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A review by syllareads
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was such a beautiful and harrowing YA Thriller, full with identity and hope and grief, and I loved every second of it.
I want to preface this with: Yes, I did have to google some things but mostly because I wanted to try and understand the full weight of their significance to the best of my abilities. They were actually explained really well in text even for someone with almost no previous knowledge of the Native culture I was about to experience. Please do not be discouraged from picking up this book just because it's from a different perspective than what you usually read (by this I mean: just don't be a racist prick <3)
Firekeeper's Daughter is a piece of art, from the beautiful cover to the deeply meaningful story itself, the characters, their interactions with each other, a healthy relationship (in a YA book? IMPOSSIBLE- I'm kidding. Mostly), and a horrible crime about to be unearthed by our protagonist, Daunis, a young woman I immediately fell in love with. I really loved Angeline Boulley's prose as well, a simply and yet beautiful way of showing the readers a world they might not be familiar with. I will openly admit, I teared up several times, especially towards the end.
The way the author wraps up everyday horror within the things Daunis goes through in this book and also goes into detail about how connected she is to her culture and her people while also letting her mourn when those connections aren't as great as she hopes for them to be is truly unparalleled. I loved what this book let me be part of, even if it was just for a moment. I cried for Daunis and the horrors she had to live through, and the grief balled up inside her heart up to the moment she finally lets herself feel it for the first time. This book is just a masterpiece from start to finish!
I want to preface this with: Yes, I did have to google some things but mostly because I wanted to try and understand the full weight of their significance to the best of my abilities. They were actually explained really well in text even for someone with almost no previous knowledge of the Native culture I was about to experience. Please do not be discouraged from picking up this book just because it's from a different perspective than what you usually read (by this I mean: just don't be a racist prick <3)
Firekeeper's Daughter is a piece of art, from the beautiful cover to the deeply meaningful story itself, the characters, their interactions with each other, a healthy relationship (in a YA book? IMPOSSIBLE- I'm kidding. Mostly), and a horrible crime about to be unearthed by our protagonist, Daunis, a young woman I immediately fell in love with. I really loved Angeline Boulley's prose as well, a simply and yet beautiful way of showing the readers a world they might not be familiar with. I will openly admit, I teared up several times, especially towards the end.
The way the author wraps up everyday horror within the things Daunis goes through in this book and also goes into detail about how connected she is to her culture and her people while also letting her mourn when those connections aren't as great as she hopes for them to be is truly unparalleled. I loved what this book let me be part of, even if it was just for a moment. I cried for Daunis and the horrors she had to live through, and the grief balled up inside her heart up to the moment she finally lets herself feel it for the first time. This book is just a masterpiece from start to finish!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, and Grief