Certainly there is way to set-up the sequel without degrading the existing story so much. I suspect that David Alexander Robertson didn't want it set-up this way and that the ending was more of a hook the publisher desired to try and sell the next book. That's just my guess; but there's likely some truth to it.

Plot
Our lead boy is an indigenous teen who was moved off his reserve at age 7, to the city (Winnipeg, Canada) following the death of his parents and some tribe children. While a hero to some, when he returns to his tribal home lands ten years later he is seen as a horrible reminder of what happened the ten years prior. And of course it's easy for people to wonder how he was involved in the incident ten years before. I'm vague here because I don't want to give away any of the goodies in the mystery that unfolds in Strangers. The overall mystery plot was well done, and while a little predictable it was certainly good enough to keep me intrigued and engaged.

Characters
The voices of our characters, especially the teenagers are very well done. I felt like there was a solid background established about the reserve children and what it meant to live outside 'the group' and in the city. As this is a very important distinction for the story and our leading teen boy I felt it was impressed upon us just enough. Additionally all of the characters, young or old felt like real people. I'm not sure how much time the author has spent on a reserve in Manitoba, Canada similar to the one he describes (it's fictional) but it felt genuine enough to me. Now I have no indigenous background or backing to base that on except that I live in Canada and went to school with a few kids who came into town for education from reserve lands. So it may be there is something I am missing. But for this white girl (and her limited knowledge) it didn't feel forced or over done.

Magic!
It's funny at first I didn't really see our lead guys dreams and other odd things that happened as magic. They just felt like a part of his native background and spirituality. It wasn't until about halfway through the story, when some amazing things are revealed, that I realized there was a lot more going on. I liked that there was a slow, build up progression to the 'magic' or supernatural powers. Again it felt authentic and fit in really nicely with the character and plot development. Maybe what I really want to say here is the pacing is perfect. No matter what aspect of the story you look at Strangers has a pacing that keeps the pages turning, while still engaging the reader in the setting and characters.

Age and Romance
Besides the last page issues my other (not quite five star) issue with Strangers is the perpetuated romance that has transpired between our lead boy and a friend (who is a girl) at the age of 7. While many times during the story it is emphasized that at the time our lead boy was taken off the land he wasn't old enough to understand; at the same time it seems there are a lot of references to the 'love' that he and a girl had. They were seven years old! I'm sorry but I remember my 'boyfriend' at age 7... and trust me there was no romance there, just two kids who liked to hang out and happened to be of different genders. Additionally I would have felt more comfortable with the whole story if the age of our kids had been say 10 at the time of 'the incident'. That would have put 7 years between the time of the incident and leaving the reserve to our lead guy returning home. More than enough time for everything to have passed that did and a little more comfort for me on the age in which you might actually start to lust about someone or imagine marrying them in a more genuine way. Were I to say there was a flaw in this book it is this age differential that I would point out. It's not a deal breaker for me, and probably not worth a reduction in stars by a whole star; however, it was annoying enough that it did bug me each time the 'pre-romance' was discussed between our characters. Because let's face it, no 7-year-old is waiting for any other 7-year-old into their late teens because they one time were close friends. It's really just absurd.

Overall
I'm so pleased to have read this Canadian written, indigenous focused book this year. It is probably one of the most diverse books on my reading shelf for 2018. I love what Robertson did with this story and cannot wait for the second book (even if I hated the set-up).
If you are looking for a solid mystery, teen read with some indigenous diversity I think you will enjoy this book. I hope it gains more attention as Strangers shared an insight into how difficult it can be in a tight knit community if you are suddenly the outsider; and how much of a stranger that can make you to your own people.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.