Review: Firekeeper's Daughter

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

😍😍 This was a genuinely beautiful novel. It is rare that I find YA Realistic fiction that truly speaks to me. I could probably name those few books off the top of my head. (The Fault in Our Stars; The Sun is also a Star...) I think this one will be next up on my list.

Throughout the novel, Daunis struggles to overcome the impediments that have been placed on her as someone of mixed heritage (part Native American, part white) and as a young women in a male dominated world. She struggles to come to terms with both sides of her heritage; she struggles to fit into the hockey world; she struggles to decide whether to leave her community for school; she struggles with the recent death of a family member.

When she meets Jamie, it seems as if she has found someone to be her friend AND companion. Someone who has similar interests and her accepts her fully for who she is until she uncovers a secret that he has been hiding. After that, secrets start to explode in her life. As she turns 19 she is faced with everything, from the death of her best friend, to the discovery of meth in her community, to the realization that the people she loved are nothing like she thought they were. In fact, even until the last chapter we deal with more surprises.

I was reading those last couple of chapters in class while my students were working and I just start GASPING. I was so anxious. I just kept seeing all of these wrong turns, and couldn't imagine it working out. It did. Sort of. Thank you, Boulley, for such a BEAUTIFUL novel and glimpse into your world.

This is a great novel. I would think of it more as a 'thriller'. It does include sexual violence though, so trigger warning.

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