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A review by mseidl
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
4.5
I really enjoyed this book, I loved learning about a culture I had no knowledge about before and seeing Daunis' connection with her Native ancestry and community was amazing. It started a little slow but really picked up. I became really attached to Daunis, Jamie, and the other characters, especially those in the tribe.
The only criticisms I have are that it seemed to wrap up very quickly after a much more drawn-out start which felt very sudden but was still very engaging. Daunis also went through several very traumatic experiences and her feelings about it and how she processed these traumas weren't really shown, which gave the impression that they weren't as influential or impactful on her as you would've thought. At the very end when court cases and charges are mentioned, I appreciated that it brought awareness to how Native women are mistreated by the criminal justice system, but it seemed kind of thrown in there as a quick explanation without showing any of how it happened or what effect that has or will have on Daunis mentally.
For example, Lily's murder occurs very early in the book and is Daunis' main motivation for getting involved in the FBI investigation, but Lily isn't mentioned often after her funeral apart from brief mentions to remind us why Daunis became a CI. After she is raped by Grant Edwards she seems to acknowledge it and mostly move past it incredibly quickly, again with only brief mentions after. The fact that he and Dana will not be charged because of the lack of willingness of law enforcement agencies to support Native women felt like it was not developed at all; it was kind of just mentioned as a quick sum-up to wrap up the story quickly and simply after a long and complex plot, and to gain extra political awareness points.
However, I overall really enjoyed the story and it is one of my favourite reads. All of my criticisms are definitely not deal-breakers and I'll be re-reading this soon. I've become so attached to the characters and it encouraged me to learn more about Indigenous and Native American culture and history. I can't recommend this book enough
The only criticisms I have are that it seemed to wrap up very quickly after a much more drawn-out start which felt very sudden but was still very engaging. Daunis also went through several very traumatic experiences and her feelings about it and how she processed these traumas weren't really shown, which gave the impression that they weren't as influential or impactful on her as you would've thought. At the very end when court cases and charges are mentioned, I appreciated that it brought awareness to how Native women are mistreated by the criminal justice system, but it seemed kind of thrown in there as a quick explanation without showing any of how it happened or what effect that has or will have on Daunis mentally.
However, I overall really enjoyed the story and it is one of my favourite reads. All of my criticisms are definitely not deal-breakers and I'll be re-reading this soon. I've become so attached to the characters and it encouraged me to learn more about Indigenous and Native American culture and history. I can't recommend this book enough
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Gore