Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Firekeeper's Daughter

What a page-turner! I needed to know more. I appreciated the story's invitation into the lives of indigenous folks on a reservation and learning more about Anishnaabe language and culture. I found

her brother being involved in the drug ring predictable because Daunis idolized him the whole time, even when he was evidently shitty in some ways. I also found Daunis's experience of grief to fall flat partially, but I'm no expert on how people process grief. It's just that as a reader I didn't really feel her grief very strongly, or find it particularly sad when Lily died, since we barely got to know her beforehand. I also really wanted to find out what was going on with the Little People but they never reappeared.

Content Warnings

knittingtipsy's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

I really enjoyed this novel, not least because of how much I learned about Ojibwe culture. I found the main character compelling, intelligent, strong, and sympathetic. I loved the depiction of family and community and the complicated feelings we can have to those we care most about.

Content Warnings

kingrosereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

An incredible upper YA mystery thriller that incorporates drug abuse and issues within and around Native communities, specifically the mistreatment of Native women.

Firekeeper’s Daughter follows 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine just before she begins her freshman year at university. Daunis is half-white/half-Ojibwe woman and has never really fit in with either. She hopes her first year of college will help give her a fresh start, but after witnessing the murder of her childhood best friend, Daunis is determined to discover all the factors that went into her friend’s death. This is when Daunis is brought into an FBI investigation to help track down the source of a new form of meth that’s entering several Native communities around the Great Lakes. Daunis discovers many secrets and is pushed to the point of breaking to discover the source and protect her community.

I think this was an incredible story. It made me cry like so much. There were so many things that weren’t resolved (much like in life) and it’s left a bit open ended. One of the few books I liked that didn’t have a satisfying (or vindicating) ending. I think it’s written well and introduced me to a lot of things I didn’t know about the Ojibwe community, the Great Lakes area, and hockey. I know the last seems silly, but it really is part of that area’s culture and it seems like a useful tool that could bring the Native communities and non-Native communities together.

(Spoiler) I think a lot of readers will have wanted the “bad guy” to be a white dude, and in a lot of ways it was a white dude that took advantage of Native boys that trusted him, but also some of the Native guys were bad on their own. Which is accurate. There’s a lot of people that actively work against their minority communities and I think this book shows how both these individuals as well as oppressors from the majority both take advantage.

I learned about the politics and social issues that play into becoming a federally recognized tribe and a full member of that tribe. And it really pisses you off once you realize how a member can be taken advantage of by outside groups.

It takes place in the early 00s, but I’m not really sure why. It kind of just made things difficult because of the restrictive cell phones of the time. It also seems far fetched that such a young officer would be a detective and qualify to be undercover. Also, where’s the DEA? I’m sure we had that in the mid-00s. Just little things that kind of nagged me, but I loved the book of course.

It’s definitely worth the read whether you’re 17 or 70. Read this book!

Content Warnings

amdonn8's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Engaging mystery story set in a Native American in the Upper Peninsula. The author deftly deals with some really heavy themes like abuse, poverty, addiction, identity…without feeling overly preachy. The cultural details made the community feel rich and personal, and also showed us the tribe’s modern reality. I didn’t care for the romance subplot, and some of the writing felt a little juvenile at times, but it’s a YA book after all so I don’t begrudge it. Fans of The Hate U Give will probably enjoy this one !

Fantastic narration in the audiobook ! She really captured the accents and hearing the Ojibwe language was really special.

Content Warnings

morethanmylupus's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book even though it was so hard to read.

This is the story of Daunis Fontaine, a bi-racial, Indigenous woman. She's an incredible MC and I think her personality really made the book compelling. She plays hockey, she's strong but stubborn, she's proud of her heritage, and she has big plans for her life.

This is also the story of how drugs can infiltrate a community and wreak havoc. It's the story of how difficult it can be to break free of them. It's the story of how desperate people who have been systematically forced into terrible situations can try to use drugs as a way to grasp for an escape.

Any books about indigenous rights and the treatment of indigenous people in North America are always painful and difficult for me to read, but the stories need to be told.

This is a beautiful book.

Content Warnings

marlihe's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

An incredible book that was nearly impossible to put down. A compelling story with such a unique and interesting perspective of a young native woman.

Content Warnings

More...