A review by alyssadorn
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

dark emotional hopeful informative 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? No

5.0

From the first page, I was hooked. This book makes me want to write an essay about it, that’s how compelling it is in how it invites readers to explore the themes, learn the characters, and investigate the intrigue! The characterization is vibrant, the cultural nuance captivating, and the traditions poignant. The worldbuilding is top-tier, and every character feels real (with the possible exception of Jamie, but the juxtaposition of Jamie and his lack of a firm identity with Daunis and her exploration of all her identity facets came together in a really fully-fleshed-out way). 

The first 90ish pages are a little slow, but after something intense happens (I don’t want to spoil it), I was fully immersed as the plot just gets more and more intense while existing within the context and nuances of racism, tribal politics, relative privilege, science and traditional medicine, storytelling traditions/earning someone’s story, the persistence of violence against native women, and more all shown within our FMC and her community in a compelling and unique voice that highlights a community surviving in the face of adversity and grief— current and ancestral. 

The way absolutely everything is shown, not told, with nuance and a smooth melding of traditional teachings and contemporary realities is part of why I was shocked to learn this is a debut novel; it’s just so good! 

The ways in which so many of the themes and stories come full circle in this book, connecting and meaning growing from the connection, is masterful— I especially liked the moment where we see her in her dance regalia and we know her because we now know the story of how she gained each piece of that regalia. 

And the way the book begins and ends with the East! “Where all journeys begin.” 

And the definition of a lee lee being trilled mostly to honor someone but “other times there’s more to it. Something else. But I’m not sure what.”
and how later lee lees are trilled and she recognizes them more deeply— “it means we faced worse than you and we are still here. It is our survival song.”

Plus, I enjoyed the friends to enemies to reluctant allies to lovers of it all, though the romance really took a back seat for me; what really shown was the community. 

I would definitely recommend this book for older teenagers to adults, not younger teens, even though it’s listed as YA. 

I will say the “guy lies” arc could’ve been done better— less black and white thinking or show her adjusting her view to more shades of grey as more information comes to light. 
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