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dragoninwinterfell's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While Firekeeper's Daughter was written for the young adult reading level, as the trigger Warnings indicate, the novel explores very mature themes. I won't say that the themes are too mature. These are all issues that impact people of all ages and were treated realistically in this work.
The overall realism is what made this novel extremely compelling. Readers are immediately immersed in the life of Daunis Fontaine, an 18 year old young woman whose father was Native American and her mother is white. Her mixed heritage plays a major part in her daily life as she is very close to both sides of her family despite the scandal of her birth. The way Angeline Boulley balances the impacts of her maternal and paternal sides perfectly.
As far as protagonists go, Daunis was extremely compelling. She's far from perfect as she has a temper and jumps to conclusions that aren't always right, even as she is shown to be competent and learning from her mistakes. She guided the story from start to finish, going through realistic struggles as well as earned triumphs.
While we follow Daunis through her tragedies and the overarching mystery, we're introduced to a wide variety of characters who make up the community around her. Every supporting character felt just as well fleshed out as Daunis with personalities and lives that felt like they extended beyond the story being told.
The female dynamics were exceptionally well done. Daunis' friendships and familial relationships felt so authentic. They tease each other, argue, lie for both good and bad reasons, and had each other's backs. I particularly loved how sex positive the novel was, which was reflected in how the women spoke to and supported each other.
This was a solid 5 stars. I'll be going directly into the sequel.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Suicide, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Car accident, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment
chaosbumblebee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
leahkalantai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Addiction and Grief
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
rachellenbecker's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
beansbooksandbiology's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
larbster90's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
micaelamariem's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Each chapter left me hungrily wanting more and there were deep scenes that evoked strong emotions from me. The representation of grief I thought was done really well as well as the PTSD the character was experiencing; though it wasn’t named that, the symptoms were visceral and evocative, and it felt believable, not a laundry list from WebMD. I’m not indigenous, so I can’t speak to the representation of a native tribe, though I think I learned more about tribe systems and laws. And with the ending, that wasn’t quite happy or sad, we got just a taste of the injustices indigenous tribal members face to this day.
Though I felt empathy for the main character, there were times I didn’t like her. I felt like she slipped into the “not like other girls” category like a lot of YA protagonists have a tendency to do. She acted like she wanted to speak up for women, but she called other girls dating her brother’s friends “angler fish” and judged them way too harshly.
I also think the pacing was slightly off. The first two thirds of the book was slow to medium paced, but still enjoyable. In the last third, lots of action came seemingly out of nowhere and it felt like we were racing to keep up until the end. If the pacing could’ve been evened out a little more, I think it would’ve made for an even more enjoyable read.
However, I did love this, and I do recommend it! It kept me on my toes and taught me a few lessons, while being mostly believable.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
shlymiller's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
samjrockhill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, and Sexual harassment