Son of a Trickster

When they start putting trigger warnings on books, this one will need several. There's a lot of raw unpleasantness here and honestly, for the first third of the book I felt like the author was trying to prove how “hard” she was. By the time I was finished, I appreciated the not nice-ness as necessary to the story and really got into the characters. But its prose is very sparse and I would have liked more in some places where this “less is more” philosophy seems to hamper my understanding of what's happening between the characters. Also, I would have liked more talking crows.

A big fat thank you to whatever publisher it was who sent me this free copy for review.

This was a fantastic, visceral coming of age story. Jared's struggle to deal with his family dysfunction and addiction issues was really heartfelt, and Robinson's witty, quick-paced dialogue keeps the story engaging throughout.

The magical realism parts took a backseat for most of the novel, and that actually suits the story really well. For most of the story it feels like a metaphor for Jared's experience, but by the end it unfolds into a more major theme. Robinson unveils it really well, and the way in which she does it makes the story incredibly enjoyable.

It's a too long YA origin story that hopefully sets up a better sequel. I guess I was just frustrated waiting. I get it - Jared's a little messed up, but golden hearted and maybe a little in love. His family has secrets and there's trouble afoot. I didn't need an entire book to tell me that.

There's undoubtably something simmering under the surface, threatening to break Jared Martin out of his high school reverie of baking pot cookies, getting drunk, stoned and screwed. Something more than the day-to-day chaos that is his life aided in no small part by his foul-mouthed and volatile mom with her string of questionable exes. One whose feet she nailed gunned to the floor, the other whose dog she killed, slamming her truck into his pitbull then calmly backing up over it again.

I'll bet this thing has legs but it feels like the first 3 episodes of an 8 episode arc that might improve if I was allowed to binge the season.

Not for me. Great writing, compelling set up for a trilogy. It didn't drag, it took the time it needed to get the reader acquainted with who and where the main character is in their life, before starting to hint at what that main character is, who they could be. I have no doubt that the situations described reflect troubled home lives in reality, and the complexity of the situation, still having love for people who don't treat you well, and may therefore act as a balm to those who are healing/can relate or a trigger for empathy among those lucky enough not to experience such first hand, but I have a limit when it comes to encountering this kind of darkness in fiction, and I am not willing to sign myself up for two more books in the same vein. I appreciate being able to read own voices' indigenous characters, rep that is multifaceted in the people presented and how they relate to problems both within their culture and community and how they manage conflict with forces outside it. I might try something else from this author, after a break. 
⚠️animal death, dimensia/Alzheimer's, child abuse, underage everything, addiction, racism, suicide attempt