Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Firekeeper's Daughter

This is hard to rate because there were parts that I really enjoyed. All of the parts about Daunis’s native identity were really interesting, and I thought the book did a good job of covering issues that plague native communities. I loved all the different characters in the community, *especially* the elders. The role they play in the story is so fun, but also empowering.
However. I think I got caught up in the logistics of the investigation. I was constantly wondering if things being done in the name of the investigation were actually legal. Looped into that, the power imbalance in the romance was offputting and distracting to me. Daunis was in over her head, and it shows. Because of Daunis’s inexperience the pacing of the book is off. The plot goes from slow paced small town life with small potato problems to huge fast-paced life or death situations. It felt jarring.
Despite the somewhat messy jumble of plot threads, the ending surprisingly wraps things up in a way that resolves some of my issues with the book. I thought it was a good ending that couldn’t do quite enough to compensate for the inconsistencies of the rest of the book. I’d be interested in reading a lit fic from the same author, instead of a thriller type plot like this one.

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A million stars! This large book went so fast! I was not expecting some of the not-quite-twists, but surprises later in the book. I was deep in and then could not resist staying up past 4 am to find out what would happen next.

This is a wonderful book full of love of community and culture and family, but in a complicated, real-feeling way. There is a lot of tragedy and saddness there, but it doesn't totally overwhelm you because there is balance and the main character is rooted in her values and has a support system.

I live in the USA, so on Native land, and I really appreciate any opportunity to learn more about the land I live on and the people who have cared for it for centuries before my great grandparents moved here from Italy. Especially when the author makes it so fun to learn!

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