29 Aug 2022

Audio #Review: FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley

FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER

Author: Angeline Boulley

Series: N/A
Source: Audio from Audible
Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: March 16, 2021
Overall Rating:
Diversity Rating:

Summary:

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Trigger Warning: rape, drugs, gun violence, death, racism

As a half-white, half native, Daunis has always done her best to honor her culture and its traditions. But things in the reservation become dark when a tragedy occurs and Daunis decides to help two undercover FBI agents as an informant to solve the meth problem plaguing her people and the surrounding areas. What she finds opens her eyes to those she thought she could trust and spirals into a gut-wrenching conclusion that will have you gaping.

FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER is a poem to the Ojibwe and Native Americans but does not gloss over the struggles they deal with even now in the US.

This is a really good book and I enjoyed reading it, especially as an audiobook. However, I would have appreciated trigger warnings as noted above.

As someone who has been to the Canadian side of Sault Ste Marie, I appreciated learning more about the other side. I did think the characters were well written, I liked the way that the Indigenous aspects were brought into this and learning about new customs.

The writing was really great. It was uncomplicated yet really beautiful. It built up this beautiful community that you could tell the main character cared for deeply. I felt like a part of all of it. I found some parts of the story were a bit predictable for me. I didn't particularly care for the romance subplot really, but it didn't bug me either. I just could have done without it.

The thriller elements could be a bit overdone at times, but that might just be my own personal relationship with not caring for thrillers that much. It wasn't all that hard to figure out which took away a bit from it, even though there were moments I was on the edge of my seat.

I definitely recommend reading this!