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The Moth Dreamer
Grief, guilt, and dark visions won’t let Aubrey go in this coming-of-age novel for young adults.
Sixteen-year-old Aubrey is horrified when a vision about her cousin’s death comes true. Overcome with grief, Aubrey begins to see more troubling visions about the futures of those around her. To make matters worse, a mysterious Trickster keeps visiting her dreams with cryptic messages she doesn’t understand.
As Aubrey’s well-being unravels, a dark creature—one that feeds on suffering—begins stalking her. With the help of her Kokum, a medicine woman, Aubrey learns to tap into her spiritual strength. But when the creature crosses into the real world, Aubrey must find the strength to protect her family, and in doing so, confront her guilt and find peace.
The Moth Dreamer is a gripping tale that blends Anishinaabe traditions with a haunting journey through the physical and spiritual realms.
Sixteen-year-old Aubrey is horrified when a vision about her cousin’s death comes true. Overcome with grief, Aubrey begins to see more troubling visions about the futures of those around her. To make matters worse, a mysterious Trickster keeps visiting her dreams with cryptic messages she doesn’t understand.
As Aubrey’s well-being unravels, a dark creature—one that feeds on suffering—begins stalking her. With the help of her Kokum, a medicine woman, Aubrey learns to tap into her spiritual strength. But when the creature crosses into the real world, Aubrey must find the strength to protect her family, and in doing so, confront her guilt and find peace.
The Moth Dreamer is a gripping tale that blends Anishinaabe traditions with a haunting journey through the physical and spiritual realms.
- GenresYoung AdultIndigenous
360 pages, Paperback
Published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2026
I enjoyed reading The Moth Dreamer by Amy Lynn Farrell! This YA novel follows 16 year old Aubrey who has visions of the future and is dealing with the grief of losing her cousin. I loved the Anishinaabe mythology in this story and the way Aubrey turns to her Kokum and friends and family to help. I really appreciated the content warning at the beginning since there are several intense scenes. This book does not shy away from the powerful and consuming effects of grief especially at such a pivotal time in a teenager’s life. Aubrey dealt with not only grief but also first love, bullying, understanding her visions and maintaining her relationships. That’s a lot to deal with at any age!
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted review copy!
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted review copy!
August 15, 2026
5/5
This was a rolling tide of emotions. Aubrey witnesses the death of a family member during her summer vacation and the story follows her on her journey of trauma, healing, and growth.
Farrell weaves Anishinaabemowin beautifully between the dreams, land names, and conversations Aubrey has. The dreams start most of the chapters and show Aubrey growing into her abilities as an indigenous woman. Aubrey battles with herself, her family, and schoolmates. She learns about herself and about nurturing her connections. It's a slow but steady journey towards understanding.
I loved her interactions with her friends and with Jac. Farrell incorporates all aspects of healing in this and I really enjoyed it. It's slow and drawn out, but it's about the slow growth and acceptance that comes with time as grief snuffs everything out. I loved the layout, the wide margins were so nice and I raced through this story. The titles being in both Anishinaabemowin and English were perfect and the glossary is the cherry on top!
It was good to see how Farrell addressed self harm too. It's not graphic but still is faithful to the despair some people go through. The way she talks about it and opens up is authentic and it wasn't triggering for me, but she still includes a content warning and numbers to call if you need help.
I'm so happy my library has this book! If you'd like a slower paced book that's tender but hits the darker sides of grief and resilience, you should check your local library for a copy!
This was a rolling tide of emotions. Aubrey witnesses the death of a family member during her summer vacation and the story follows her on her journey of trauma, healing, and growth.
Farrell weaves Anishinaabemowin beautifully between the dreams, land names, and conversations Aubrey has. The dreams start most of the chapters and show Aubrey growing into her abilities as an indigenous woman. Aubrey battles with herself, her family, and schoolmates. She learns about herself and about nurturing her connections. It's a slow but steady journey towards understanding.
I loved her interactions with her friends and with Jac. Farrell incorporates all aspects of healing in this and I really enjoyed it. It's slow and drawn out, but it's about the slow growth and acceptance that comes with time as grief snuffs everything out. I loved the layout, the wide margins were so nice and I raced through this story. The titles being in both Anishinaabemowin and English were perfect and the glossary is the cherry on top!
It was good to see how Farrell addressed self harm too. It's not graphic but still is faithful to the despair some people go through. The way she talks about it and opens up is authentic and it wasn't triggering for me, but she still includes a content warning and numbers to call if you need help.
