From the Bookshelf of Literally Leander…

Firekeeper’s Daughter (Firekeeper's Daughter, #1)

Angeline Boulley

Start date: February 1, 2022

Finish date: February 28, 2022

Discussion: Book Discussions - 2022

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Book Discussions - 2022

* Final Thoughts - November
By Leander Publi… · 1 post · 13 views

last updated Oct 31, 2022 09:57AM

* Final Thoughts - December
By Leander Publi… · 1 post · 8 views

last updated Dec 01, 2022 10:03AM

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What Members Thought

Jun 18, 2021 Kristen rated it it was ok

Shelves: poc-rep, bildungsromans, mystery, trigger-warning, thriller, young-adult, debuts

Am I helping the FBI or am I helping my community? I had doubts from the start that it was the same thing. The more enmeshed I become, the farther apart my investigation is from theirs.

For Daunis Fontaine, community and ostracization come hand in hand. As the daughter of a wealthy white woman and a star Native American hockey player, she's never felt like she quite fit in. Now 18, she dreams of mixing science and traditional medicine from her Ojibwe culture. Her plans are derailed, though, when she witnesses the murder of someone she loves, discovers that meth is rampant in her community, and is conscripted as a confidential informant for the FBI. And even as she grows closer to the handsome FBI undercover agent, she begins to wonder if they're on completely different paths. Surrounded by death and deception, Daunis finds herself learning about herself and her values.

Am I the worst person ever? I mean, probably not in the literal sense. But I certainly feel like I'm terrible when I'm giving a less-than-stellar review for a book so highly rated. I, too, was excited to see this novel, and I also desperately wanted to love it. Unfortunately the two of us just did not click, and I found myself pushing it off in order to read something else. After over a month, I finally managed to finish it--2 stars.

Here's the deal: this is an important book. I work in a library, and I think that there is simply not enough books that represent all cultures, viewpoints, and communities. We always try to make sure that our books are diverse in all forms, yet this ideal is harder to achieve than one might think. Firekeeper's Daughter is a fantastic addition to our collection and a much-needed novel in this world.

But, personally, this was just not a book for me. I want to stress that a two-star rating, for me, isn't a statement that this is a bad book. For me, it is a statement that I just didn't quite enjoy the book, and ended up thinking that it was "just okay."

I thought it was too drawn out and, perhaps, a little too ambitious in some respects--Daunis has a lot going on with multiple mysteries, deaths, illnesses, culture and ethnic identity issues, family dysfunctions, drugs, etc. On top of that, it has an odd atmosphere. Set it 2004, it feels somewhat contemporary but also somewhat distant; it was something I had a bit of a difficult time reconciling. I struggled to keep the multitude of characters straight and didn't love the relationships between them; I had a hard time believing some of the relationships between characters.

All in all, this book and I had a poor first date. We're simply not compatible. But it doesn't mean that this is a bad book at all, just not one for me.

TW: drug abuse, sexual assault, discussions of suicide ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2022 book.to.frame rated it liked it

3.5 Stars

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2021 Tera rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-21

So very good. I wish the native words were easier for me to read in my mind but that’s on me. The story was great and I wouldn’t mind a sequel but I’m equally satisfied if this is a stand alone.

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