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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Trafficking
Minor: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Murder
This was a book that left me with an insufficient respect for tomorrow. I could not put it down. Daunis is an incredible voice. The pervasive presence of Daunis' identity as a native woman, a member of a vibrant community, and an outsider who moves between social spheres/worlds is consistent and compelling. Somehow this is a spy thriller that feels deeply tragic, touchingly human, and subtly hopeful.
Bad things come in threes, at least for Daunis. Her uncle relapsed and died of a strange overdose and her grandmother is in a shaky state - both of which caused her to stay at home for community college instead of going away to play hockey. When the third bad thing finally comes and Daunis' best friend is shot by her meth-addicted ex in a murder-suicide, her world is shaken to its core as she is grieving and the FBI contacts her to help with their investigation of meth dealing in her native community.
This was a great YA coming-of-age mystery, especially because of its focus on the main character's Ojibwe community. This was clearly written from a place of great love. The author paints their traditions beautifully while also pointing out ways its people are harmed from outside and inside the community. Daunis' family, friends, elders, and the overall culture are so important to her, and she never stops putting them first throughout the entire story. The mystery itself is based upon a very important statistic, that Native Americans have among the highest rates in the U.S. for substance abuse. Boulley recognizes this and addresses the failures of authority figures, all while avoiding demonizing those who suffer from addiction. I really enjoyed reading from a perspective of a young woman in STEM who was very passionate about such interests, on top of being very different from the traditional "nerd" character in build. I thought that the subject of assault was handled well and realistically. The ending was heart-pounding and cathartic. At first, this seemed frightfully cliche in its depiction of teenagers, but once the plot started up, that was not as much of a problem. The romantic relationship was written well enough but I could never really get behind the imbalance of power between them, but I think the ending of that plotline was done rather well.
Overall, this was a solid YA title that I will definitely be recommending particularly for those who want to pick up more titles from native authors.
This was a great YA coming-of-age mystery, especially because of its focus on the main character's Ojibwe community. This was clearly written from a place of great love. The author paints their traditions beautifully while also pointing out ways its people are harmed from outside and inside the community. Daunis' family, friends, elders, and the overall culture are so important to her, and she never stops putting them first throughout the entire story. The mystery itself is based upon a very important statistic, that Native Americans have among the highest rates in the U.S. for substance abuse. Boulley recognizes this and addresses the failures of authority figures, all while avoiding demonizing those who suffer from addiction. I really enjoyed reading from a perspective of a young woman in STEM who was very passionate about such interests, on top of being very different from the traditional "nerd" character in build. I thought that the subject of assault was handled well and realistically. The ending was heart-pounding and cathartic. At first, this seemed frightfully cliche in its depiction of teenagers, but once the plot started up, that was not as much of a problem. The romantic relationship was written well enough but I could never really get behind the imbalance of power between them, but I think the ending of that plotline was done rather well.
Overall, this was a solid YA title that I will definitely be recommending particularly for those who want to pick up more titles from native authors.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This one’s a little complicated for me. There’s parts of this book I loved. And then there’s parts that really didn’t make me feel good. It took me a long time to get through this book- teens tackle some heavy stuff in their books, huh?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Alcohol
WOW! I love love loved this book. it was so interesting to hear from a perspective that is so different than mine, and i loved trying to solve the mystery with Daunis. 100% recommend!!