I'm so happy my library has this book! If you'd like a slower paced book that's tender but hits the darker sides of grief and resilience, you should check your local library for a copy!
May 11, 2026
I'm not going to lie I struggled to read this.. It was a short book with only 247 pages (not sure if I bought a different copy since goodreads says it should be 360 pages?) but it felt like it dragged on forever. I try to keep an open mind and love supporting local Canadian authors when I can, even if the books are outside of my normal genre, but this unfortunately fell flat for me.
The overall story was nice, I guess, and had appropriate aspects of grief and the importance of family and friends, but the execution was very dull. I will say that the dream/spiritual realm references and descriptions were beautifully done, I just think I've read too many thrillers and intense fantasy books because when I saw the description on the back of the book saying "when the creature crosses into the real world, Aubrey must find the strength to protect her family, and in doing so, confront her guilt and find peace" I expected an emotionally gripping story packed with intensity, dilemmas, self doubt/growth, and courage, but this had about as much excitement and impact as a bowl of plain oatmeal and the resolution to the book/scene with her confronting the creature (Wendigo) was maybe 5 pages, if that, so it was a very abrupt/rushed ending.
I get this is supposed to be a young adult book, but I would say it would be more suited for the lower end of teen fiction for readers between the age of 12-14, especially if they're dealing with the loss of a loved one or just going through a hard time in general (there is bullying/racism in this book that I'm sure a lot of people can relate to), so if you're in that young, emotionally developmental stage in your life this might be a good read for you. Don't take my review personally and stop you from reading this! ❤️ Everyone has different opinions and this is just mine.
The overall story was nice, I guess, and had appropriate aspects of grief and the importance of family and friends, but the execution was very dull. I will say that the dream/spiritual realm references and descriptions were beautifully done, I just think I've read too many thrillers and intense fantasy books because when I saw the description on the back of the book saying "when the creature crosses into the real world, Aubrey must find the strength to protect her family, and in doing so, confront her guilt and find peace" I expected an emotionally gripping story packed with intensity, dilemmas, self doubt/growth, and courage, but this had about as much excitement and impact as a bowl of plain oatmeal and the resolution to the book/scene with her confronting the creature (Wendigo) was maybe 5 pages, if that, so it was a very abrupt/rushed ending.
I get this is supposed to be a young adult book, but I would say it would be more suited for the lower end of teen fiction for readers between the age of 12-14, especially if they're dealing with the loss of a loved one or just going through a hard time in general (there is bullying/racism in this book that I'm sure a lot of people can relate to), so if you're in that young, emotionally developmental stage in your life this might be a good read for you. Don't take my review personally and stop you from reading this! ❤️ Everyone has different opinions and this is just mine.
April 29, 2026
This is a different take on a book on death and dying. Aubrey goes through the usual survivor's guilt, but for a good reason, as an Indigenous (Anishinaabe) descendant of shamans, she has started having visions, and one of the first vision she has predicts that her cousin will die. She feels she could have prevented it, and from that point on, any time she has a vision, she doesn’t tell people what she saw, but gives them advice that will help them avoid dying too.
Her Kokum (grandmother) warns her against a monster that she is also seeing, one that feeds on grief, that appears to be stalking her.
This is very much a contemporary story as well, with text messaging and all the modern conveniences, and yet, her kokum makes sure that she knows how to handle a bow and arrow, as her ancestors did, though she doesn’t tell her why.
This was an interesting take on how guilt and sorrow can lead one down a dark path, and it was interesting to see how she handled it all. But, as with a lot of stories, it would have been nice if her grandmother had confided the “whys” of what she was going through. But perhaps she had to wait until she was ready to hear it, as well.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review. This book was published this month, and should be available where books are sold.
Her Kokum (grandmother) warns her against a monster that she is also seeing, one that feeds on grief, that appears to be stalking her.
This is very much a contemporary story as well, with text messaging and all the modern conveniences, and yet, her kokum makes sure that she knows how to handle a bow and arrow, as her ancestors did, though she doesn’t tell her why.
This was an interesting take on how guilt and sorrow can lead one down a dark path, and it was interesting to see how she handled it all. But, as with a lot of stories, it would have been nice if her grandmother had confided the “whys” of what she was going through. But perhaps she had to wait until she was ready to hear it, as well.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review. This book was published this month, and should be available where books are sold.
