book review, young adult

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (Review)

Title: Warrior Girl Unearthed
Author: Angeline Boulley
Type: Fiction
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher:Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Date published: May 2, 2023

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

Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for her Summer of Slack but instead, after a fender bender that was entirely not her fault, she’s stuck working to pay back her Auntie Daunis for repairs to the Jeep.

Thankfully she has the other outcasts of the summer program, Team Misfit Toys, and even her twin sister Pauline. Together they ace obstacle courses, plan vigils for missing women in the community, and make sure summer doesn’t feel so lost after all.

But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. Perry has to return Warrior Girl to her tribe. Determined to help, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items. The university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains, and Perry and the Misfits won’t let it go on any longer.

Using all of their skills and resources, the Misfits realize a heist is the only way to bring back the stolen artifacts and remains for good. But there is more to this repatriation than meets the eye as more women disappear and Pauline’s perfectionism takes a turn for the worse. As secrets and mysteries unfurl, Perry and the Misfits must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I read Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley when it was released back in 2021 and absolutely loved it. So, when I picked up Warrior Girl Unearthed, I had high expectations. However, I didn’t feel as invested in the story at first, which made me worry a bit.

That all changed when I realized that the two books were connected and that there were characters from Firekeeper’s Daughter in Warrior Girl Unearthed. As I continued to read, I became more invested in the story for additional reasons a little past the halfway point.

The tension in the plot continued to build, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as I read through the rest of the book. Angeline Boulley is an excellent writer when it comes to building tension and keeping plot twists hidden until she intends for them to be revealed.

Overall, I recommend Warrior Girl Unearthed for readers who enjoyed Firekeeper’s Daughter and for fans of diverse YA, heists, and the importance of blood family and found family. Angeline Boulley’s writing is engaging and effective in laying solid groundwork before building a great story upon it.

⤖ 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.

⤖ Purchase Links ⬻

⤖ 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!

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