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nrogers_1030's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Police brutality
mshiiken's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was, once again, absolutely incredible. I got to read it early thanks to NetGalley and I'm so grateful - nmiigwechinendam zaam ngiigindaas! Boulley now has a signature style and it's a familiar presence throughout this book. It's a joy to revisit Sugar Island, and particularly because we get to spend time with the Firekeeper-Birch family. Perry is a delightful counterpoint to Daunis from the first book and we get to see more of her personality. The mystery, the ties to real-life and current concerns around repatriation and reconciliation - this book is another absolute winner that's going to captivate everyone who reads it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexual content and Rape
franzis_buecher's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
I read this book in about four days and it was so good!
I do think I prefer the first installment, Firekeeper's Daughter, because the resolution made a bit more sense to me in that one and I didn't love the romance in this sequel as much, but I still enjoyed it immensely!
It also gave a very satisfying conclusion to some open questions from Firekeeper's Daughter, while of course Perry is the focus here and she has her own story going on.
I really loved Perry as a character and she is very different from Daunis and a force to be reckoned with!
It's also really interesting to see things and people from the first book from Perry's point of view. She was six years old in the first book and now ten years have passed and a lot has changed. Her parents also feel very different from her perspective compared to Aunt Teddie and Art from Daunis's POV. I always admire authors who can write this change of perspective well!
The side characters, especially Pauline and Team Misfit Toys, are a lot of fun as well. Cooper too, even though I didn't really get why he's described as "kooky", he seemed pretty normal to me.
I shouldn't have read the blurb on the back though, because I then expected the heist to center around the Warrior Girl in the university archives but it very much did not. She is just one starting point for Perry to think about repatriation and she wants to bring her home but the heist completely separate from that and unrelated to the university archives.
Nevertheless, it was a great story. It starts out slow as Perry learns more about repatriation and she gets more and more daring, and then picks up in the last third with the heist plan and everything.
Like in the first book, this one kept me guessing at who was behind several crimes and mysteries, and I had some suspicions but only one of them was right in the end. So the mystery part worked well for me.
There are some open questions at the end of this one too, however.
- Where did Stormy disappear to during the heist and why? And what happened to the box he took with him?
- Who hit Erik and who hit Tom and why? (Maybe I just didn't understand that part correctly because I read it at 1 am)
- Who killed Darby? (I'm guessing it was Grant, but it's never stated)
- Did Leroy get convicted? (I hope so!)
- Who is Waabun's father? (I reread the end of Firekeeper's Daughter today and am convinced that it's Jamie, but when/why/where did that happen?)
- Why is Daunis now together with TJ? (tbh I didn't even remember that he was her ex in the first one)
- Will Perry find a way to get Warrior Girl back? (I sure hope so, but it's probably gonna take a while ...)
I hope there will be a third book, maybe from Waabun's POV when he's older?
Definitely looking forward to any future installments, and I learned a lot reading this!
I do think I prefer the first installment, Firekeeper's Daughter, because the resolution made a bit more sense to me in that one and I didn't love the romance in this sequel as much, but I still enjoyed it immensely!
It also gave a very satisfying conclusion to some open questions from Firekeeper's Daughter, while of course Perry is the focus here and she has her own story going on.
I really loved Perry as a character and she is very different from Daunis and a force to be reckoned with!
It's also really interesting to see things and people from the first book from Perry's point of view. She was six years old in the first book and now ten years have passed and a lot has changed. Her parents also feel very different from her perspective compared to Aunt Teddie and Art from Daunis's POV. I always admire authors who can write this change of perspective well!
The side characters, especially Pauline and Team Misfit Toys, are a lot of fun as well. Cooper too, even though I didn't really get why he's described as "kooky", he seemed pretty normal to me.
I shouldn't have read the blurb on the back though, because I then expected the heist to center around the Warrior Girl in the university archives but it very much did not. She is just one starting point for Perry to think about repatriation and she wants to bring her home but the heist completely separate from that and unrelated to the university archives.
