We’re Still Here: Firekeeper’s Daughter Review

“We faced more than you and we’re still here.”

Summary

Firekeeper’s Daughter is a story about 18-year-old Daunis Fountaine, who lives in a tight-knit Native American community. Well, sort of…Daunis is half Native American and half white. Did I mention that she is also from one of the wealthiest families in town? This sometimes leaves her feeling torn when it comes to the different opinions and values from each side of her family. Daunis is unsure of where she fits in but one thing she knows for sure is that she loves her family and her community.

When Daunis begins to lose friends and family members due to an increase of meth usage in her family, she decides to fight for her community. She is offered an opportunity to become a confidential informant for the FBI and figure out how the drugs are getting in and who’s involved. Dedicated to the job given, Daunis begins to uncover secrets that she could never have imagined.

Review

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. What attracted me first was the cover (of course), but after reading the synopsis, I was drawn in. The storyline stood out so much compared to other books I had been reading at the time. I enjoyed how the author, Angeline Boulley, focused so much on the customs of the Ojibwe community. Boulley took time to allow readers to get to know each character, which helped me a lot, and the practices of the tribe. Her development of each character helped me feel connected to everyone in the book and not just Daunis.

Although Daunis is sometimes unsure of where she belongs, she holds on tightly to her beliefs and values. I loved her relationship with her Aunt Teedie and her brother Levi. You can feel her passion for everyone around her, and she shows that with the risks she’s willing to take while working as a confidential informant. I was so invested in this book; it was hard to put it down. There were times when I could feel my heart thumping, waiting to see how things would play out. I had so many different assumptions about who was bringing in the drugs and how. My thoughts changed multiple times while reading due to the twists and turns in the book.

Firekeeper’s Daughter was definitely a strong debut for Angeline Boulley. This book will go in my top five reads for the year. I give this book 5 stars!

Spoiler Alert

Now that I’ve given my review, I want to share some of the reactions and questions I had while reading.

• Jame is a cop!!! I did not see that coming at all. I figured that out around the same time as Daunis.
• I love Aunt Teedie. She dropped so many gems that I started taking notes.
• Did Levi hurt anyone else’s feelings? I was heartbroken. I don’t understand why he would go along with the plan to kidnap Daunis when they were so close.
• After Daunis told her mother that her uncle didn’t relapse and was killed, why didn’t she tell her mom about Dana taking advantage of her father? I want to know how her mother reacts to that news! Her mom spent so much time thinking he just cheated, not knowing that Dana drugged him with the intent of getting pregnant.
• I wanted Daunis and Jamie together. I was satisfied with how everything played out, but I was hoping she would fast forward or something so I know if they worked things out.

Have you read Firekeeper’s Daughter? Let me know your thoughts!