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A review by lucybbookstuff
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Unmarked spoilers throughout.
I'll start with the good stuff.
1) The incorporation of Native culture, language, and teachings completely saved this book. That was all not only explained very well, but felt very deeply. It really reminded me of and strengthened all that I learned last year from Braiding Sweetgrass. Having that as the foundation of this book was a very wise choice. I loved reading all those parts and learning those things.
2) I do think Daunis was characterized pretty well. Some may think she seemed too young to be 18.... but Idk, I remember being 18 and... at least I and the people I knew were still idiots at that point. 😂 I thought her inner monologue and the way she spoke were pretty accurate for an older teen, especially one in the early 2000s. I also enjoyed her scientist brain and how that kept coming back into play. She may have been a bit of a Mary Sue, but even so, her personality was very consistent.
Now for the less good stuff..... in order of importance.
1) The pacing was way off. This dragged incredibly for at least the first half. It was way too long. It definitely could have been tightened up a lot. Some of the writing was very confusing, too. I often felt like I missed things, but I think they just went unexplained.
2) I can't believe we were meant to be rooting for this SEVERELY inappropriate romance??? Like sure, it was cute, I guess. But I simply could not get over that he is a COP, essentially her SUPERIOR, and she knows almost NOTHING about his real identity. And apart from that, which is bad enough, it seemed like a switch flipped from "I hate him but I'll play the part" to "I'm annoyed he won't actually kiss me." ????? It really made no sense. And then they were warned not to actually get too close, and they were like "sigh, okay" but then proceeded anyway. 💀 And I really did not buy them "loving" each other. I'm so glad it didn't end with them together. The romance subplot was entirely superfluous.
3) The subject matter is so important (MMIW, violence against women, racism, etc.), but I felt that the way the mystery plot was written cheapened it all. It felt like a typical, wild teen mystery caper, and thus, all of the horrible events simply felt like plot devices. Particularly the third act sexual assault?? My god did that feel cheap and glossed over. Most of Daunis's trauma did not feel properly dealt with. One could argue that she was just single-mindedly fixated on the case, but I don't buy it.
It's sad because I can tell the author really wanted to highlight these issues, and she at least got me thinking about them, but in the end, I think it was handled all wrong in the midst of this jam-packed plot.
I'm not even gonna get into the implausibility of Daunis working for the FBI in the first place ("my meth was so much better teehee" 💀💀)...
So yeah....... not an outright bad book. I'm excited to discuss it at book club. But I think that, in her quest to make this book interesting for teens, Boulley went a little too hard in the wrong direction. The same kind of lessons/education could have been imparted without the romance or the direct involvement in the mystery. She should have had a bit more faith in her teen audience.
Yet another entry into "time to stop reading contemporary YA." 🙃
I'll start with the good stuff.
1) The incorporation of Native culture, language, and teachings completely saved this book. That was all not only explained very well, but felt very deeply. It really reminded me of and strengthened all that I learned last year from Braiding Sweetgrass. Having that as the foundation of this book was a very wise choice. I loved reading all those parts and learning those things.
2) I do think Daunis was characterized pretty well. Some may think she seemed too young to be 18.... but Idk, I remember being 18 and... at least I and the people I knew were still idiots at that point. 😂 I thought her inner monologue and the way she spoke were pretty accurate for an older teen, especially one in the early 2000s. I also enjoyed her scientist brain and how that kept coming back into play. She may have been a bit of a Mary Sue, but even so, her personality was very consistent.
Now for the less good stuff..... in order of importance.
1) The pacing was way off. This dragged incredibly for at least the first half. It was way too long. It definitely could have been tightened up a lot. Some of the writing was very confusing, too. I often felt like I missed things, but I think they just went unexplained.
2) I can't believe we were meant to be rooting for this SEVERELY inappropriate romance??? Like sure, it was cute, I guess. But I simply could not get over that he is a COP, essentially her SUPERIOR, and she knows almost NOTHING about his real identity. And apart from that, which is bad enough, it seemed like a switch flipped from "I hate him but I'll play the part" to "I'm annoyed he won't actually kiss me." ????? It really made no sense. And then they were warned not to actually get too close, and they were like "sigh, okay" but then proceeded anyway. 💀 And I really did not buy them "loving" each other. I'm so glad it didn't end with them together. The romance subplot was entirely superfluous.
3) The subject matter is so important (MMIW, violence against women, racism, etc.), but I felt that the way the mystery plot was written cheapened it all. It felt like a typical, wild teen mystery caper, and thus, all of the horrible events simply felt like plot devices. Particularly the third act sexual assault?? My god did that feel cheap and glossed over. Most of Daunis's trauma did not feel properly dealt with. One could argue that she was just single-mindedly fixated on the case, but I don't buy it.
It's sad because I can tell the author really wanted to highlight these issues, and she at least got me thinking about them, but in the end, I think it was handled all wrong in the midst of this jam-packed plot.
I'm not even gonna get into the implausibility of Daunis working for the FBI in the first place ("my meth was so much better teehee" 💀💀)...
So yeah....... not an outright bad book. I'm excited to discuss it at book club. But I think that, in her quest to make this book interesting for teens, Boulley went a little too hard in the wrong direction. The same kind of lessons/education could have been imparted without the romance or the direct involvement in the mystery. She should have had a bit more faith in her teen audience.
Yet another entry into "time to stop reading contemporary YA." 🙃