Magical Monday: FIRE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. Becky and I took a bit of a break from blogging to spend time with the family (and to let her team beat my team). Now, I’m back with another review! I was blessed by #NetGalley to receive an advanced e-book for #firekeepersdaughter, and it was the perfect book to finish up Indigenous People’s Month here in the US! I won’t be sharing any quotes this round because those might change when the novel comes out officially March 2, 2021.

SUMMARY

Daunis is a half native nineteen-year-old logo has never felt truly accepted in her hometown or the local Ojibwe reservation. When her family suffers two big tragedies, she chooses to put her pre-medical school plans on hold.

Life, however, is not ready to give Daunis a break. When her best friend is shot and killed in a drug related incident and multiple native children start to OD from meth, Daunis becomes a civilian informant for the FBI in an attempt to save the community that has not always made her feel welcome.

MY TAKE

This book surprised me in the best possible way! I’m not a huge fan of YA writing, but the premise sounded mature and intriguing so I gave this a shot. Honestly, I’m not sure why this is labeled as YA, other than the fact that the protagonist is 19, when it should be competing as one of the top thrillers of 2021.

Daunis is a stunning protagonist—believable, smart, self-reliant, and blessedly flawed—and the trials the faces are difficult to read but important to acknowledge. There should definitely be a trigger warning for sexual violence and drug-related violence. This is not what anyone would call a happy book, but to see Daunis overcome again and again makes the journey worthwhile.

I also really enjoyed learning about Daunis’s Native American culture and how her two communities function together. The fact that it’s Indigenous People’s Month here in the US is just one more reason to pre-order and support this compelling debut author!

Overall, I would probably not recommend this all to my students, at least not without warning them of the content. I will, however, be recommending this to all of my adult friends. It will definitely be topping some best-seller lists, and for all the right reasons.

I strongly suggest you read this one! It’s a must-read for everyone. Please click the following link to pre-order this from Amazon today: