Angeline Boulley

** Soon to be a Netflix series with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Production Company ** Keep the Secret. Live the Lie. Earn your Truth. For fans of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange comes a ground-breaking YA thriller about a Native American teen who must root out the corruption in her community "Raw and moving," Cosmopolitan Eighteen-year-old Daunis’s mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths. But the deceptions – and deaths – keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now Daunis must decide what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

'Raw and moving' Cosmopolitan

Firekeeper's Daughter

Keep the Secret. Live the Lie. Earn your Truth. For fans of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange comes a ground-breaking YA thriller about a Native American teen who must root out the corruption in her community Eighteen-year-old Daunis's mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths. But the deceptions - and deaths - keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now Daunis must decide what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she's ever known.

Saffia

" I used to be with this one guy. I thought the sun rose just to shine light on him. He was handsome and smart and the life of the party. But oh, when we fought . . . it was so bad." She shivers and pulls the coat around her more tightly. "He consumed all the oxygen in the room and left nothing for me to breathe. If the sun dared to shine on me instead of him, it was my fault. The only way to keep him happy, to see the version of him he was when other people were around, was to make myself small." Her voice cracks. "It's hard when someone says they love you, but they need to contain and control the things that make you you."

** Soon to be a Netflix series with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Production Company ** Keep the Secret. Live the Lie. Earn your Truth. For fans of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange comes a ground-breaking YA thriller about a Native American teen who must root out the corruption in her community "Raw and moving," Cosmopolitan 
Eighteen-year-old Daunis’s mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths. But the deceptions – and deaths – keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now Daunis must decide what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

The Firekeeper's Daughter

It's hard when someone says they love you, but they need to contain and control the things that make you you.

It’s hard to reconcile not liking, even despising, parts of someone you love.

Is it possible the heart can expand to hold love as well as all the complicated emotions

When you love someone, but don't like parts of them, it complicates your memories of them when they're gone.

It's hard to explain what it's like being so connected to everything here... yet feeling that no one ever sees the whole me. 

luca marie

It's hard to explain what it's like being so connected to everything here ... yet feeling that no one ever sees the whole me. 

Visiting every morning is part of the New Normal, which is what I call what happens when your universe is shaken so badly you can never regain the same axis as before. But you try anyway. 

archie

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV with President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground. “One of this year's most buzzed about young adult novels.” —Good Morning America A 2021 Kids' Indie Next List Selection An Amazon Best Book of the Month for March Selection An Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Selection A PopSugar Best March 2021 YA Book Selection With four starred reviews, Angeline Boulley's debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, perfect for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange. Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims. Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Sarah

Absolutely loved this book. I didn't want to put it down but at the same time I didn't want it to end! Captivating and beautifully written, loved it! 

Lucy Mills-Taylor

Joana da Silva

What a great book. Representation, diversity, good build-up, lovable characters. The stars were very much aligned with this one.

Alexa M

honestly way too long & kind of boring. I liked some parts but feel it could’ve been edited waaayyy down. all the Native American culture was very interesting to read about and Daunis was a bad ass main character I just wasn’t really gripped by the plot.

Addie 🌻

The Firekeeper’s Daughter

I think this book has both a lot of pros and a lot of cons. I loved the diversity and reading Indigenous rep by an Indigenous author, and the underlying mystery was interesting, but it felt like a subplot in the book

I felt like a lot of this book was slogging--I know it was probably more realistic, but it wasn't gripping.

This book covers a lot of heavy and important topics, and it handles them well.

I really wanted to love this book after hearing so many good things, but I just don't think I vibed well with it:( 

Holly

I think this book has both a lot of pros and a lot of cons. I loved the diversity and reading Indigenous rep by an Indigenous author, and the underlying mystery was interesting, but it felt like a subplot in the book

I felt like a lot of this book was slogging--I know it was probably more realistic, but it wasn't gripping.

This book covers a lot of heavy and important topics, and it handles them well.

