Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

182 reviews

himpersonal's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative 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? Yes

4.75

This was a powerful story. From all I’ve read, learned, and heard between books and my Indigenous friends, the themes in the story ring true, sadly and tragically, especially those of addiction and missing and murdered Indigenous women. Not sure how much FBI actually care, but I would like to think that regardless of if they do, there are people like Daunis whose courage is enough to bring healing to these tribes, which are and will continue to suffer from the generational trauma of forced colonization. My heart is heavy for every single one who has died as a result and live in destitution and despair today due to the generations of pain that cause people to turn to drugs and alcohol.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

baponthecob's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and Colonisation

rachelhickman15's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

sundayfever's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

This one started out mellow but was throwing some heavy punches by the end. A lot of dark stuff happens, but this is an unflinching tale of things that really happen. Really love the main character. A few pieces felt unrealistic, like the ending with the love interest, but maybe she's just much more mature than most teenagers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Car accident, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

thenextbookdilemma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Car accident, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Suicide, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment

cearask's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

chaosbumblebee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

1 star deducted because the writing style wasn't 100% my jam and I think the first 100 or so pages could have been severely edited down, but damn, after that point this book GRIPPED ME. Also, the tenderness and respect that Anishinaabe culture is held with through every part of the story is incredible and palpable. Highly recommend; give it a chance past the first bit!

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Content Warnings

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

ruffian23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Colonisation

jesspajamas's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

The Firekeeper’s Daughter immediately hooked me in and was a beautiful read from start to finish. I feel like it’s categorized as YA due to the age of the protagonist, Daunis, who has just graduated high school. But the themes that the narrative touches on are extremely mature. Daunis’ story covers a LOT - an Anishinaabe community grappling with the violent after-effects of colonization, loss of loved ones, drug abuse, missing and murdered indigenous women, and SA - but each topic is handled with deep care and complexity. I cried throughout this book both from the depth of pain that Daunis and her Ojibwe community experience, and from the depth of love and connection that the community holds in equal measure. The Firekeeper’s Daughter is fundamentally a story about love and the strength that we find within ourselves when we know that our community has our back. It reads like a love letter to Indigenous women and the cultural teachings that colonization could not erase. As a non-native person I am so grateful for all that Boulley shared about Ojibwe culture through Daunis and her elders, friends, and family. Miigwech!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Rape

Minor: Death of parent

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.75

The Run-Down: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is a masterclass in storytelling, worldbuilding, and character development—with important thematic exploration and messages to boot.

 

Review: 

I actually read Boulley’s second book, Warrior Girl Unearthed, before Firekeeper’s Daughter. Consequently, I went into Firekeeper’s Daughter with high expectations, but I wasn’t prepared for those expectations to be so thoroughly surpassed. The book may start off deceptively tame, but very quickly it proves itself to be one-of-a-kind in terms of its plot, subject matter, and depth. Boulley completely and totally immerses her reader’s into the world and dynamics of her characters, and she’s not afraid to tackle some seriously difficult topics with an admirable level of realism and grit. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone who is an older teenager or older.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Police brutality, and Death of parent