Publisher: Henry Holt & Co / Macmillan Audio
Published: March 16, 2021
Source: Print – Personal Copy / Audio – ALC via Macmillan Audio
Summary:
For fans of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange, Angeline Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community.
Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.
Now, as the deceptions – and deaths – keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.
My thoughts:
It’s not too often that I willingly pick up a YA book, but this one is definitely an exception and I would do it again and again. This book is one that I think everyone should read – it’s compulsively readable and and an overall beautiful story…and it’s also one that I know I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
I admit, I was drawn to this book because of the stunning cover, but even more because of everything that’s inside. This is a book that tackles so much and I loved it all. It’s part thriller/part YA coming of age story that delves into the Indigenous culture and mixes in hockey to boot. I was transfixed by this story and could not put it down once I started. I learned so much from this book and absolutely loved Daunis as a character. She’s someone you just can’t help but root for and you become so attached to that you don’t want to walk away from once the story ends.
I think this book would make an incredible book club pick – even for adults as it really tackles so many topics – identity, community, belonging, drug use, racial discrimination, gun violence – I could go on but I think you get the idea. This is without a doubt going to be one of my top reads of the year and I cannot wait to see what comes next from this incredibly talented author.
Audio thoughts:
The narration for this book was just amazing. Isabella Star LaBlanc brings such an authentic voice to this story, handling the Indigenous words with ease. This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to in a while and it made the story really stand out.
