Scan barcode
A review by serendipitysbooks
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Warrior Girl Unearthed returns the reader to Sugar Island, ten years after the events in Firekeeper’s Daughter, although you can read this without having read that book. Now our protagonist is a 16 year old Black Indigenous young woman, Perry Firekeeper-Birch, cousin of Daunis from Firekeeper’s Daughter. As the story opens Perry has a car accident, which results in her plans for a relaxed carefree summer being replaced by an internship at the Cultural Learning Centre’s museum. While there she learns a lot about the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts and ancestral remains, most especially the limitations of the NAGPRA. Frustrated and insulted by the limitations, delays and stalling, Perry decides to take direct action to ensure some of her tribe’s ancestors and treasures are returned. Meanwhile one native woman and then another goes missing.
There was so much to love about this story. Perry herself is fiesty and flawed, but truly wants to honour her ancestors and have her culture respected. There was a well-fleshed out cast of secondary characters. I thought Pauline’s anxiety was handled well and was delighted that Shense, a single teenage mother, was shown to be loving and competent - a good mum. I loved how supportive both Perry’s family and wider community were of her, of young people generally, and of each other. Sugar Island was richly brought to life as a vibrant, caring community where every person was valued. The novel was steeped in Ojibwe culture - language, clothing, dance, food, beliefs, customs, rituals and more - and showed how important the culture remains today. As a non-Indigenous reader I never felt lost, but nor did I feel pandered to. Some explanations were seamlessly included in the story, but the author also trusted the reader to figure things out from the context or to do a little research if needed.
As the novel progressed the speed picked up, the tension increased, the tone became darker, and the mystery/thriller vibes really kicked in. However, this action never felt artificial, rather a natural outcome of the characters and issues introduced in the slightly slower paced early portion of the novel.
I thought the title with its possible dual meaning was clever. Was the Warrior Girl the ancestor whose remains sparked Perry's passion? Or was it Perry herself?
My one criticism was that there seemed to be a few messy loose ends and unanswered questions at the end. I was lucky enough to be reading an eARC (thanks One World Publications and Net Galley) so some of these may be tidied up in the final version.
Apart from that minor quibble I’ve only got great things to say about this book. It’s got a multi-layered plot where all the strands, including coming of age, mystery, and romance, are deftly woven in to create a satisfying, absorbing and engaging whole. It’s richly immersive, especially in terms of modern Ojibwe culture. One of its main strengths is the way it highlights important issues, particularly the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but doesn’t let the important messages get in the way of a wonderful story.
Warrior Girl Unearthed publishes this week. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy.
There was so much to love about this story. Perry herself is fiesty and flawed, but truly wants to honour her ancestors and have her culture respected. There was a well-fleshed out cast of secondary characters. I thought Pauline’s anxiety was handled well and was delighted that Shense, a single teenage mother, was shown to be loving and competent - a good mum. I loved how supportive both Perry’s family and wider community were of her, of young people generally, and of each other. Sugar Island was richly brought to life as a vibrant, caring community where every person was valued. The novel was steeped in Ojibwe culture - language, clothing, dance, food, beliefs, customs, rituals and more - and showed how important the culture remains today. As a non-Indigenous reader I never felt lost, but nor did I feel pandered to. Some explanations were seamlessly included in the story, but the author also trusted the reader to figure things out from the context or to do a little research if needed.
As the novel progressed the speed picked up, the tension increased, the tone became darker, and the mystery/thriller vibes really kicked in. However, this action never felt artificial, rather a natural outcome of the characters and issues introduced in the slightly slower paced early portion of the novel.
I thought the title with its possible dual meaning was clever. Was the Warrior Girl the ancestor whose remains sparked Perry's passion? Or was it Perry herself?
My one criticism was that there seemed to be a few messy loose ends and unanswered questions at the end. I was lucky enough to be reading an eARC (thanks One World Publications and Net Galley) so some of these may be tidied up in the final version.
Apart from that minor quibble I’ve only got great things to say about this book. It’s got a multi-layered plot where all the strands, including coming of age, mystery, and romance, are deftly woven in to create a satisfying, absorbing and engaging whole. It’s richly immersive, especially in terms of modern Ojibwe culture. One of its main strengths is the way it highlights important issues, particularly the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, but doesn’t let the important messages get in the way of a wonderful story.
Warrior Girl Unearthed publishes this week. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Kidnapping, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Death and Violence