Nevertheless, it was a great story. It starts out slow as Perry learns more about repatriation and she gets more and more daring, and then picks up in the last third with the heist plan and everything.
Like in the first book, this one kept me guessing at who was behind several crimes and mysteries, and I had some suspicions but only one of them was right in the end. So the mystery part worked well for me.
There are some open questions at the end of this one too, however.
- Where did Stormy disappear to during the heist and why? And what happened to the box he took with him?
- Who hit Erik and who hit Tom and why? (Maybe I just didn't understand that part correctly because I read it at 1 am)
- Who killed Darby? (I'm guessing it was Grant, but it's never stated)
- Did Leroy get convicted? (I hope so!)
- Who is Waabun's father? (I reread the end of Firekeeper's Daughter today and am convinced that it's Jamie, but when/why/where did that happen?)
- Why is Daunis now together with TJ? (tbh I didn't even remember that he was her ex in the first one)
- Will Perry find a way to get Warrior Girl back? (I sure hope so, but it's probably gonna take a while ...)
I hope there will be a third book, maybe from Waabun's POV when he's older?
Definitely looking forward to any future installments, and I learned a lot reading this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Police brutality, Rape, and Racism
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Warrior Girl Unearthed returns the reader to Sugar Island, ten years after the events in Firekeeper’s Daughter, although you can read this without having read that book. Now our protagonist is a 16 year old Black Indigenous young woman, Perry Firekeeper-Birch, cousin of Daunis from Firekeeper’s Daughter. As the story opens Perry has a car accident, which results in her plans for a relaxed carefree summer being replaced by an internship at the Cultural Learning Centre’s museum. While there she learns a lot about the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts and ancestral remains, most especially the limitations of the NAGPRA. Frustrated and insulted by the limitations, delays and stalling, Perry decides to take direct action to ensure some of her tribe’s ancestors and treasures are returned. Meanwhile one native woman and then another goes missing.
There was so much to love about this story. Perry herself is fiesty and flawed, but truly wants to honour her ancestors and have her culture respected. There was a well-fleshed out cast of secondary characters. I thought Pauline’s anxiety was handled well and was delighted that Shense, a single teenage mother, was shown to be loving and competent - a good mum. I loved how supportive both Perry’s family and wider community were of her, of young people generally, and of each other. Sugar Island was richly brought to life as a vibrant, caring community where every person was valued. The novel was steeped in Ojibwe culture - language, clothing, dance, food, beliefs, customs, rituals and more - and showed how important the culture remains today. As a non-Indigenous reader I never felt lost, but nor did I feel pandered to. Some explanations were seamlessly included in the story, but the author also trusted the reader to figure things out from the context or to do a little research if needed.
As the novel progressed the speed picked up, the tension increased, the tone became darker, and the mystery/thriller vibes really kicked in. However, this action never felt artificial, rather a natural outcome of the characters and issues introduced in the slightly slower paced early portion of the novel.
I thought the title with its possible dual meaning was clever. Was the Warrior Girl the ancestor whose remains sparked Perry's passion? Or was it Perry herself?
My one criticism was that there seemed to be a few messy loose ends and unanswered questions at the end. I was lucky enough to be reading an eARC (thanks One World Publications and Net Galley) so some of these may be tidied up in the final version.
Apart from that minor quibble I’ve only got great things to say about this book. It’s got a multi-layered plot where all the strands, including coming of age, mystery, and romance, are deftly woven in to create a satisfying, absorbing and engaging whole. It’s richly immersive, especially in terms of modern Ojibwe culture. One of its main strengths is the way it highlights important issues, particularly the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but doesn’t let the important messages get in the way of a wonderful story.
Warrior Girl Unearthed publishes this week. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy.
