Empire of Wild is the story of Joan, a Metis woman, whose husband Victor has been missing over a year. He left after a heated argument and never returned. She thinks she sees him in a tent in a parking lot preaching the gospel.

I very much enjoyed this novel. It is a mystery and a thriller and I dare to say paranormal/supernatural. Essentially this is a story of love and how far one would go to save a family.

This book was ok. I liked the setting in Arcand, Ontario, within the Métis indigenous culture Joan had one fight with her husband, Victor. He left the house and then disappeared, she keeps looking for him. She finds him in a revival tent, he is the reverend and appears to have no memory of her. The book blends modern life with cultural beliefs that have been handed down over the years. I didn't care for the ending at all.

3.5 Stars
Joan has been searching for her husband for nearly a year when she stumbles upon him in a revival tent in a Walmart parking lot. As a preacher. She may be hungover but she knows her husband...even if he doesn't remember her. Joan is determined to bring him home but there are sinister forces working against her. Namely, a werewolf-like creature known as a Rogarou.

Empire of Wild kept me on the edge of my seat. The book is deeply rooted in tradition and I enjoyed learning about the Rogarou and the Metis stories, beliefs and traditions. Not only is this full of rich, descriptive writing but it is an entertaining mix of horror, thriller and important social commentary. I enjoyed the multiple POV's (with the exception of Cecile).

I both loved and hated the ending. The final showdown was a bit too neat for my tastes and by the time I was finished I was left wanting more. I wouldn't mind a second book...or even a novella. I'm not picky!

I enjoyed this mystery book. It is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. This is an engaging story that kept me turning pages. It brought everything that I want in a mystery story. This is a well written story that is engaging and easy to read. I had no issues connecting with the characters as they brought the story to life for me. Joan made a great character. I felt bad for her in parts but she is a strong character that made the story to me. Will she find the truth before it is too late? I highly recommend this book. It is a great afternoon read when you are looking for a mystery.

Joan and Victor had only one fight in their marriage: almost a year ago when Victor suggested she sell the tribal land she inherited from her father. Rather than exhibit anger, Victor left the house, but he never came back. Since then, Joan has fruitlessly searched for him until a chance encounter at a revival tent in a Wal-Mart parking lot. After the service, she sees Victor…his appearance, his voice—but not his clothes or his words. Thomas Heiser, a businessman accompanying the traveling church, assures Joan the man wasn’t her husband, and the man himself says he is Revered Eugene Wolff.

Nevertheless, Joan believes that the man is Victor and decides to track the church to rescue him. Ajean, an irreverent Métis elder who instructs Joan in the old ways. Zeus, Joan’s twelve-year-old cousin, viewed by his mother as the reason his father left, joins Joan on her quest.

Uncovering Wolff’s identity isn’t the easy seduction Joan imagines. Powerful forces work against her who need Wolff for their own purposes, purposes that affect all the indigenous people in the area. Joan may only care about getting Victor back—if the Reverend is Victor, but if she doesn’t succeed, the future of the entire community is in jeopardy.

On the surface, Empire of Wild is an entertaining story with a touch of horror. More than that, it’s a terrifying tale of encroachment of external forces on indigenous land. While Joan, a powerful and independent female protagonist, centers the novel, she is less of a developed character to me than are Ajean and Zeus, both of whom are quirky and hilarious without being unrealistic. Besides a strong sexual connection, Joan and Victor’s relationship wasn’t much elaborated on, and I wanted a stronger sense the reason behind Joan’s motivation.

Now, I am completely scared of rogarous and have been mulling the ending for days.

Empire of Wild will appeal to those who like light horror or those looking to add more Own Voices books to their reading lists.

Growing up near the Red River Valley in North Dakota, and living 17 miles from the Canadian border, the Métis are a group I learned about in school and I consider part of our local heritage. I really enjoyed this and the folklore that made up a main theme of the book. I have heard of the rogarou before, but I have to say that the way you weaved the legend in the storyline was well done. I thought for the most part, the book was well written.

