Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

19 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I love when I read a book that is unlike any book I’ve ever read before. This book opened up new worlds because I’ve not really read any contemporary books with Native people as the main characters. Learning about Native culture and customs through this novel was a breathtaking experience. The plot is believable, the characters choose paths that are unexpected, and the ending is sad but gives you a sense of finality as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Car accident, Child death, Dementia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Medical content, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual violence, and Torture

bookishinnj's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Rape, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Medical trauma, and Murder

nat_montego's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, and Death

Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

litliz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Drug use, Dementia, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual violence, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and Violence

katiescott's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Racial slurs

wifistrokes's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Murder, Stalking, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Toxic friendship, Violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

kenzers8's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Death, Violence, Rape, Addiction, Car accident, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Excrement, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Medical content, Mental illness, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Vomit

tagau's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

3.5

This was a difficult book for me to get into, it wasn’t until I was ½ way though that I really became invested in the story.

Once I was hooked though that was it. I finished the book in a matter of hours because I just had to know how it ended and if Justice was served. There are many lessons to be learned from this book. Lots of little tidbits of information that I can remember my grandmother telling me that I had almost forgotten. If nothing else, it’s a good read for those tidbits alone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Drug use, Car accident, and Addiction

Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape and Homophobia

erebus53's review against another edition

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

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

4.75

Set in 2004, this is the story of Daunis Fontaine, a hockey player, fresh out of high school and preparing to go to college. Living in a town where enrolled Indigenous people get "per-cap" payments from tribal financial investments (mainly the casino) she is stuck between having one family of rich White background, and one family that is Indigenous, though she is not enrolled as a tribal member.

She is plugging on with things despite her favourite uncle having died, her grandmother being in palliative care, injuries having taken her off the ice, and having to make some hard decisions. There is a new guy in her brother's team, from out of town, and she is roped in to be his Ambassador and show him around.. but no she is NOT interested in dating "hockey guys". One of her childhood friends seems to have started relying meth. He's acting erratic and this is just the start of some life threatening chaos.

This is only the second book I have ever read that focuses on the Anishinaabeg (Nish) people of North America, in the area of the Great Lakes where arbitrary laws of settlers divide the people by a geo-political border between Canada and USA.

The main character is curious and scientific and super geeky, hoping to get into medical training. I personally love all her scientific naming of things, as that hits me where I live, and the puzzle solving she does is laid out and methodical so that the reader isn't left behind if things start getting complex. Her work on traditional indigenous medicine and scientific exploration describes a fusion between traditional practice and modern life; that both are valuable and do not deny each other.

I notice that this is, thematically, a very crepuscular book. Most of it is set in morning and evening, with young people and elders, and during the months of spring and autumn/fall, when the mushrooms abound — times of change, for looking back and forward; reviewing and planning. It also considers setting and respecting personal boundaries, and our decisions and their repercussions.. all this with a main character who seeks to understand herself, her values, her peoples and their history... and to understand how love can work when you don't always agree with another person. It's pretty rich.

Honestly though.. this book is gripping. There are continual revelations and twists, but they aren't weird or arbitrary. I wanted to know more and did not want to put it down. Every time something big happened I had to remind myself to take a time out to savour it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Drug use, Sexual content, Racism, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Infidelity, Addiction, Pedophilia, and Vomit

yaboigrass's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Rape