I really wanted to love this book after hearing so many good things, but I just don't think I vibed well with it:( 

Suzanne

I'm an avid reader and this book blew me away. It is on of the best books I have ever read.
The story follow Daunis, who has a native American father and a christian mother.
It follows Daunis just ending her high school and getting ready for college when disaster strikes. The book takes us into the beautiful heritage and ways of the Ojibwe. It is written beautifully and with the short chapters you cannot stop reading.
The onion that is Daunis is pealed slowly in the book set in the backdrop op Ice Hockey, the rez and drugs.
I hope to read more by Angeline in the future. 
this review doesn't do the book full justice, but please buy and read it.

the book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley

Kristen Claiborn

First, let’s address the GLARING FACT that this is not at all appropriate for most “young adult” audiences. When I worked with middle school kids, I actively sought out books for young adult readers, because I wanted those kids to find a book that “speaks” to them. This book is not one I would suggest for a middle school student, despite the “young adult” designation. The themes are far too adult for this to be even considered a young adult book. 
	Beyond that little aside there, this is a great damn book. For some bizarre reason, I was under the impression that this was a fantasy novel…even now when I look at some reviews it’s listed as fantasy. This is NOT a fantasy. There are some Native American stories weaved into this book, but that does not make this a fantasy. This is a story about drug use, and how badly it has impacted the Native population. There is drug use, drug abuse, murder, overdose, and rape, but none of them exist in the fantasy genre. It’s very well-written. I fell in love with Daunis and her story. I know there is going to be more to this story, and I’m excited. 
	But seriously, it’s not for most “young adults.”

The cultural introduction nade this book rich and interesting even without the mistery part

The relationship between these characters screamed healthy, and showed a very positive image

The characters were okay, not super complex but not stereotypical either

Eszter Baranyi

It was very gripping. 

The cultural introduction nade this book rich and interesting even without the mistery part

The relationship between these characters screamed healthy, and showed a very positive image

The characters were okay, not super complex but not stereotypical either

CW: drug addiction, r*pe, violence, death

Sophia 

What an incredible read. 

CW: drug addiction, r*pe, violence, death

Tracie McMurray

I loved the fresh perspective and voice in this novel. I have never read anything like it.

Lillian

Elizabeth Hagenlocher

Wow.

This book was poignant, powerful, and eye-opening. 

At its heart, it’s a story of a young woman who chooses her community and herself above all else. It’s a story of loss and grief, wrapped up in love and hope. 

It’s beautifully written, and shares with readers Ojibwe language and traditions and strength.

Daunis is a perfectly imperfect person, and I found her very relatable. To the world, she’s good at all the right things. Internally, she struggles with complicated emotions and trauma. Not to mention, she feels like she toes the line between her two communities. 

Enter Jamie. He’s frustrating and imperfect, and also impossibly patient and understanding. There’s a bit of an enemies to lovers dynamic, which I’m a sucker for.

Finally the plot—I think the characters are truly where this book shines, however when the mystery finally starts unraveling I was rocked to my core. The clues were all there, right under the readers nose.

So much more I could say, but I’ll leave it there—a fabulously written story about a woman coming into her own and stepping up to protect her community.

CW: rape, murder, drug addiction and overdose, suicide, kidnapping

it’s a very immersive book. i like everything in this book (especially granny june) except daunis/jamie which is like half of the plot, i dont even know why i just dont see much chemistry in them

ame 

this did not dissapoint - i completely understand the hype around it. i had only a very brief idea of what it’s going to be like diving into it but i’m so happy i picked it up.

“The book follows Daunis Fontaine, a half-native, half-white young adult who witnesses her friend's murder and becomes involved in an FBI investigation revolving around a new drug.”

my review:
+ the main character! Daunis just feels so real and believable and like…a real 18 yo. which is rare in books. she’s emotional, doing her best but she’s also very mature and caring and receptive. i adored her character and i was pleased with her telling of the story. we not only follow her thoughts about the investigation and current happenings, we also see her struggle with her identity and sense of belonging and racism as a mixed person. 
+ the important representation aspect. it was so interesting to learn all about ojibwe culture and it’s traditions. 
+ the pacing! it was very gripping and pageturning, i haven’t found myself being bored once when listening. i didn’t find it predictable
+ the lovestory in the book was actually pretty good. i’m actually happy about the ending as it shows that the romance isn’t the main part of Daunis’s story and life. it was refreshing to see.
+ i get triggered easily and despite this book being a ya mystery with some adult aspects (some graphic scenes, hospital scene too, there’s also sa involved) it felt comforting to me. the way the tribe and it’s people comforted themselves and cared for eachother just felt so sweet.
+ i never thought i’d say this but i actually also enjoyed the hockey part of the story. all because it made so much sense for the plot and how the community revolved around it. 
- the only con i can think of is maybe that at the end i felt a bit like there was too much happenin and i wasn’t really catching up on all the explanations and plot twists.