I started this book with trepidation because this is not genre I read but I actually enjoyed the story. It has folklore, Native American culture, religion and politics and of course love. Joan and Victor had an argument and Victor left the house to cool down but never returned. Joan kept searching for him and after almost a year found who she thought was Victor. He was a minister for a revival church of redemption. He did not recognize Joan and she was heartbroken and determined. The book is about the search of her soul mate and doing whatever necessary to find him and bring him back to her. Of course, the story incorporates many different issues along the way which makes for a very interesting read.

Thanks to #williammorrow and #netgalley for the ARC of #empireofwild

“And that ragarou, heart full of his own stories but his belly empty, he came home not just to haunt. He also came to hunt.”

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I haven’t read anything similar and I really liked getting a look into the Indigenous legends and traditions that this book center around. The author does a great job at giving us little bits of information along the way instead of just straight up info dumping about the ragarou and I appreciated that. Empire of Wild was also a great look at how religion can be predatory and specifically how it can be motivated to be used against communities.

I’m a big advocate for multiple points of view in most books and I loved all the different perspectives we get in Empire of Wild. Seeing the reactions of Zeus, Ajean, Joan, and even the villain gives the story a greater depth than you see in some books and grounds the narrative by linking all these characters together and showing the relationships between them. One of my favorite parts was seeing Victor’s perspective and what he was going through. Seeing his internal struggle with the ragarou along with Joan’s external struggle added a bit of suspension that I think some of the book lacked.


I did have a few issues that lowered the rating for me. For one, I hated Cecile’s point of view. I would rather have just seen the main villain’s point of view because, for me at least, her POV didn’t add anything to the story. I also felt that the last big fight passed a little too quickly. I’m not going to spoil anything, but I think the way they got rid of the main villain was a little too easy. And I wasn’t too fond of the very end either.

Overall, I did like the story and I recommend to those who like thrillers, especially those centered in folklore and legends.

2 1/2 stars


There is a great story idea here but the execution didn't work for me.

The switching between second person and multiple 3rd person POVs confused things.The whole book had a dark tense air around it that worked for this horror thriller but made it hard to connect with it.The second part got better but the ending was unsatisfying.

A quick read which I enjoyed. I always love a good supernatural story. I loved the setting and culture of the book. I will recommend this to some of my readers but it’s target audience is not within the scope of my library. I enjoyed the folklore.

Weaving traditional Métis legend with contemporary obstacles, Empire of Wild toes the line between horror and thriller. Joan’s discovers her husband Victor, who has been missing for almost a year, preaching in a revival tent in a Walmart parking lot. Only he doesn’t remember her and insists his name is Eugene Wolff. How did her beloved husband get here and could the werewolf-like Rogarou be responsible?

Dimaline is at her strongest when she’s exploring the Métis community and the varied experiences of the people within it. Of particular note are Ajean, a cantankerous, but loving community elder, and Zeus, Joan’s twelve year old cousin. Their different perspectives and reactions to the events of the novel add depth and truly ground the narrative.

Readers who enjoy folklore or magical realism will find elements of this story enjoyable. The Rogarou legend is explored from a variety of angles in addition to some European folklore. In both cases, some further details or deeper dives would be welcome.

Some elements of the story - like certain aspects of Heisler’s relationships with others in the ministry - felt unnecessary and distracted from the overall arc of the story. Readers may also find themselves frustrated by the ending.

"Empire of Wild: a novel" by Cherie Dimaline
I thoroughly enjoyed "Empire of Wild" by Cherie Dimaline! The characters were real, flaws and all. The main character, Joan, is struggling after her husband, Victor, disappears into the woods. Almost a year later, she has not given up looking for him even though her family wishes her to. Zeus, Joan's 12 year old nephew, is a wonderful addition to the story as he and Joan help each other through this difficult time. (Zeus has his own demons). Joan finds Victor now living as Reverend Eugene Wolff with a traveling ministry. He seems to have no memory of her and the members of the ministry are suspicious. I found the tribal legend of the Rogarou both disturbing and interesting. Based on the ending, I'm guessing there will be a sequel and I can't wait to read it.

Empire of Wild was a dark and intense book - one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I would put this book in with All the Good Indians not just because of its (and both authors) American Indian and Métis roots but because of their dark, haunting stories and premises. Both of these tales revolve around the choices made by the characters within the story.

