Firekeeper's Daughter

Initially I was fine with the slow pace, it made sense to take time to introduce the characters, the community and the culture, really set the scene and get the reader invested before things escalated, only that sluggish feeling never went away, even at the height of the action, the book kind of did that horror movie thing where every time the heroine wriggles free of one jam she falls directly into another which for me almost always feels more tiresome than propulsive.

I liked Daunis, she cares about her family and community, she’s smart, she’s persistent, I just wish she’d been an amateur sleuth here stepping on the toes of law enforcement, I could have bought into that, instead I struggled with the plausibility of the FBI show more recruiting an eighteen year old informant, teaching her to make meth and asking her to source ingredients all because she excelled in high school science? There was no one else who could compare samples to photos online? Wouldn’t the FBI have their own experts who test drugs and identify ingredients?

There were also already two undercover officers who seemed interested in solving the case yet we never see them so much as ask anyone (other than Daunis) a leading question or really do anything that resembled undercover investigative work. They mostly just accompanied Daunis places and conveniently disappeared from those scenes while a teenager with no investigative experience was always the only one ever shown investigating anything.

The guilty, as well as the method for transporting the meth seemed too obvious and then there was the Scooby-Doo of it all, that moment where the guilty just proudly unburden themselves of the who, what, where of their criminal enterprise, spelling everything out. It’s a clunky way of conveying information and that wasn’t the only time this book tended towards info dumps which is an understandable issue for a first time author but something the editor probably should have intervened on.

Despite decent chemistry, the romance didn’t entirely work for me, either. Since Daunis has baggage involving guys lying to her and this guy seriously lies to her, it puzzled me as to why she showed so little resistance to him and I wondered at his lack of resistance to her, too, when he seemed ambitious and involvement with Daunis could have hindered those ambitions. For me, it would have made more sense if the romance had been restricted to the tension and sparks of them denying/not acting on their attraction.

The author crafted other far more compelling aspects of this novel that unfortunately more often than not took a backseat to the investigation and the romance. The book was at its best, the writing at its most confident and least labored whenever the book pushed the genre stuff aside. I would have been more than satisfied to read an entire book about Daunis and Lily’s friendship, about their status issues and how any change in that may have affected their tight bond, about Daunis interacting with the elders, about Daunis dealing with her grandmother’s racism, about the experience of two Indigenous girls in college which I mean how many books have ever shown Daunis and Lily’s real-life counterparts what college life might look like for them? This could have been that book, it should have been, there are already enough half-baked crime stories in the world. show less

Fascinating and well-written thriller set in 2004, about a young woman straddling two cultures, her white ancestry and her Ojibwe Native American heritage. She suffers great personal losses and shows amazing strength of will and physical strength as she navigates the grieving process while working undercover with the FBI, trying to figure out who is involved in a drug ring in her town, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Daunis is an impressive character--she plays hockey, is studying to go to medical school but also knows Native plants and medicines, and has a close bond with her family members and best friend. She's smart and self-assured. But she also finds herself falling for the mysterious new player on her brother's hockey team, against show more her best intentions. And she'll find herself falling afoul of some equally tough characters. I loved learning all of the Ojibwe cultural traditions in this story, and listening to it on audio let me hear the correct pronunciations of the Ashinaabe language, which is extensive throughout. Top notch book. A few f-bombs, and some mature situations that I think would be best for grades 9 and up. show less

This took me on an exhilarating journey from start to end. Throughout this book, I was swept up in the excitement and emotion of Daunis' journey. The pacing was great, especially in the second half where I couldn’t put it down. While I wished for a bit more depth in the relationships between the main characters, I couldn't help but be drawn to Daunis. She's strong, smart, and funny, and I found her instantly relatable and compelling. Boulley's portrayal of Ojibwe traditions and culture was masterful. Instead of bogging the story down with pedantic explanations, she wove them seamlessly into the character interactions, allowing me to learn and appreciate without feeling overwhelmed. Themes of womanhood, grief, and identity were show more beautifully explored, adding layers of depth to the narrative. As a mystery thriller, the book had me hooked. However, I am a bit unsatisfied with some loose ends left hanging. While it might be truer to reality, I couldn't help but crave a bit more closure. Despite its heaviness, I highly recommend reading this one. It's a story of strength, independence, and self-discovery that left a lasting impression on me. show less

(3.5)

Fire Keeper’s Daughter is a mystery thriller that, up until the last fourth, focuses much less on suspense and thrill, and much more on its romantic subplot and cultural aspects. Which, depending on your preferences, can be exactly what you want or something you’d rather pass on.

