Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

287 reviews

lawbooks600's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Representation: Biracial (half white and half Native American,) Native American and Black side characters
Score: Eight out of ten.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angelline Boulley circled my recommendations for months till now, and I thought no library would ever get it until a library got it. The book sat there on a display shelf till I picked it up, glanced at the blurb and headed in with high expectations, and when I closed the final page, it was thrilling. Where's Warrior Girl Unearthed?

It starts with Daunis living like she's split between her home and the Ojibwe reservation, where nothing happens in the opening pages save for her recounting her life in 2004, but everything changes after those pages when her best friend dies from a murder. Daunis joins an FBI investigation, but she starts hers as more deaths happen, and that is where the story shines in many ways. The pacing is mostly engaging and suspenseful as I see Daunis trying to discover who is the murderer, unintentionally stumbling upon another mystery on who is smuggling drugs in the Ojibwe community. Still, Boulley could've trimmed filler pages, of which there are around 100, to tighten her creation. There are not one, but two plots, adding to my enjoyment without being overwhelming or disjointed, but the narrative falters with its characters with their lack of relatability and the sheer number of them. Boulley could've removed them. The writing style is mostly okay but sometimes there are information dumps (which I found detracted from the central plot) and Boulley could've held back and instead improved the flow. I liked learning about Native American (is that the right term?) culture and medicines (no appropriation here,) a far cry from Indigenous Australian ones and the climax and conclusion ties everything on a high note.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Alcohol, Car accident, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Death, Suicide, Grief, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Drug use, Blood, Sexism, and Addiction

Full trigger warnings: Death and murder of a friend, another person by suicide from a gun shot in the past and a grandmother, blood, grief and loss depiction, car crash, gun and axe violence, physical assault and injury, fire, racist and sexist slurs, racism, sexism, cheating, pregnancy, alcohol and drug use, abuse and addiction, hospitalisation

linneak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

rileydobereading's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Rape

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Genocide, Toxic relationship, and Torture

kendrasreads's review against another edition

emotional mysterious

5.0

Loved this one. I understand others feeling that it was a bit lengthy or had some rushed parts and I can see that. Overall this was such a wonderful dive back into YA contemporary for me.

So glad I listened to it and got to hear pronunciations that I likely would’ve otherwise botched on my own.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Addiction, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Racial slurs

madlyreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Racism, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Xenophobia, Car accident, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault

anachips's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs and Sexual assault

iamsammie27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Violence, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Drug use, Murder, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Car accident

Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, and Racial slurs

mandathebiblio's review against another edition

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Rape, Grief, Racism, Drug use, Violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicide, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs

hmetwade's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Death, Car accident, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Grief, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic relationship

baileyes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Beautiful and emotionally painful. Not the book I intended to read but I’m glad I did

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Gun violence, Drug use, Addiction, Classism, Car accident, Murder, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Grief