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A review by andib
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
4.0
I will preface all of this by coming clean:
First, I read this book for two reasons: That gorgeous cover, and several extremely positive Booktube reviews. I must admit that without that amazing cover and a story told from a Native perspective, I probably wouldn't have bothered, since I don't typically read contemporary novels of any kind, and I also basically don't read thriller-style mysteries.
Second, I don't read a lot of YA, either. Since this book is a contemporary YA mystery/thriller, it falls into an unknown territory for me; thus, the views I express here are certainly not borne from any kinds of background knowledge or experience. This review is how a person who usually reads fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries (both regular and cozy) experienced this story.
At this point, it's probably redundant to point out that Angeline Boulley is an excellent writer, but enjoyed her writing enough that I will keep my eyes open for her further works (despite my disclaimers above). The main character's voice is strong, the plot is intricate and well-constructed, and the pacing is mostly excellent. I am also grateful for what this book taught me about the experiences of modern Ojibway and their religious beliefs; the deep dive into these aspects was by far my favorite part of the story. And the characterizations are incredibly real: Boulley surrounded Daunis with a network of deeply real and believable characters, whom we come to love, hate, laugh with, and cry for.
My other favorite part was the ending, which I'll say little about except that it left me with all the right feelings about all the right things.
Honestly, I have no reason not to give the book five stars except that it was just a bit more harrowing than what I would normally read or enjoy. I should probably have checked the reviews here before reading, given the subject matter, but again, I think that gorgeous cover had me entranced.
In any case, it's a brilliantly-written book and if you can cope with the darker aspects, I highly recommend it.
TW: drug use, racism, sexual assault
First, I read this book for two reasons: That gorgeous cover, and several extremely positive Booktube reviews. I must admit that without that amazing cover and a story told from a Native perspective, I probably wouldn't have bothered, since I don't typically read contemporary novels of any kind, and I also basically don't read thriller-style mysteries.
Second, I don't read a lot of YA, either. Since this book is a contemporary YA mystery/thriller, it falls into an unknown territory for me; thus, the views I express here are certainly not borne from any kinds of background knowledge or experience. This review is how a person who usually reads fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries (both regular and cozy) experienced this story.
At this point, it's probably redundant to point out that Angeline Boulley is an excellent writer, but enjoyed her writing enough that I will keep my eyes open for her further works (despite my disclaimers above). The main character's voice is strong, the plot is intricate and well-constructed, and the pacing is mostly excellent. I am also grateful for what this book taught me about the experiences of modern Ojibway and their religious beliefs; the deep dive into these aspects was by far my favorite part of the story. And the characterizations are incredibly real: Boulley surrounded Daunis with a network of deeply real and believable characters, whom we come to love, hate, laugh with, and cry for.
My other favorite part was the ending, which I'll say little about except that it left me with all the right feelings about all the right things.
Honestly, I have no reason not to give the book five stars except that it was just a bit more harrowing than what I would normally read or enjoy. I should probably have checked the reviews here before reading, given the subject matter, but again, I think that gorgeous cover had me entranced.
Spoiler
I get that this is a story about meth, and death, and very grim topics, but after finishing the story, I'm still not sure why the plotline includes rape. Just for character development? I hate when authors use rape as a way to make things difficult for the character or force them to grow--sexual assault should only happen in stories when it has been carefully woven into the natural progression of the plot. Which admittedly is so rare that maybe it would never happen, but I would be very, very happy with that. Here, I'm forced to conclude it was just another way of showing us the ongoing challenges that tribal members face when dealing with the federal government. But I felt that point was amply made through other channels, so I'm not on board with including a rape just because men do it.In any case, it's a brilliantly-written book and if you can cope with the darker aspects, I highly recommend it.
TW: drug use, racism, sexual assault