Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

19 reviews

jnlundy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Rape, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

amdonn8's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Trafficking, and Drug abuse

Minor: Xenophobia

francestea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

The plot combined with the cultural teachings were so engaging, I couldn’t put this book down!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Suicide, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Addiction, and Colonisation

Minor: Car accident and Chronic illness

isleoflinds's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying

Minor: Genocide, Medical content, Pregnancy, Cursing, and Trafficking

sandaru's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

• character development and depths? It was too YA. The main character is just corny and confusing. Some characters were nice and well built up but the main characters were too dense and predictable as well. However since it's a YA story the characters would appeal more to the young adult audience.

• Writing style? An amazing writing style by the author. Very rich language and phrases and also it was informative on the Ojibwe tribe, nature and science.

• Readability? I picked up the audiobook which was a good choice. It was very easy to listen to. The narrator did a great job as well.  

• The message? The cultural messages  of identity and community were great. Also the message about the communal misogyny and the patriarchy and the importance of keeping women safe was great but sometimes they lost the message at some points. 

• Originality? An indigenous story with a drug trafficking conflict narrative earned a point but the conventional characters lost some points from it.

• Immersion (Rich world building)?  A nice and meaningful world building by the author ety the Ojibwe community. Even the descriptions of nature and the fictional Sugar Island was amazing.

• Plot line? the story did lose me at some moment. Considering the length of the book those losing parts were very memorable. Also, the culprit was very predictable from the start. And the romance in the story was corny and weak in a very Twilight-y way. Also the fact the FBI got a teenage girl involved in a drug trafficking incident seem too unreal and very YA. 

• Ending? Staisfacory as the main characters no matter how corny their love hate relationship was, the ending made sure to come and and press the original themes of identity and community. 

• Emotions (overall)? it was too YA for me. There was too much of Daunise focused corny scenes which did not sit well with me.

• Would you recommend it to someone? I would recommend this to a young adult. And probably the audiobook. 

Side note- the cover of this book deserve an award for being one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Trafficking

Moderate: Rape, Murder, and Drug use

Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment

sophshelves's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, and Murder

colleen_be's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

“I’m reminded that our Elders are our greatest resource, embodying culture, and community. Their stories connect us to our language, medicines, land, Clans, songs, and traditions. They are a bridge between the Before and the Now, guiding those of us who will carry on in the Future.”

👍🏻

• the peppering in of Anishinaabemowin
• the descriptions and representation of Ojibwe culture
• the backstories and character development are phenomenal
• fake dating turned real dating!?
     
• the elders having Daunis's back
• so many twists and turns; it kept me on my toes

👎🏻

• the only gay character is dead 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Trafficking, Rape, and Racial slurs

raelemkesprung's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Vomit, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape

anishinaabekwereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is everything I needed as a teen. It reflects mino bimaadiziwin, shows how Anishinaabeg continue to live as Anishinaabe, how I continue to try to live my life as Anishinaabekwe. It does not shy away from the difficult truths of contemporary Anishinaabe life. In fact, Boulley carefully tracks some of our biggest hurtles towards resurgence (read: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson). Yet this novel is good medicine in written form, a kind of healing that so many Indigenous youth need.

Daunis Fontaine isn’t much like me. I don’t play hockey. I didn’t grow up on the reservation. I didn’t grow up with regular access to elders who carried our knowledge. My interaction with Anishinaabemowin was mostly words and phrases. Yet in so many ways I felt reflected in this book. I saw my own insecurities about not being “Ojibwe” enough, saw my own anxieties that I wasn’t speaking enough, wasn’t doing things “right.” And that too is a lesson we see in this novel that I really could have used in my teenage years.

Listen, the hype about this novel is real. It’s funny and sincere and painful and gripping. It’s devastating and beautiful. The cousins, the friends, the aunties are going to be so recognizable to Indigenous readers. The meals, the surroundings made me just a little homesick. And though the ending nearly ripped me apart, I turned that last page and the tears pressing behind my eyes were of pride and contentment. Is it possible to feel like you know a fictional character so well that you’re proud of them? I don’t know, but I do know that Daunis represents so many kwezensag and kwewag and each of us is moving towards a future in which we continue to survive and thrive.

****I received an eARC from the publisher for early review.****

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Drug use, and Medical content

Minor: Sexual content and Trafficking