Firekeeper's Daughter

This is one instance where you can judge a book by its cover.

The first thing you'll notice about Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley is its stunning cover art by Anishinabek artist Moses Lunham. Inside this beautiful cover is an incredibly impressive and multilayered debut that blends an intriguing mystery with Anishinaabe culture and language. I went into this book totally blind, and I think jumping in without preconceived ideas is a good way to start this amazing read.

While the story is touted as a Teen read and features a biracial 18-year-old Ojibwe/White protagonist in Daunis Fontaine, this book will easily appeal to adult readers as well. The mystery is central to the story but through Daunis and her community in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Boulley includes important and often emotional issues that affect Indigenous communities. One of my favourite parts of the book was how Boulley immerses her reader into Indigenous culture - from tribal elders to ceremonies to traditional medicines and the inclusion of Anishinaabe language throughout the book.

Based on a recommendation from a fellow book blogger, I decided to read my hardcover and listen to the audiobook to get the correct pronunciations of Indigenous names and words. Isabella Star LaBlanc did a great job narrating and skillfully pronouncing the Anishinaabe language. My only complaint of the audiobook was its weak editing due to odd, distracting corrections that were regularly and awkwardly added. 

Overall, this was a compelling and tense mystery with a strong focus on Indigenous culture. Daunis is a main character I won't soon forget for her vulnerability, intelligence, strength and pride in her Indigenous heritage. This was an extremely strong debut, and I cannot wait to see what Boulley comes up with next!

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Angeline Boulley

Genre: Indigenous fiction, BIPOC author, Suspense

Type and Source: Dual source: Hardcover (personal copy); 

eAudio from public library

Pages: 496

Cover Artist: Moses Lunham (Anishinabek nation)

Audiobook Run Time: 14 hours, 13 min

Narrator: Isabella Star LaBlanc

Publisher: Henry, Hold and Co.

First Published: March 16, 2021

Opening Lines: I start my day before sunrise, throwing on 

running clothes and laying a pinch of semaa at the eastern 

base of a tree, where sunlight will touch the tobacco first.

Book Description from GoodReads: As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for 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, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn 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.