Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

32 reviews

sunnymashi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am utterly speechless. This book covered so many themes and effectively showed how interconnected seemingly disconnected different topics and areas are (I am aware this is very vague but there’s just so many topics this book covers- particularly with respect to the cultural context of the Ojibwe community). Additionally, Daunis was such a thoughtful, brilliant, and passionate character who was constantly surprising me with her insight and cleverness. I also admired how real she felt and how perceptive she was about the world and events around her- it was so clear with how she made sure to humanize the people around her rather than only seeing them for flaws. From the writing to the plot to the characters to the themes, it is so clear that Angeline Boulley put all of her heart and soul into crafting this… also for this to be a debut novel astounds me because this was so expertly created. 
Although I had slight difficulty keeping up with all of the lore dropped as the narrative progressed, I think that was the point. You can’t just jump to conclusions based on one string- you have to consider the whole system at play. Just another thing to add to this book’s captivating quality- you have to read it and sit with it before you truly grasp the full meaning.

Also small side note- I do wish we got more clarity about the way the Sault Superiors team works and that the romance with Jamie was more gradually built up because at some points in the middle I was slightly confused about how Daunis and Jamie got to that level of closeness and trust- however it did get remedied by the moments they had together and the tension of the fast paced third and fourth parts of the book testing their connection and bringing them close together.

All in all, this has to be one of the best thrillers I have read and I’m ecstatic to know that there is a second book to this one1 THOUGH I MUST NOTE THAT BEFORE YOU PICK THIS UP… This book does cover a lot of potentially triggering topics and themes, so I would suggest reviewing those and evaluating your mental space before diving into this book. I might add/edit this more as I reflect, but to wrap this up… truly one of the best books I’ve read this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

Minor: Racial slurs and Car accident

madlyreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

jhessongbrown's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Suicide

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

jennastopreading's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I bought this book the year that it released, and my biggest regret with it is waiting so long to read it. Honestly, what was I doing?!

I don't know what I thought this book was going to be about, but I had no idea..I just had no idea. I didn't know the depth of content matter, the breadth of the subjects covered, the raw pain my heart would feel as I listened with a knot in my throat. Both the story and the narrator chilled me to my core. If you can access this on audio, I recommend it - I loved hearing her speak the languages I don't speak.

My heart broke with Daunis from start to finish, and my eyes were opened to so much more than I could ever describe. This book will be a lot for sensitive readers, and I have a hard time thinking of it as Young Adult - mostly because the MC is more mature than pretty much any character I've ever read...

It's January 25, and I'm calling it - this will be the most important fiction book I read this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent

befthhh's review against another edition

dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Deeply emotional read. Loved the author’s unapologetic use of Anishinaabemowin language. Daunis’s story was so heartbreaking at time but her resilience was remarkable. The epidemic of violence against native women needs more discussion and reading a book from the perspective of a native woman who experience violence throughout the story is a powerful way to do that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Colonisation

wifistrokes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship

skudiklier's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I enjoyed this book on a lot of levels--the plot, the characters, the mystery, what I learned about Ojibwe culture and traditions--and definitely found it suspenseful and engaging. I wouldn't say the writing itself is my favorite (I felt like it did a lot of telling rather than showing), but it wasn't bad by any means and didn't distract from the story. I couldn't tell how it was going to end and I felt pretty satisfied with the ending

(especially that it didn't force a HEA for the romance when that would have been unhealthy)

. Overall I'd definitely recommend this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation

chloetremain's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and Kidnapping

Minor: Death of parent

maryreadstoomuch27's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Minor: Hate crime and Car accident

tagau's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a difficult book for me to get into, it wasn’t until I was ½ way though that I really became invested in the story.

Once I was hooked though that was it. I finished the book in a matter of hours because I just had to know how it ended and if Justice was served. There are many lessons to be learned from this book. Lots of little tidbits of information that I can remember my grandmother telling me that I had almost forgotten. If nothing else, it’s a good read for those tidbits alone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence

Minor: Homophobia and Rape