A review by ronitamohan_louisskye
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

As others have mentioned, the beginning is very slow and gives no indication of the mystery that follows. So much time is spent on setting up the central romance that I almost gave up. But then there’s a huge twist and the actual mystery plot kicks in. The entire tenor of the story changes that point forward. 

However, I really, really need books to include content warnings in the case of sexual assault. I have given up on books that include sexual violence without warning but I continued with this one. I don’t think the sexual assault was needed at all in this story. It added nothing to the plot or the character development. Having said that, the author uses the incident to underpin how rarely Indigenous women and girls get justice for being assaulted. That’s an important message to send. I still would have liked some warning. 

The best part of the book was the in-depth details of the rituals that the Anishinaabe perform, to grow together as a community, and every day to connect with ancestors and the world around them. Those scenes were beautiful and moving and I could definitely have done with loads more. 

This book required some editing to bring the plot into focus. It deals with a lot of very difficult subjects so I’m not really sure how it would work for its intended YA audience. But it’s engaging and educational. 
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