Reviews with content warning for Grief - Firekeeper's Daughter

Daunis is smart, funny, and determined. It was an amazing story filled with mystery and suspense and a dash of romance and humor. And the plot twists 🤯
Some parts were a little slow but I can't wait to read more from this author!

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sahramahtab's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

"Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley is a remarkable journey that left me captivated from start to finish. It provided invaluable insights into Native American culture, and what stood out to me was how it didn't feel like it was written with white readers in mind—an all-too-common occurrence in literature representing marginalized communities. As a person of color, I appreciated seeing authentic representation that wasn't tailored to fit a white demographic.The book masterfully weaves explanations into the narrative, allowing the reader to learn and understand the intricacies of life within an indigenous tribe and their community. The characters were beautifully nuanced, with Daunis standing out for her strength, loyalty, and unwavering authenticity. Jamie was a delightful character as well, easy to like and root for.The plot twist took me by surprise,

as I never once doubted Levi's character.

The sibling relationship between Daunis and Levi was a highlight in the first half of the book, and as the mystery unraveled in the final chapters, I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from the pages.
"Firekeeper's Daughter" resonated deeply with me, and I consider it the best book I've read so far this year. I'm incredibly grateful to have experienced such an incredible story and eagerly anticipate exploring more of Angeline Boulley's work, especially the sequel to this captivating novel.

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kdailyreads's review

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

5.0

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cindys3's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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lawbooks600's review against another edition

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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.

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