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therapybard2021 's review for:
The Firekeeper’s Daughter
by Angeline Boulley
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
I loved the first half of the book. It took its time immersing the reader into this culture. I fear it might have been boring for people who grew up Ojibwe tribes or in similar environments, but that's for other people to judge, not me. From my perceptive, this was a good balance between establishing characters, establishing tradition, and introducing the plot. I found the pace soothing and patient. Daunis is also a very good protagonist for this. The writing very much so reflects how her mind works. She goes off on tangents and tries to fit things into a language she understands, even as her life falls apart around her. I really like her.
I feel bad saying this since I don't even know why, but I started disconnecting at about the 2/3 mark. I think that that point the slow pace wasn't doing the story any favors. Maybe it could have benefited from a more thorough edit.
Jamie is interesting as a love interest. Many stories toy with making the love interest represent an opposition to the protagonists morals, but not in this way. Daunis herself hasn't had much opportunity to have her morals defined until now. She knows of how the American government has hurt her people, but not first hand. Now they reach out to her in her time of grief, telling her this is the only way to give those she loves justice. It's predatory and wrong and I'm glad the story never forgets this. Daunis still finds herself drawn to Jamie. Thematically, Jamie is great. Personality wise, however, I never felt attached to him. I never understood why Daunis loved him and most of the romantic moments fell flat.
Overall, this was an interesting experience that needed some polish to be great. I certainly don't regret reading this and will check out the sequel.
I feel bad saying this since I don't even know why, but I started disconnecting at about the 2/3 mark. I think that that point the slow pace wasn't doing the story any favors. Maybe it could have benefited from a more thorough edit.
Jamie is interesting as a love interest. Many stories toy with making the love interest represent an opposition to the protagonists morals, but not in this way. Daunis herself hasn't had much opportunity to have her morals defined until now. She knows of how the American government has hurt her people, but not first hand. Now they reach out to her in her time of grief, telling her this is the only way to give those she loves justice. It's predatory and wrong and I'm glad the story never forgets this. Daunis still finds herself drawn to Jamie. Thematically, Jamie is great. Personality wise, however, I never felt attached to him. I never understood why Daunis loved him and most of the romantic moments fell flat.
Overall, this was an interesting experience that needed some polish to be great. I certainly don't regret reading this and will check out the sequel.