Hello friends and happy Friday! It’s the end of another week and I hope you’re doing well! Today I’m going to be posting my review of Angeline Boulley’s novel Firekeeper’s Daughter.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by: Angeline Boulley: Daunis Foutaine has put her future on hold to take care of family; the only good thing is meeting Jamie, the new kid on the hockey team. But as time goes on, it’s clear Jamie has a secret. She soon finds herself thrust into an FBI investigation to find out what and how a lethal drug has been killing members of the community. This was a heavy novel filled with so many things all wrapped together. It was a grief filled mystery that also had so much love and healing weaved into it. This was fast-paced and the plot was so intricate and layered that the reader honestly never knew where this story was going to go. At first the reader was kind of annoyed that each chapter seemed to end on a new discovery, but after a while, it was effectively done to give just a little bit away. Every time the reader thought they knew or could figure out the mystery, something new cropped up and threw everything out the window. Boulley did an amazing job of creating red herrings. The fake dating plot was used as more of a way to move the investigation than as an actual romance plot and at first the reader wasn’t on board, but as the story moved forward it was used very successfully. The last hundred pages filled the reader with a lot of anxiety as so much happened to the main character, trigger warnings for sexual assault; Boulley didn’t go into details but things were implied. The characters were deeply developed and deeply flawed, but that’s what really drew them to the reader; they were real and complex with so many emotions. They all learn so much about themselves and each other over the course of the novel. It was beautiful to watch their growth throughout. Overall, this novel packed a punch and really showed the Native experience and the power of community and love.