I really struggled writing this review. I wanted to love this book. For a debut, this was a beautiful book. I love the detailed look into the Ojibwe culture. Daunis is very proud of her heritage and it shows through her narrative. I love that it is an #ownvoices novel. I love that gorgeous cover. It’s well written, but I found it lacking in several areas. The biggest being the repeated “anglerfish” comments Daunis makes to slut shame all the other girls in this book. Daunis is a stereotypical “not like other girls” character. She’s only really friends with one other girl because that girl is also “not like other girls”. I was really hoping for some growth on her part, but it never happened. The “other girls” were actually written as being as horrible people. I also didn’t care for the romance between Daunis and Jamie. It just didn’t feel believable for me. Their bond was lacking something.
Overall, the mystery and plot were decent. A bit childish at times due to Daunis being the narrator, but overall it kept me interested. This is a bit of a slow burn. The pacing is decent but it’s far from gripping. It’s more of an atmospheric mystery than an edge of your seat thriller type mystery.
Overall, the mystery and plot were decent. A bit childish at times due to Daunis being the narrator, but overall it kept me interested. This is a bit of a slow burn. The pacing is decent but it’s far from gripping. It’s more of an atmospheric mystery than an edge of your seat thriller type mystery.