Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

“When someone dies, everything about them becomes past tense. Except for the grief. Grief stays in the present.

This was an absolutely wonderful read. I actually originally thought that this was a fantasy book but I was very wrong. Firekeeper’s Daughter is a contemporary mystery, a very compelling, and at times upsetting, mystery.

This book is also really very informative, I learned so much about the Ojibwe and their land. It was fascinating, and the information was delivered in a way that didn’t feel like information dumping. Daunis being volunteered to show Jamie around was a great way of giving us the history and customs of the Ojibwe.

Daunis was a fabulous character, she really was wise beyond her years, and she didn’t make me enraged even once, that’s rare for YA! 😀

“Kindness is something that seems small, Daunis, but it’s like tossing a pebble into a pond and the ripples reach further than you thought.”

Unfortunately though she endures a lot, and I hated that for her. What is awful though, is that all that she endures is very common for indigenous women. According to the NCAI website “More than 4 in 5 AI/AN (American Indian and Alaska Native) women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime (Rosay, 2016)” and “More than half of AI/AN women (56.1 percent) have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime (Rosay, 2016).” It was very upsetting to go through all of this with Daunis, but given those numbers, it would also be impossible for Boulley not to have written this the way she did. I wish we lived in a world where this wasn’t the case, it breaks my heart that we do.

“Love means wanting you to have a good life, even if I’m not in it.”

What I also enjoyed about this book is that a relationship isn’t what ‘saves’ Daunis when everything is over, working on healing herself and leaning on her community is what saves her. Did I mention that she was wise beyond her years?

I’m really looking forward to reading more books by Angeline Boulley, I can’t believe that this was her debut, Warrior Girl Unearthed, whose MC is Daunis’ little cousin in this book, looks to be really good and will be going to the top of my 2026 TBR!

Synopsis:

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?