Joan is a striking character and not because she is otherworldly beautiful but because she is firmly rooted in reality - even though her reality since Victor left is slightly off-kilter. She is fiercely dogged and loyal - to her self, her family, and her belief that Victor is still alive. I loved Ajean, she reminds me of my Great Aunt. She's feisty, opinionated, and is more important than Joan realizes. Zeus - Joan's Johnny Cash loving nephew was one of the only other characters that had any kind of development.

As for the Rogarou, he would appear to be similar to a werewolf but also akin to a dark possession. I am familiar with Rogarou in general but not necessarily the Métis folklore. The primary antagonist is an interesting person, to say the least, and delving into his history was something I hadn't come across in a book before. His revival group is a motley crew of the "typical" zealots who are all too willing to be controlled and they pose quite a unified barrier for Joan.

I have two questions after that ending - is it the same Rogarou that we read about throughout the book? What happens with Ajean & Zeus? The only content warnings that struck me in this book were profanity, sexual content/descriptions, and potentially how religion is viewed. This is a solid book with deep roots in folklore and also of reality - how the two are blended is quite magical. I would recommend reading this book to those who enjoy dark folklore, suspense and I would read a sequel if it ever comes into being. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Among the Wild as a digital ARC - all opinions are my own.

This dark fairy tale of a thriller is a lot of fun. I like that it's grounded in Metis folklore, customs, and traditions, and I can definitely see bringing in at least excerpts to my World Literature classes (especially for discussion on post-colonial texts, etc). The imagery is vivid, the characters are interesting, and the suspense is well-paced. Overall this is a very engaging and interesting twist on an ancient tale!

This was a fascinating spin on the rougarou myth. I loved Joan as a main character and was intrigued throughout the novel to see what was up with her missing husband. I did struggle with the writing style a little, but that is completely my subjective issue. I think a lot of readers in my library will greatly enjoy this story, especially those who are already familiar with the rougarou myth!

This one was an intriguing read for me. It is centered around Metis folklore about a Rogarou (werewolf). Joan's husband Victor leaves home after an argument and doesn't return. Months later Joan happens upon a Christian revival and the Reverend looks exactly like Victor. Is it him? Why doesn't he remember her? Who are these people he is with?
With descriptive, concise writing the author pulls you in and let's you inhabit indigenous stories, thoughts and customs. Joan and the surrounding cast of characters, both friend and foe, are fully realized and compelling. This is a fairly quick read that I finished in just two sittings. The Metis community is new to me and I really enjoyed reading this tale. I recommend this one to those who enjoy native American (this one takes place in Canada) folklore filled with suspense and mystery.

Empire of the Wild is a unique, thrilling suspenseful read. Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for over a year. He disappeared after an awful argument without a trace, but she knows in her heart he's not dead. She has a fascinating assortment of relatives for help and support and its after a drunken night with a cousin that she stumbles on a tent revival. Joan is shocked to see Victor as the church leader and then to learn that her beloved grandmother, Mere, has been savaged by a wolf or large dog. Grieving and heartbroken she doubles her efforts to track down Reverend Wolf and remind him of who he is. She enlists the aid of her aunty Ajean and her kooky cousin Zeus to unravel the mystery surrounding Victor's disappearance, memory loss, and evidence of a Rogarou, a traditional Canadian Metis legend made real.

Cherie Dimaline has crafted an novel rich with traditional Metis lore. The story is unique and engaging and was difficult to put down. I plan on looking up Dimaline's other books as soon as possible. Thank you for the chance to read the ARC. Pick up Empire of the Wild for something new, different and exciting. You will be glad you did!

I have such mixed feelings about this book. Because, on the one hand, there is some truly exceptional stuff in here, but on the other, there were some authorial decisions that completely scuppered this book's full potential.