June 2, 2026
A YA novel steeped in Anishinaabe ways of knowing, I appreciated this story for its quiet complexity.
Aubrey is a 16-year-old who begins to have frightening visions of future events, and nightmarish dreams. Dealing with grief and guilt after her cousin’s sudden death, she struggles to find a way through this treacherous emotional landscape. With a Kokum who is an experienced and wise Anishinaabe elder, she must learn about Weesquachak the trickster, and face the Windigo.
There’s a simplicity about this novel that I liked. The text feels straightforward, and the writing might be described as spare. Yet, this belied the complexity of the concepts. This began to match my understanding of Aubrey, a young woman who is honest and forthright, yet embodies complexity.
Older teens will find familiar themes: the commonality of guilt when difficult things happen, of feeling pain when harassed or bullied, of the excitement of new love. There is suicidal ideation and a scene of self-harm. Aubrey experiences depression, and this is tied in with her visions and dreams. With Aubrey, they’ll also get to read about a worldview that values the land, the reciprocity shown to plants and animals, and Indigenous forms of spirituality. Her struggle through her darkness and the grief towards a healthier balance and self-acceptance is universal.
Aubrey is of mixed culture: Anishinaabe and European, and I loved the way that this novel takes its place firmly rooted in Indigenous story telling while also valuing Aubrey’s non-Indigenous heritage. I felt a real spirit of diversity, with Aubrey’s circle of friends from different cultures.
I like stories about the Windigo and the Trickster. For me, they represent such integral parts of human nature. This is a strong debut and I hope to see more!
Thanks to Highwater Press for a gifted copy!
Aubrey is a 16-year-old who begins to have frightening visions of future events, and nightmarish dreams. Dealing with grief and guilt after her cousin’s sudden death, she struggles to find a way through this treacherous emotional landscape. With a Kokum who is an experienced and wise Anishinaabe elder, she must learn about Weesquachak the trickster, and face the Windigo.
There’s a simplicity about this novel that I liked. The text feels straightforward, and the writing might be described as spare. Yet, this belied the complexity of the concepts. This began to match my understanding of Aubrey, a young woman who is honest and forthright, yet embodies complexity.
Older teens will find familiar themes: the commonality of guilt when difficult things happen, of feeling pain when harassed or bullied, of the excitement of new love. There is suicidal ideation and a scene of self-harm. Aubrey experiences depression, and this is tied in with her visions and dreams. With Aubrey, they’ll also get to read about a worldview that values the land, the reciprocity shown to plants and animals, and Indigenous forms of spirituality. Her struggle through her darkness and the grief towards a healthier balance and self-acceptance is universal.
Aubrey is of mixed culture: Anishinaabe and European, and I loved the way that this novel takes its place firmly rooted in Indigenous story telling while also valuing Aubrey’s non-Indigenous heritage. I felt a real spirit of diversity, with Aubrey’s circle of friends from different cultures.
I like stories about the Windigo and the Trickster. For me, they represent such integral parts of human nature. This is a strong debut and I hope to see more!
Thanks to Highwater Press for a gifted copy!
August 17, 2026
I enjoyed this overall, although there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. The strongest part of the story was Aubrey’s relationship with her family, especially her Kokum. Their bond felt genuine and was really at the heart of the book.
I also liked how Aubrey’s dreams and visions were connected to the story. They weren’t just random dream sequences but played an important role in helping her understand what was happening around her and process her grief.
The book does touch on bullying and self-harm, but they’re a fairly small part of the story. Honestly, I’m not sure the bullying subplot added much, as it felt a bit disconnected from the more interesting parts involving Aubrey’s family, culture, and the supernatural elements.
The ending, with Aubrey and Kokum facing the Wendigo together, was one of my favourite parts and brought everything together nicely. While I wasn’t completely sold on every aspect of the story, it was still an engaging read with strong family relationships and an interesting supernatural storyline.
I also liked how Aubrey’s dreams and visions were connected to the story. They weren’t just random dream sequences but played an important role in helping her understand what was happening around her and process her grief.
The book does touch on bullying and self-harm, but they’re a fairly small part of the story. Honestly, I’m not sure the bullying subplot added much, as it felt a bit disconnected from the more interesting parts involving Aubrey’s family, culture, and the supernatural elements.
The ending, with Aubrey and Kokum facing the Wendigo together, was one of my favourite parts and brought everything together nicely. While I wasn’t completely sold on every aspect of the story, it was still an engaging read with strong family relationships and an interesting supernatural storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews