Title: Firekeeper’s Daughter
Author: Angeline Boulley
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co.
(Macmillan Publishing)
Date published: March 16, 2021

A complimentary digital copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

Eighteen-year-old Daunis’s mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths.

But the deceptions – and deaths – keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now Daunis must decide what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Where do I even begin with Firekeeper’s Daughter? This was such an incredible read. The writing was amazing, the characters so multi-dimensional and believable. At times, it felt as if I was reading a biography rather than a piece of fiction, and I believe that this is due, both, to Angeline Boulley’s skill as a writer, but also because the story is saturated with the injustices faced by Indigenous communities in the past and in the present day.

Firekeeper’s Daughter was both incredibly heart-breaking, powerful, empowering, and (at least for me) very informative. I learned a lot through the way that Boulley integrated information about the different tribes and customs and language. And the fact that I have not encountered this sort of knowledge proves that either we need to uplift more Indigenous voices in publishing, or I need to broaden my search for books to read and review.

But back to the story itself. The way in which the mystery is portrayed had me sitting on the edge of my seat, needing to find out more–who’s involved, who’s doing what, why they’re doing what they’re doing. I remember thinking that I was visualizing things so vividly, but that I would love for this book to be turned into a TV series. (Imagine my joy when I found out that Firekeeper’s Daughter had been optioned for a Netflix series! I really hope they make it and that they do it justice.)

The mystery, the character development, the way Boulley set the stage and described the characters’ surroundings, the emotions. I also highly recommend the audiobook! Whenever I couldn’t sit. down to read Firekeeper’s Daughter, I would turn on the audiobook, and let me say…the narrator does an incredible job and as far as I know, she pronounces the words correctly and also did an incredible job at identifying which characters she was speaking as throughout the book.

I could continue raving about Firekeeper’s Daughter for days, but I’ll stop myself here and just tell you that this is one of my top reads of the year, I wish that I could forget everything in the book just so I could read it again (which is not something that happens often to me with YA contemporary titles). And lastly, I just want to say that I will be keeping a close eye on what Angeline Boulley will write next!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She gained attention from the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program. Angeline was the former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Her agent is Faye Bender at The Book Group. Firekeeper’s Daughter has been optioned for a Netflix series by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company.

⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!