The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is YA mystery based in the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) community. For a book that is being marketed as a "thriller," I really had to force myself through the middle of the book, so I think "mystery" is a better fit. When reading a book by a minority group like Native Americans, I think it's so important to distinguish between the book's merits as an #own voices read with a PoC protagonist and the book's merits on its own terms. I 100% support having more books with Native American protagonists. The Firekeeper's Daughter is a step in the right direction, and I wish more books were out there like it. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy the book.
The Firekeeper's Daughter revolves around Daunis, a half-Native young woman who starts to investigate the community she grew up in after a series of deaths. Here is an informative quote from Chapter Two that describes the main character and her best friend:
"We are descendants - rather than enrolled members - of the Sugar Island Ojibwe Tribe. My father isn't listed on my birth certificate, and Lily doesn't meet the minimum blood-quantum requirement for enrollment. We still regard the Tribe as ours, even though our faces are pressed against the glass, looking in from outside."
Here is a quote from Daunis's point of view from Chapter Four about her mixed heritage:
"Yet even with such deep roots, I don't always feel like I belong. Each time my Fontaine grandparents or their friends have seen my Ojibwe side as a flaw or a burden to overcome. And the less frequent but more heartbreaking instances when my Firekeeper family sees me as a Fontaine first and one of them second."
When I was reading the opening chapters, I was reminded of Veronica Mars, one of my favorite TV shows. The idea of a Native American girl detective is amazing, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. I just wish the book had been executed better.
The first problem I had was that there was too much exposition in the opening chapters. I understand that we're being introduced to a new world and that many outsiders don't know about life in the Anishinaabe community, but some information should be reserved for footnotes. Daunis explains way too much, and it makes her sound like a know-it-all. The second problem I had was that the prospective love interest Jamie was way too perfect. He always listens to her, always tries to understand her, and never gets angry - not even when she insults his background, not even when she punches him? It reads more like fantasy wish-fulfillment than reality. Lastly, the climax/end of the book is completely unbelievable, and not in a good way.
Overall, The Firekeeper's Daughter is a fun YA mystery that should be lauded for being an #ownvoices read and introducing many of us to the realities of Native Americans living today. Although I didn't enjoy it personally, I'm sure that many readers will appreciate the book for what it is on its own terms.
CW: Drug use, murder, suicide, sexual assault
The Firekeeper's Daughter revolves around Daunis, a half-Native young woman who starts to investigate the community she grew up in after a series of deaths. Here is an informative quote from Chapter Two that describes the main character and her best friend:
"We are descendants - rather than enrolled members - of the Sugar Island Ojibwe Tribe. My father isn't listed on my birth certificate, and Lily doesn't meet the minimum blood-quantum requirement for enrollment. We still regard the Tribe as ours, even though our faces are pressed against the glass, looking in from outside."
Here is a quote from Daunis's point of view from Chapter Four about her mixed heritage:
"Yet even with such deep roots, I don't always feel like I belong. Each time my Fontaine grandparents or their friends have seen my Ojibwe side as a flaw or a burden to overcome. And the less frequent but more heartbreaking instances when my Firekeeper family sees me as a Fontaine first and one of them second."
When I was reading the opening chapters, I was reminded of Veronica Mars, one of my favorite TV shows. The idea of a Native American girl detective is amazing, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. I just wish the book had been executed better.
The first problem I had was that there was too much exposition in the opening chapters. I understand that we're being introduced to a new world and that many outsiders don't know about life in the Anishinaabe community, but some information should be reserved for footnotes. Daunis explains way too much, and it makes her sound like a know-it-all. The second problem I had was that the prospective love interest Jamie was way too perfect. He always listens to her, always tries to understand her, and never gets angry - not even when she insults his background, not even when she punches him? It reads more like fantasy wish-fulfillment than reality. Lastly, the climax/end of the book is completely unbelievable, and not in a good way.
Overall, The Firekeeper's Daughter is a fun YA mystery that should be lauded for being an #ownvoices read and introducing many of us to the realities of Native Americans living today. Although I didn't enjoy it personally, I'm sure that many readers will appreciate the book for what it is on its own terms.
CW: Drug use, murder, suicide, sexual assault