Review: FireKeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Firekeeper’s Daughter is 100% going to be one of my favorite books of the year. I tandem read this book with the audio and I highly recommend both! I honestly can’t believe it’s YA because it doesn’t feel like it at all and deals with some pretty mature themes. Given the age of the Main Character, I’d say it’s more New Adult, but regardless of its classification, it’s a must read, so don’t let the YA label deter you. READ THIS BOOK!
I read this 500 page book in a day over Memorial Day Weekend. I couldn’t put it down and when I did have to step away, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Firekeeper’s Daughter has the intensity and curiosity of a thriller, the heart of a coming of age YA, and the prose and purpose of literary fiction.
It’s also being turned into a Netflix mini series with the Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. If that’s not a reason to pick it up, I don’t know what is!
Synopsis: “Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.
Now, as the deceptions―and deaths―keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known." —From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Characters—I really liked all the characters in this book, how we grew with them and let the plot unfold through Daunis’ eyes. Plus I loved the hockey aspect! I’m a sucker for a hockey storyline and I don’t know why.
The Writing—Like I said above, this book doesn’t read like YA. The prose reminded me of literary fiction but the thriller aspect made it all so digestible. We weren’t just unfurling a plot about a drug problem in a community, we were given a glimpse into the Ojibwe culture as well as the life of our biracial main character.
The Plot & What I Learned—As someone who doesn’t read a lot of thrillers, I’m always surprised by how much I end up enjoying the suspenseful aspect. I loved watching (and listening) to the plot unfold and how I still was learning about a culture and reality of a life I don’t know much about. It’s why I love reading.
What Didn’t Work:
Nothing. Yup, a 5 star read.
TW/CW: murder; suicide; drug addiction; rape; sexual assault; violence; kidnapping
Character Authenticity: 4.5/5 Steam Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 5/5