There was so much to love about this story. Perry herself is fiesty and flawed, but truly wants to honour her ancestors and have her culture respected. There was a well-fleshed out cast of secondary characters. I thought Pauline’s anxiety was handled well and was delighted that Shense, a single teenage mother, was shown to be loving and competent - a good mum. I loved how supportive both Perry’s family and wider community were of her, of young people generally, and of each other. Sugar Island was richly brought to life as a vibrant, caring community where every person was valued. The novel was steeped in Ojibwe culture - language, clothing, dance, food, beliefs, customs, rituals and more - and showed how important the culture remains today. As a non-Indigenous reader I never felt lost, but nor did I feel pandered to. Some explanations were seamlessly included in the story, but the author also trusted the reader to figure things out from the context or to do a little research if needed.
As the novel progressed the speed picked up, the tension increased, the tone became darker, and the mystery/thriller vibes really kicked in. However, this action never felt artificial, rather a natural outcome of the characters and issues introduced in the slightly slower paced early portion of the novel.
I thought the title with its possible dual meaning was clever. Was the Warrior Girl the ancestor whose remains sparked Perry's passion? Or was it Perry herself?
My one criticism was that there seemed to be a few messy loose ends and unanswered questions at the end. I was lucky enough to be reading an eARC (thanks One World Publications and Net Galley) so some of these may be tidied up in the final version.
Apart from that minor quibble I’ve only got great things to say about this book. It’s got a multi-layered plot where all the strands, including coming of age, mystery, and romance, are deftly woven in to create a satisfying, absorbing and engaging whole. It’s richly immersive, especially in terms of modern Ojibwe culture. One of its main strengths is the way it highlights important issues, particularly the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but doesn’t let the important messages get in the way of a wonderful story.
Warrior Girl Unearthed publishes this week. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Death and Violence
tinytrashqueen's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Rape
auteaandtales's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Colonisation, Stalking, Rape, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
zinelib's review
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved Boulley's first book, and the follow-up, which takes place in the same universe, is just as compelling. For other Firekeeper's Daughter fans, Daunis appears in Warrior Girl as the aunt of the narrator, Perry, and her twin sister Pauline. It's summer, and the girls are in a cultural engagement program, doing internships with Ojibwe organizations. Pauline starts off in the Tribal Council and Perry in the museum. Unlike Pauline, Perry isn't especially motivated, but she is passionate about her people, and that passion doesn't always server her well, internship wise. Perry's boss at her first placement, whose last name is Turtle, is a slow-and-steady guy, whereas Perry can't/won't restrain her rage when tribal artifacts in the care of white people are fetishized and/or stored in batches of teeth in cereal boxes. (Can you blame her for cursing Dr. Creepy White Person out in Ojibwemowin?)
The story follows Perry's emotional growth path, contextualizing it in a MMIW mystery and a love story.
The story follows Perry's emotional growth path, contextualizing it in a MMIW mystery and a love story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
Thanks to Macmillan for the free advance copy of this book.
- WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED is set roughly ten years after the events of FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER, with Daunis' niece as the protagonist. I think you can read this one as a standalone, but certainly more context would be clear to you if you've already read Daunis' story.
- Boulley is so great at writing girls and women who are full of emotions, and their love and rage spills right off the page. And not only are the characters great, but they're set within a tense and compelling mystery built out of real life stories.
- I don't think I've ever read a YA novel (or maybe even adult novel?) that faces the multitude of damages caused by the theft of cultural artifacts and of their repatriation head on like this book. I think it's really going to be eye-opening and perhaps even radicalizing for many readers.
- WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED is set roughly ten years after the events of FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER, with Daunis' niece as the protagonist. I think you can read this one as a standalone, but certainly more context would be clear to you if you've already read Daunis' story.
- Boulley is so great at writing girls and women who are full of emotions, and their love and rage spills right off the page. And not only are the characters great, but they're set within a tense and compelling mystery built out of real life stories.
- I don't think I've ever read a YA novel (or maybe even adult novel?) that faces the multitude of damages caused by the theft of cultural artifacts and of their repatriation head on like this book. I think it's really going to be eye-opening and perhaps even radicalizing for many readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Medical content, Grief, Confinement, Death, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual content
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always felt comfortable in her identity. She knows she is the more laidback twin, and probably the best fisher on Sugar Island. Now, she's ready for her Summer of Slack. However, after a fender bender takes her jeep out of commission, she now has to work to pay back her Auntie Daunis for the repairs.