Content warnings:
- rape
- racism
- sexism
- drug abuse

Representation:
- most of the main and secondary characters are indigenous Americans (Ojibwe)

When Daunis Fontaine, a biracial, unenrolled tribal member witnesses the murder of her best friend, she’s cast into an investigation involving her Ojibwe reservation and goes undercover. But soon she starts falling for her fellow undercover agent--whose real name she doesn’t even know--and she begins show more uncovering truths about people she thought she knew. She went undercover to protect her community, but she begins to see that she and the FBI have different goals. If helping the FBI means tearing her community apart, will it be worth it?

It’s obvious Angeline Boulley loves her people and her culture. It’s expressed on every page and through nearly every one of Daunis’s actions. It’s gorgeous to read. I’m loving how non-English words aren’t italicized in newer published books, too. Boulley also doesn’t include a glossary, and there are many Anishinaabemowin words in the text, but they’re always written in a way that provides enough context clues to understand what they mean and what’s going on.

Though I thought it wasn’t fully developed until the second half, which might seem strange because Daunis witnesses her best friend’s murder in the first, I feel like the theme of grief is handled very well. No, Daunis doesn’t react the way one “expects” her to after her friend is murdered, yes, she seems to “move on” very quickly, romancing it up with the love interest and all that … but it’s all very similar to the way someone I love acted after losing her husband. Grief doesn’t make sense, and it can literally change personalities. Everyone reacts differently to losing someone. But Daunis having nightmares, being able to remember the murderer’s last words only long after the event, and having overpowering scent memories are all elements of PTSD that makes the book so much more real to me. Boulley took so much care in writing this.

Daunis’s relationships with some of the other characters are also one of the book’s other strongest parts, particularly Daunis’s relationship with her Aunt, Teddie; Seeney, one of the elders; and most surprisingly with the other undercover agent, Ron. People may argue with me on that last point, but it's such a refreshing contrast to the romance subplot and the way Daunis and Jamie, the love interest, interact.

But at just over 490 pages, I feel like some of almost everything could be cut. Sometimes the novel would suddenly go on a tangent describing a character or a character’s backstory that would never be mentioned again. In the first half, there was also a mind-boggling amount of repetition for no reason I could understand. I wish I had counted the number of times Daunis goes on runs, then visits her grandmother in the hospital, then showers, etc., and painstakingly describes each moment to the reader.

That, and Daunis’s aggravating relationship with her undercover-FBI love interest, Jamie, nearly made me put the book down. I still don’t understand the appeal of this relationship--and their constant bickering through the first half never struck me as romantic (and this dynamic never did as an actual teen, either. But this is very subjective). Unfortunately, the first half becomes largely devoted to the romance subplot between Daunis and Jamie, so it’s pretty difficult to get through if you absolutely hate it. At the end, though, I very much appreciate what Boulley does with their relationship. It's very rare for YA, and it kicked my rating of the book up a half star.

The other issue I have is with Jamie himself (okay, mostly with his scar--but god, do I find Jamie annoying! He’s the typical YA love interest … mysterious past, hot body wrapped up with that scar to make him stand out a little). But Daunis’s narration always draws attention to his scar. His smile tugs on the end of his scar, she wants to touch his scar, she’s always looking at/watching his scar, etc., until it borderlines fetishization. The worst is this, which happens twice: “Jamie raises the eyebrow on the perfect side of his face.” Just two lines, but they’re devastating.

Ah, almost forgot ... there's a rape scene in the novel that seems unnecessary (does nothing to move the plot/character growth forward)--except to point out the violence against indigenous women, and the lack of justice given for them. I understand wanting to make this point, but I'm not sure this is the best way to go about it.

So there were lots I loved and some I didn’t. Overall I feel that with another edit or two, this could have been a lot stronger. It’s not a bad read, and it might seem like what I didn’t like hardly merits the rating, but I don’t think I could read it again, given its length, the repetitive first half, and the page time spent on Daunis and Jamie’s relationship. I will definitely read what Angeline Boulley writes next, though! show less

In Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley, teenage Daunis Fontaine is an unenrolled Ojibwe tribe member, which means learning the ceremonies, attending dances, remembering the prayers, and speaking the Ojibwe language, but not having a vote on tribal matters or receiving the per-cap money from the tribal casino. This is her dual identity in general, since she is Ojibwe Firekeeper from her father and wealthy French Catholic Fontaine from her mother. Her family is complicated in other ways, too: her half-brother Levi is just a few months younger than she is, born to their father’s wife.

