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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Firekeeper's Daughter in Books

Aug 19, 2021  
Firekeeper's Daughter
Firekeeper's Daughter
Angeline Boulley | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
An expansive and lovely #OwnVoices tale
Daunis Fontaine feels torn between two worlds--growing up worrying about her Mom and dreaming of becoming a doctor and then being an unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe. Her late father was a member and so is her half-brother, Levi. When Daunis' uncle dies and she decides to stay home and attend local community college to take care of her mom, she feels trapped. But the arrival of Jamie, a new member of Levi's hockey team, is a bright spot. The two become fast friends. However, everything changes when Daunis witnesses a horrible murder, and she becomes an informant for the FBI. Suddenly, everything she knows about her hometown and the tribe changes.

"I learned there were times when I was expected to be a Fontaine and other times when it was safe to be a Firekeeper."

This is an excellent book--more mystery than I thought it would be. It covers a lot of topics--sometimes more than seems necessary. Racism, tribal issues, sexual assault, depression, drug abuse, FBI informants, romance, murder... there's a lot packed into this book. However, it does a great job looking into how meth and drug abuse affect the Native American community (as well as sexual assault). It's heartbreaking at times, but also compelling and educational.

"My mother's superpower is turning my ordinary worries into monsters so huge and pervasive that her distress and heartache become almost debilitating. I can protect her from that hurt."

Daunis is a very sympathetic and likeable character. She's dedicated to her family, to her tribe, and her community. She takes on a lot for a kid her age. Sometimes it felt like the informant plot was a little much, a little contrived, but overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It was wonderful to read an #OwnVoices book of such quality and scope, and I look forward to what Boulley does next.

I read this book as part of my new reading project--choosing books off my shelves based on their Goodreads rankings. This is my fourth book of the project, forcing me out of my comfort zone and to try books in genres I don't usually read!
  
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ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Cactus in Books

Jan 27, 2018  
The Cactus
The Cactus
Sarah Haywood | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A rather unexpected story!
I noticed the cover of this first - it's not like the picture here. It's densely covered with cacti (no humans!). I've bought so many books based purely on the cover and surprisingly (or is that 'fortunately'?), it's not often that I'm disappointed. I certainly wasn't disappointed here either. The main character, Susan, you quickly learn is the cactus. She collects them, and she seems to have learnt from their defence mechanism: if you're prickly, no one wants to get too close. I've seen a few reviewers refer to her as being on the autistic spectrum, but I would argue that that really isn't the case at all: and as you read further in to the story, you can see that this stand-offishness has been cultivated on purpose.
There is no rush to this story, but plenty happens. There's LOADS of character building: we get a really good insight into Susan and how she ticks. I found myself really plugging for her and wanting her to find her happy ending. The characters who populate her world are also really likeable, even her rogue of a brother (who she has the measure of right from the beginning). I'd love to know what happens next - I'm not a huge fan of sequels, but if someone (the author, perhaps!) could just satisfy my curiosity, that would be great!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a great book!