Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

16 reviews

cleo_wylde's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

4.75

One of the best books I've read in the last few years. I finished reading it a few weeks ago and still keep thinking about it. The descriptions are stunningly rich, and I loved learning about traditional medicines and Anishinaabe traditions. Really important read considering how systemic anti-Indigenous racism continues to affect indigenous people and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Grief

Moderate: Colonisation, Suicide, Police brutality, and Murder

Minor: Car accident and Cultural appropriation

This is labelled as being young adult but I would say it's definitely for older readers - 16+ would be my suggestion.

offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

3.5

I am of two minds about this book. On the one hand, I thought that the themes and messages were fantastic, but unfortunately, I thought the plot itself fell short.

In my opinion, the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and commentary was excellent. The author seamlessly incorporated Anishinaabemowin words, Ojibwe cultural teachings and traditions, and discussed historical and contemporary social political issues. The messaging about colonialism, systemic oppression, mixed-race identity, healthy relationships, etc. was great.

Sadly, I found the plot to be a bit hokey, in that it was very unbelievable yet simultaneously predictable.

The FBI sending an undercover agent into a HIGH SCHOOL and recruiting an 18-year-old as a CI? Come on… And a bunch of high school kids running a meth operation and trying to recruit a science nerd to cook the best meth?? Ok Walter White… I think it would have been significantly less cringey if the author had aged the characters up to be university students

I will say, the last third of the book did improve the plot, but ultimately, it was quite a bit more YA than I was expecting/hoping. 

Overall, I would recommend the book, and encourage readers to push through the beginning.

Specific to the audiobook:
I would absolutely recommend listening to this as an audiobook. Isabella Star LaBlanc did a fantastic job narrating and it was great to hear the correct pronunciation of Anishinaabemowin words.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Racism, Kidnapping, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Cursing, and Cultural appropriation

lucys_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

ummmmmmm..... wow. Honestly I cant get over how good this book was. I think that some books stay with you for a long time, but I know that this book will stay with me forever. I loved the mystery and plot twists, but I fell in love with this book for the characters. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Cultural appropriation, and Addiction

Minor: Rape and Police brutality

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I cannot say enough about this heartbreakingly beautiful book. It will stay on my bookshelf forever. My 6 year old daughter will read this when she’s older. It deserves every award it gets and it is worth ALL the hype. I sobbed uncontrollably multiple times will reading this. So good.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Confinement, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Murder, Racism, Violence, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Police brutality, Vomit, and Racial slurs

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

 - Whew, what a ride! FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER takes a little bit to get rolling, but once it does, you won't be able to leave Daunis' side for a second.
- Love seeing a book that places Indigenous lives firmly in the present. This book covers everything from white friends being casually racist to addiction problems and from saying prayers throughout the day to the importance of respecting elders.
- So many of the characters in this book exist somewhere in a morally gray area, and a lot of that muddling has to do with how Indigenous peoples are treated (or ignored) in the United States.
- This may be a spoiler but I'm going to talk about it precisely because I think it shouldn't be treated as such. About 100 pages from the end of the book, there is a rape. It comes at a climactic moment and is kind of treated as a shocking plot twist. I know the intent was to illustrate how poorly Indigenous women are treated, but that was dealt with elsewhere in the book and given that the perpetrator is the most comically evil character when so many other characters had a gray morality (like, um, the cop love interest) it left a bad taste in my mouth at the end of an otherwise gripping book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

bambooboy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

Eighteen-year-old Daunis was meant for great things; unfortunately, an injury and a family tragedy have required her to stay in her small hometown. With a white mother and an Ojibwe father, she feels a constant sense of both belonging and distance in her community. Integrating Ojibwemowin with English, this crime thriller is lyrical and suspenseful. It’s one of the most stunning books I’ve read this year. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Violence, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Dementia, and Police brutality

Minor: Cursing