Firekeeper's Daughter 5⭐️/5

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

5⭐️/5

An excellent YA, mystery/thriller layered with a rich exploration of self, community, and the Native experience that is rooted in Ojibwe culture.

Like Boulley mentions in her author’s note at the end, I also have never encountered a book that features a Native protagonist, but Boulley changes that with her mesmerizing debut novel.

She introduces us to to 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and product of a scandal, who finds herself thrust into an FBI investigation.

Through Daunis Fontaine, the reader witnesses a young woman who is not only a strong, Native protagonist, but whose greatest strength and anchor is her Ojibwe culture and the people who make up her community. She was hands down my favorite part of the novel: funny, observant, sensitive, smart, and brave.

Though this book isn’t short (490 pages), the writing was masterful: revealing when it needed to be, quiet and exacting when we were alone with Daunis, and towards the end, many moments of: “Can’t read fast enough because I need to know what happens!” Boulley always held my attention and I found her inclusion of Native language and writing diverse backstories to be seamless.

Read If:
⭐︎You enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder but want a protagonist who is interested in STEM, is a kick-ass hockey player with a smart mouth, and is a bit less hyper than Pip (though I forever love Pip)
⭐︎You enjoy fast-paced mysteries with unexpected depth and some heavier topics explored, including: language revitalization, trauma and loss, drug use and addiction, and government failings to protect indigenous women
⭐︎You laugh at teenage banter and desire humorous narration throughout a difficult story (the dialogue was excellent!)
⭐︎You want a well-plotted and beautifully written YA novel (I love YA, but this writing isn’t usually as elevated as this IMO)