Let's start with the good stuff: if you've read the blurb you already know that the concept is intriguing, and if you've read the first chapter you know that Dimaline approaches it with so much raw, honest emotion that your heart cannot help but bleed for Joan. There can be a tendency in this genre of fiction to lean more on the action and less on the humanity of the situation, but nowhere in this book does Dimaline fall into that trap. Those first few chapters where she details Joan's grief (and it's subsequent impact on her family) were some of the best in the book, and this is in part because Dimaline does such an amazing job of introducing and establishing each character. Those scenes were so good that I would have honestly been okay if the story had just revolved around the highs and lows of her family - and I am not, in general, a lover of ~literary family drama books.

This isn't to say that the rogarou wasn't interesting; it very much was. It's just that that element of the story got diminished fairly quickly by Dimaline's decision to have too many POV characters. I don't object at all to Zeus, or the "in the woods" chapters (which were fantastic). But seeing too much into the bad guys gave too much away way too soon, and really killed the scary element the rogarou could have had. And seeing how one bad guy's (or, ahem, girl's) actions could have been easily understood from Joan's perspective it seemed to me that there was basically no point in being in her head. It added nothing to the story and took away time we could have been spending with the more developed characters. And, on top of that, with all the clues we were given ahead of time with these POV chapters it made it really frustrating when Joan would figure things out so late in the story I thought they were over and done with. Having the focus narrowed onto fewer characters would've sharpened the writing a great deal as well (and spared us from some gross sex scenes).

And this is all to say nothing of the ending, which was either rushed or a cheap sequel hook, whatever way you'd like to look at it. I really felt cheated there to be honest; it felt like the opening promised so much more than this.

But when the book is good, it's definitely good so I could see other readers having a stronger connection to it than me. I just wish my feelings had ended up being more positive than mixed.

From the publisher:

A bold and brilliant new indigenous voice in contemporary literature makes her American debut with this kinetic, imaginative, and sensuous fable inspired by the traditional Canadian Métis legend of the Rogarou—a werewolf-like creature that haunts the roads and woods of native people’s communities.

Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for nearly a year—ever since that terrible night they’d had their first serious argument hours before he mysteriously vanished. Her Métis family has lived in their tightly knit rural community for generations, but no one keeps the old ways . . . until they have to. That moment has arrived for Joan.

One morning, grieving and severely hungover, Joan hears a shocking sound coming from inside a revival tent in a gritty Walmart parking lot. It is the unmistakable voice of Victor. Drawn inside, she sees him. He has the same face, the same eyes, the same hands, though his hair is much shorter and he's wearing a suit. But he doesn't seem to recognize Joan at all. He insists his name is Eugene Wolff, and that he is a reverend whose mission is to spread the word of Jesus and grow His flock. Yet Joan suspects there is something dark and terrifying within this charismatic preacher who professes to be a man of God . . . something old and very dangerous.

Joan turns to Ajean, an elderly foul-mouthed card shark who is one of the few among her community steeped in the traditions of her people and knowledgeable about their ancient enemies. With the help of the old Métis and her peculiar Johnny-Cash-loving, twelve-year-old nephew Zeus, Joan must find a way to uncover the truth and remind Reverend Wolff who he really is . . . if he really is. Her life, and those of everyone she loves, depends upon it.

Originally published to critical acclaim by Penguin Random House Canada in September of last year, Empire of Wild will be released by HarperCollins Publishers at the end of next month. I've had Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves on my to-be-read list for quite some time and I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of Empire of Wild. And it is spell-binding.

The novel follows Joan of Arcand (which I confess I didn't pick up on until reading another review) as she still mourns and searches for her husband Victor a year after his disappearance. Discovering a man who looks like him, but isn't him sends her on a desperate quest that touches on belief, history, religion, and exploitation. Mythology and folklore are interests of mine, and I was familiar with the rougarou of Cajun legends. I was absolutely delighted to come across an #ownvoices novel dealing with a similar creature from Canada.

This review originally posted at Books You Can Die in the Middle Of: https://lookgoodifyoudie.blogspot.com/2020/06/empire-of-wild-by-cherie-dimaline.html

Summer beach read meets magical realism. What a fun read! I only wish they developed certain characters more. Zeus, the magnetic 12 year old, could have and should have, stolen the whole book.

Recommended for people looking for an easy, beach read but don't want yet another summer romance.