A review by megob
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Did not finish book. Stopped at 94%.

I really loved the book, up until the part where I stopped.

Spoiler

I totally understand that books can't all have a happy ending, and that this ending--had I read it--probably wouldn't be *un*happy, but I'm disappointed that that's how it went. Yeah, I was surprised, but I wouldn't have read the book knowing the ending. And that kinda ruins it for me.

 

First half of the book gets 5 stars. Third quarter gets 4 stars. Last 6% gets a DNF 🤷

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Gun violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Addiction, Violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, Car accident, Confinement, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Gore, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality

If you're looking for spoilers based on content warnings.

Spoiler

the main character experiences or sees all the things listed above happen in her community. Multiple deaths throughout the book, many of which the reader is present for. Descriptions of her grief after these deaths. Neurodivergency affecting her experience of grief and understanding of the situations. A gun is directed at the main character. Descriptions of those in the throes of addiction. Graphic description of sexual assault with "fade to black" followed by internal and external gaslighting and the suggestion that this was not his first assault. Drugging and kidnapping resulting in confinement and forced compliance with illegal activity. Car accident follows which results in medical trauma and death.

At that point I stopped reading, so I'm not certain if anyone was brought to justice but it seems like they would be. Putting it all out there it seems like a horrible story, but it's really really not! The pacing and atmosphere of the first half of the book are very different from the last half.