Fraser Simons

This is a book that deals with big themes through the lens of a perspective most often erased: a young Native American woman; and the book handles that weight well.

CW for off-screen sexual assault

“Firekeeper’s Daughter follows 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a half-native, half-white former hockey player/aspiring scientist who never feels fully settled in either her reservation or the outside world. She finds herself even more torn when she witnesses her best friend’s murder and is pulled into an FBI investigation centered on a lethal new drug running wild among her friends and family. It doesn’t help that she’s falling for the mysterious Jamie, a new player on her brother’s hockey team who (spoiler alert) turns out to be an undercover FBI agent who asks her to be an informant on the case.”

Even as Daunis takes it upon herself to try and deal with a major community problem, she also has to contend with being an 18 year old who has lost her father under complex and harmful circumstances. She has to deal with a hockey injury, the expectations and weight of her community, and the effects of the meth addiction in the community directly. Daunis has to decide whether she wants to even attempt to be officially enrolled in the reservation as a recognized, blood member the community because her status is in question due to circumstances of her birth she had no control over.

There is a lot going on in this book, and a lot being communicated at a sociopolitical level. It’s honestly very impressive how different the perspective reads and how though provoking it is. Concepts divorced from western civilization are ingrained in the point of view. Especially regarding restorative Justice and other touchstones of socialization. 

It’s also highly effective at showing how outsiders, even when they have good intentions, often do more harm than good because they do not understand the people or the community at a fundamental level. 

The plot itself is straightforward and I think most readers will see each twist and turn that comes. But even when that’s the case, part of what makes this book work is how each aspect of the plot is interpreted by Daunis and what she does in response to the events. 

That said, because the story is constructed in that way there is a degree of suspension of disbelief involved that is a bit beyond the genre. The plot does feel manufactured at points precisely because it is trying to communicate very specific things to the reader, and so it’s a bit strange in so far as character driven versus plot driven. The interplay of agency as it is taken from Daunis and clawed back, makes it feel like a constructed plot, rather than wholly organic at some times.

Daunis’s voice actually doesn’t sound, to me, like an 18 year old either; more like a 15 or 16 year old, but she couldn’t help the FBI without being 18 years old. And even that feels like the first major ask of the reader. But it’s early enough that it’s fine. When the impossible love story aspect starts and things snowball and become more and more dangerous, and when the voice doesn’t feel like it isn’t as complex and intelligent as an 18 year old, it cultivates some dissonance. You could probably go on Twitter and see 18 year olds use more complex diction and sentence structure, whereas this feels middle grade stuffed into a complex 18 year old who is described as being beyond her peers on academic levels. 

However, the other effect the young voice has is a sort of childlike intensity when it comes to sheer earnestness, which leads to some impactful dialogue in its simplicity. 

So I’m torn.

Luckily I try and rate books at an expectations level. Does this book do what it set out to do? Does it meet its pitch? Yes, and it exceeded it as well. Which makes it 4 stars for me. I didn’t love it because of the qualities I mentioned above, but it also surpassed the basic plot and some strange beats in its effort to communicate complex cultural aspects. It is Definitely worth picking up.

Brigid prior 

There were many parts of this book that I loved— like inside glimpse into current Native American tribal culture. But some of the writing was just a little too immature and, most importantly, the twists were hard to believe. There wasn’t enough foreshadowing and it just seemed out of the blue.

Emmie B.

Charlotte Jones

I struggled to get into this book, patiently waiting for the pivotal murder to occur while the world was built around me. This is because I don’t usually read long mysteries and prefer when we jump right into the action. But oh my gosh, the action started and THEN BAM, I was in! 

Some of my favourite quotes/scenes revolved around the mother-daughter relationship and completely caught me off guard — especially the parallel from the beginning to end!!

Daunis, as a main character, rubbed me the wrong way many times. But during the finale, she won my heart. I think I disliked her as much as I did because I saw myself in her.

Also, HATED the relationship between Jamie and Daunis. We’ll call it an ick for the lack of a better word.

