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A review by offbrandclubsoda
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5
I am of two minds about this book. On the one hand, I thought that the themes and messages were fantastic, but unfortunately, I thought the plot itself fell short.
In my opinion, the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and commentary was excellent. The author seamlessly incorporated Anishinaabemowin words, Ojibwe cultural teachings and traditions, and discussed historical and contemporary social political issues. The messaging about colonialism, systemic oppression, mixed-race identity, healthy relationships, etc. was great.
Sadly, I found the plot to be a bit hokey, in that it was very unbelievable yet simultaneously predictable.The FBI sending an undercover agent into a HIGH SCHOOL and recruiting an 18-year-old as a CI? Come on… And a bunch of high school kids running a meth operation and trying to recruit a science nerd to cook the best meth?? Ok Walter White… I think it would have been significantly less cringey if the author had aged the characters up to be university students I will say, the last third of the book did improve the plot, but ultimately, it was quite a bit more YA than I was expecting/hoping.
Overall, I would recommend the book, and encourage readers to push through the beginning.
Specific to the audiobook:
I would absolutely recommend listening to this as an audiobook. Isabella Star LaBlanc did a fantastic job narrating and it was great to hear the correct pronunciation of Anishinaabemowin words.
In my opinion, the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and commentary was excellent. The author seamlessly incorporated Anishinaabemowin words, Ojibwe cultural teachings and traditions, and discussed historical and contemporary social political issues. The messaging about colonialism, systemic oppression, mixed-race identity, healthy relationships, etc. was great.
Sadly, I found the plot to be a bit hokey, in that it was very unbelievable yet simultaneously predictable.
Overall, I would recommend the book, and encourage readers to push through the beginning.
Specific to the audiobook:
I would absolutely recommend listening to this as an audiobook. Isabella Star LaBlanc did a fantastic job narrating and it was great to hear the correct pronunciation of Anishinaabemowin words.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation