Oh, wow. Firekeeper’s Daughter was not at all what I was expecting. But what it offered was an incredible story of identity, grief, family, and community.

We follow 18-year-old Daunis, who has quietly put her dreams for the future on hold to support her mother during overlapping family tragedies. Daunis is biracial and struggling with her identity, feeling like she doesn’t quite belong with her mother’s side of the family or on the Ojibwe reservation (where she is not an enrolled tribal member). 

Daunis is already dealing with grief and loss when she witnesses a drug-related murder. She tentatively agrees to go undover and be part of the criminal investigation (utilizing both her science skills and traditional plant wisdom), but she’s torn between wanting justice for her community and feeling unsure of the best way to protect her home.

* This is a quick note that this story contains MANY heavy topics and not every young adult reader will necessarily be ready to engage with this material. I’ve shared a list of content warnings at the bottom, but if you would like more information please let me know. *

I would call this book slow-paced (particularly the investigation aspect),  but my attention was truly hooked from beginning to end. It’s a blend of mystery and crime elements and budding romance (that I wasn’t quite rooting for - though I liked the resolution) and just thoughtful, immersive fiction. Boulley gently introduces Ojibwe culture to any reader that is unfamiliar, but keeps the dialogue fresh and curious rather than info-dumpy. The layers of love for the Anishinaabe community and traditions were brilliantly clear.

I loved Daunis as a main character. She’s smart and resilient and relatable. She even got me to care (a little) about running and hockey. 

Daunis’ journey through grief is one of the most powerful aspects of the novel. She’s suffered immensely, and has to learn to navigate intense emotions and balance her needs and boundaries with love and care for her community. It’s a rough ride, but it felt very honest. 

The community aspect overall was incredibly touching – we see Daunis protect loved ones and stand up for herself and receive that care in return. I found all of the supporting characters to be incredibly well fleshed-out. Several scenes with indigenous Elders made me tear up. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter involved a lot of complex social topics - such as generational indigenous trauma, drug use and addiction,  violence against women, and the complications of the federal legal system/Native justice dynamic. I thought all of these issues were handled well, and while the story is heavy-hitting, the amount of pain introduced does feel realistic.

Does it sometimes read what I would (lovingly) call “very YA”, especially when it comes to the believability of the FBI investigation and Daunis’ role as an informant? Oh, for sure. But I would have gobbled that aspect up as a teenager, and I think it just asks for a little suspension of disbelief. I did also take issue with the setup of the romance (there’s a major power imbalance and slightly questionable age gap). 

But overall, I thought this was incredible. 

CW: murder, drug use & addiction, death (incl. child death), rape/sexual assault, gun violence, racism (incl. indigenous slurs), grief, kidnapping, suicide, car accident, injury, colonization, confinement, misogyny, sexual harassment, medical trauma, cultural appropriation, infidelity, domestic abuse, terminal illness, pedophilia, dementia, fatphobia, homophobia

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