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A review by aksmith92
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
4.0
What a beautiful story. Perry Firekeeper-Birch is a 16-year-old ready to face her "slacking summer" by fishing all day. That is until she accidentally gets into a minor car wreck that has her paying back her Aunt Daunis for some of the damages. She finds herself part of a summer work program where she winds up interning for the local museum with a quirky guy named Cooper Turtle. Through this internship, she begins to learn about repatriation, the flaws with its particular law, and how inherently wrong it is that some museums and higher education institutions can get access to their ancestor's bones and belongings. What follows is Perry going on a quest for justice - whether it's the right way to go about it is up for discussion, but what we witness is a passionate and powerful tale of a girl who wants justice in her community.
I loved the story about Perry working through the incredibly tough challenges within her community. We went through learning about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA). Then, we also saw the horrific and terrible injustice of Indigenous women and girls going missing and/or murdered. This was obviously not a light read, but a very important one. And just like Firekeeper's Daughter, book one in this series, these topics are vital for us to know about. At this novel's core is the fight for justice, but in typical Boulley style, she intertwined a coming-of-age story, friendship, love, sisterhood, family, and community. I was absolutely engrossed in this book and had trouble putting it down. Boulley's prose and storytelling were unparalleled, and I loved getting swept into the novel. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery/thriller component, having only guessed one little piece to the puzzle (I do love it when I'm surprised!). The characters were layered and developed throughout the book, and the plots were meticulously detailed. It was just an absolutely fantastic read.
A few things held me back from a 5-star review like its predecessor: (1) I felt the ending was more rushed. I still had one or two questions about the heist and its aftermath. (2) This read a bit deal younger than Firekeeper's Daughter. While I get it - Perry is 16 as opposed to 18/19 like Daunis was in the first book - however, there were those frustrating moments you get when reading about a 16-year-old! (3) As opposed to the first novel, the light romance subplot in this one felt thrown in without much substance. Honestly, I didn't even think it was needed, and I usually love a little dose of romance. Therefore, my heart wasn't really in this one for Perry. Thankfully, though, it wasn't really relevant to the overall plot, so it was manageable.
For this next qualm, I want to make it clear that this didn't sway my review/rating in any way, but I was honestly sad to hear about Daunis's story after Firekeeper's Daughter at the end of this book (now that it's ten years after we heard from Daunis). I mean, I'm happy because Boulley made Daunis happy, so that's all that matters, but it wasn't what I wanted (#superselfish). While I think I understand where Boulley was coming from when she wrote a little more about Daunis in this one, that doesn't mean I liked it - ugh! That was somewhat irrelevant to this novel, so I didn't let my own opinion and wishes about Daunis and her relationships influence my rating.
Angeline Boulley is beyond talented, and I ALWAYS walk away from one of her books with more knowledge than I had walking into it. I still wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. I think people should learn more about repatriation law and other challenges Indigenous communities face.
I loved the story about Perry working through the incredibly tough challenges within her community. We went through learning about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA). Then, we also saw the horrific and terrible injustice of Indigenous women and girls going missing and/or murdered. This was obviously not a light read, but a very important one. And just like Firekeeper's Daughter, book one in this series, these topics are vital for us to know about. At this novel's core is the fight for justice, but in typical Boulley style, she intertwined a coming-of-age story, friendship, love, sisterhood, family, and community. I was absolutely engrossed in this book and had trouble putting it down. Boulley's prose and storytelling were unparalleled, and I loved getting swept into the novel. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery/thriller component, having only guessed one little piece to the puzzle (I do love it when I'm surprised!). The characters were layered and developed throughout the book, and the plots were meticulously detailed. It was just an absolutely fantastic read.
A few things held me back from a 5-star review like its predecessor: (1) I felt the ending was more rushed. I still had one or two questions about the heist and its aftermath. (2) This read a bit deal younger than Firekeeper's Daughter. While I get it - Perry is 16 as opposed to 18/19 like Daunis was in the first book - however, there were those frustrating moments you get when reading about a 16-year-old! (3) As opposed to the first novel, the light romance subplot in this one felt thrown in without much substance. Honestly, I didn't even think it was needed, and I usually love a little dose of romance. Therefore, my heart wasn't really in this one for Perry. Thankfully, though, it wasn't really relevant to the overall plot, so it was manageable.
For this next qualm, I want to make it clear that this didn't sway my review/rating in any way, but I was honestly sad to hear about Daunis's story after Firekeeper's Daughter at the end of this book (now that it's ten years after we heard from Daunis). I mean, I'm happy because Boulley made Daunis happy, so that's all that matters, but it wasn't what I wanted (#superselfish). While I think I understand where Boulley was coming from when she wrote a little more about Daunis in this one, that doesn't mean I liked it - ugh! That was somewhat irrelevant to this novel, so I didn't let my own opinion and wishes about Daunis and her relationships influence my rating.
Angeline Boulley is beyond talented, and I ALWAYS walk away from one of her books with more knowledge than I had walking into it. I still wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. I think people should learn more about repatriation law and other challenges Indigenous communities face.