So, she's interning at the museum for the summer. That's where she meets Team Misfit Toys, the other outcasts of the intern program. With them, maybe the summer won't be so bad after all. However, when Perry goes to a meeting and learns about "Warrior Girl," an ancestor whose bones are stored in the museum archive, she becomes determined to return her to her tribe.
Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for an advaced copy of Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley to review! Of course, Firekeeper's Daughter was such a success last year, I was curious to see Boulley's follow up. This is a companion novel of sorts, though I think you can read it without reading Firekeeper's Daughter. You'll just miss some background information from the first book.
First of all, this book is packed full of information about Native American artifacts being in museums, the laws behind them, etc. There's a lot of interesting stuff there, and a lot of it I didn't know. However, I do think it makes the plot drag a bit, and I'm not sure how much it will attract teens overall to this story. Though if slow burn mysteries are your thing, this might just hit the spot.
I found myself not as drawn into this story as I was for Firekeeper's Daughter, and part of me wonders if that's because I listened to that one instead. But I wasn't invested in the characters or in the story. The story didn't seem to flow as well, and it felt like overall, the book was slightly too long.
However, I'm loving that more Native authors are getting published and that these kinds of stories exist in the world. Especially when they show a perspective that not a lot of people know about. Always appreciate learning new things when I read, honestly!
Overall, I'm not sure this will get the hype that Firekeeper's Daughter did, but still a good sophomore novel either way.
So, she's interning at the museum for the summer. That's where she meets Team Misfit Toys, the other outcasts of the intern program. With them, maybe the summer won't be so bad after all. However, when Perry goes to a meeting and learns about "Warrior Girl," an ancestor whose bones are stored in the museum archive, she becomes determined to return her to her tribe.
Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for an advaced copy of Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley to review! Of course, Firekeeper's Daughter was such a success last year, I was curious to see Boulley's follow up. This is a companion novel of sorts, though I think you can read it without reading Firekeeper's Daughter. You'll just miss some background information from the first book.
First of all, this book is packed full of information about Native American artifacts being in museums, the laws behind them, etc. There's a lot of interesting stuff there, and a lot of it I didn't know. However, I do think it makes the plot drag a bit, and I'm not sure how much it will attract teens overall to this story. Though if slow burn mysteries are your thing, this might just hit the spot.
I found myself not as drawn into this story as I was for Firekeeper's Daughter, and part of me wonders if that's because I listened to that one instead. But I wasn't invested in the characters or in the story. The story didn't seem to flow as well, and it felt like overall, the book was slightly too long.
However, I'm loving that more Native authors are getting published and that these kinds of stories exist in the world. Especially when they show a perspective that not a lot of people know about. Always appreciate learning new things when I read, honestly!
Overall, I'm not sure this will get the hype that Firekeeper's Daughter did, but still a good sophomore novel either way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Drug use, Rape, and Addiction
kari_f's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I want to start this out by saying if Angeline Boulley writes it, I will read it! She has an amazing way of writing keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat action that also centers Ojibwe culture, history, and community.
Taking place about 10 years after Firekeeper’s Daughter, this story focuses on Daunis’s younger cousins and the ins and outs of reclamation. As with Firekeeper’s Daughter, Warrior Girl Unearthed interweaves a thrilling story and nuanced characters with Anishinaabe language, customs, and the many loopholes that people use to take advantage of federal laws pertaining to Tribal land, bodies, and artifacts.
I love when novels give me a starting place to research and learn more about the world we live in, and the book does an amazing job of highlighting important issues like MMIWG2S (missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals) and various museums and colleges dragging their feet to comply with NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act).
As of the writing of this review, I could see this book being my favorite 2023 release.
** Note: While this book can be read as a standalone, I do recommend reading Firekeeper’s Daughter first if you plan to read both, since there are events in that book that are referenced in this one.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan for this advanced readers copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Drug use and Rape