Daunis witnesses an awful attack, and discovers that this is just a tiny part in a wider criminal network, blending drugs and corruption at all show more different levels. A chance to work as an undercover informant could help her get justice for her friend and safety for others in the community, but it’ll also mean keeping secrets from those closest to her and maybe revealing community information to outsiders. There is a very real sense of danger, and an awareness that the cops are not the good guys.

I liked how complicated this investigation was, and how Daunis handled her conflicts. There was less about Bad Guys vs Good Guys, although the villains really are evil. They’re not just breaking the law, they’re exploiting the powerless and hurting the whole community. But Daunis has to question if law enforcement is actually 100% on her side here and which local secrets she should share with outsiders.

Firekeeper’s Daughter is a solid mystery, with sleuthing and science combining with respect for the community. This desire to find out more and answer the questions along with Daunis pulls readers in. (This is one of the things that worked for me in Lightseekers, too.)

I liked how complex the characters were, even the minor ones, which helped to develop the community and Daunis’ reactions. For example, one of the boys has parents who love him very much and are desperately unreliable caretakers due to their addiction struggles, and these things are both true at the same time.

Firekeeper’s Daughter was an engrossing coming-of-age and mystery story, in modern Native life. If you don’t know very much about Ojibwe customs or life when you start reading, you can still understand the plot of this book and you’ll get to discover and learn more about the culture as you follow Daunis’ choices. show less

4.75 stars, but I'm rounding up to a 5 as this is a debut of an Own Voices author.

I enjoyed this immensely. I read primarily as an audiobook, but also picked up the ebook from Libby for the last quarter of the book. I highly recommend the audiobook, as the narrator, Isabella Star LaBlanc is (1) an incredible narrator and (2) is a Native American reader and reads the Ojibwe phrases used beautifully, as well as the "yooper" accent of those coming from the Upper Peninsula area in Michigan. I normally max out my audio speed at 1.5, but I was easily able to up the speed to 2x and had no problem listening and retaining the information, which drastically cut down on listening time as well.

I marathoned Firekeeper's Daughter. I generally only show more listen to audiobooks at work, but I found myself wanting to continue listening on my drive home, as well as at home. I ended up finishing the book over Friday night and into early Saturday morning. I loved the side characters, all of the older characters who form that foundational base of the Ojibwe community. The description of traditions, some as simple as an offering and prayer before going for a run, or crossing the water we consistent and beautiful each time. It truly felt like being granted personal access to this community.

The only reason why I can't give a full 5 stars is the MC. At times, Daunis could be grating, using "Secret Squirrel" to describe her undercover activities was funny the first time, but quickly became annoying and was in stark contrast to how serious the situation was. At times, the story does require some level of disbelief, and that was also a little difficult for me to get past, but the story is a YA thriller, and is overall so well done I am forgiving of that.

The author is set to have a new book coming out later this year--Warrior Girl Unearthed--that appears to be from the same community but different MCs, much later in time. I am highly anticipating this new title and will pick up as soon as I can after release. show less

Daunis Fontaine is 18 and preparing for college with her best friend Lily in 2004. She's a white and Ojibwe woman who's unenrolled because her well-to-do grandparents refused to put her father on her birth certificate, and her identity is complicated by her constant bridging of two cultures. When meth production (and addiction) threatens her community, FBI investigators ask her to be a confidential informant, leaving Daunis feeling even more in-between than usual while she navigates trying to help them and lying to her family to do it.

This was SO good. I loved Daunis and her narration as she digs into the mystery and debates how much to trust the mysterious Jamie Johnson, dealing with grief and loss in her family, and so much more. The show more author herself is an enrolled member of a Sault Ste. Marie tribe, and knows the area she's describing intimately. The complexity of the characters and their community is especially well done, and the investigation becomes riveting in the end as Daunis gets closer to solving who's behind the meth. The story ends in a satisfying way but I thought it left the possibility of a sequel open, and if there is one I will be on the library holds list ASAP. show less