It's been a very long time since I read a book in one day despite work but I managed it with Firekeeper's Daughter. This book is so incredibly engaging, beautifully written, and absolutely heart wrenching. Daunis is mixed-race and unenrolled in her father's tribe because her white grandparents refused to let her father's name be put on her birth certificate. She feels out of place with her white family, who are anti-indigenous, as well as with her Ojibwe family and everyone else on the reservation, because she's unenrolled, too pale, and just too connected to a very old French family. Reconciling and accepting the contradictions of these two parts of herself are a large part of this book, and certainly some of the most moving parts of the book. Of course, the mystery element predominates the plot, but Daunis's reactions to the mystery and the investigation that she gets caught up in are very much influenced by her experience as an Anishanaabe kwe. Something that Daunis often came back to in justifying her involvement with the FBI is that without her focus on the long-term good of the community, the investigation could end very poorly for their community despite the fact that their safety is ostensibly the goal of the investigation. But the FBI agents aren't thinking about what the situation her is going to look in 6 months or a year or 5 years. They just want to deal with the immediate meth problem and leave. But Daunis and everyone else on the reservation is going to have to live with the fallout. So she prioritizes her community, even if that puts her at odds with the investigation. And I just loved that. Something that a lot of communities of color experience with law enforcement is the lack of care for the community at large because they're so focused on solving an individual crime or because they view the community as criminal just by existing. Having someone involved constantly asking "is that going to a good thing for my community? is this just going to hurt us more in the long run?" means that the ultimate outcome, while still painful, still nonetheless has the community's well-being in mind. I honestly can't wait to see what else Angeline Boulley comes up with because this was an incredibly strong debut.

Cindy Lieberman

A YA story centering on a young girl of mixed race parentage trying to find her path. She embraces her Ojibwa heritage and the traditions of family gatherings and ceremonies while also focusing on ice hockey, running, science, and her physically fragile grandmother and emotionally fragile mother. Daunis has a full plate. She is finally graduating high school and going to start at the local college with her best friend, Lily. 
But something is wrong: people are dying too young. People she knows. Daunis is a smart girl and finds a way to help her town and her people, at great risk to herself.
There is a lot to like about this novel, especially the depiction of tribal life, elders, and customs, balancing the “halves” of her life, including her half brother. It felt a bit stuffed, story-wise, with a lot going on, but I prefer that to a very simple, thin plot. 
Daunis has to make hard choices for a teenager and her thought process seems well presented to be constructive and encouraging to YA readers. Not too young, however. Some of the town’s issues include drug use, sexual abuse, and the aforementioned deaths.

Judith Van Laere

Ik vond het vooral in het begin duidelijk geschreven door een debuterende YA author, maar naarmate het verhaal vorderde viel dat naar de achtergrond. Eerlijk gezegd alleen al voor het begin van een inzicht in een deeltje van de Native Americancultuur een aanrader

Claire Fuesting

This book has promise. The mystery and plot are mostly unbelievable. My biggest issue is the inappropriate age gap between the leads. It would be one thing if she had just graduated college; but she was a fresh high school graduate of 18 with a love interest of 22. It just felt… off. 

Abigail Tzeggai

Oh my goodness. This book was not at all what I was expecting. I am so thankful for my old English teacher for recommending this amazing book to me because if it wasn’t for her I would have never picked up my now favorite book!

Sam Dietzler

From my bookstagram:

Looking for a wild ride? Here’s one for you. For some reason I was under the impression this was a fantasy novel. Clearly I did not read the summary well enough. I think it’s also because I was reading so much fatansy back to back. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter is actually a mystery thriller that kept me engaged through its entirety. The last third of this book? Dang. After a shocking murder occurs, Daunis gets roped into being a part of the investigation, helping two undercover agents locate the focal point of a drug ring. I want to stay super surface level with this summary because I think this book will be most enjoyable going in with minimal knowledge. 

However, here are some notable things without giving anything away. I loved watching Daunis struggle with her sense of identity as she navigates what it means to be biracial. I often find myself in a similar thought process and struggle from being adopted. Boulley did a beautiful job of layering Native American culture throughout each facet of the story. The communities are really built almost has characters themselves because of how well developed they are. As I said, the plot had me completely enthralled, but the characters and their relationships are what I come back to the most when I think about this book. Boulley perfectly balanced each element of the well structured story! Definitely check cw before diving into this thriller!

Firekeeper's Daughter 'Raw and moving' Cosmopolitan

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