Sampler, sneak peak. These are notoriously difficult to review but the chapter sneak peek looks promising

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the sampler! This review is based on a sampler, which consists of the first 9 chapters of the book.

This is such an interesting start to the book! Firekeeper's Daughter follows Daunis, a half white and half Anishinaabe girl with a complicated family history living in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. I didn't know this was set in Michigan going into this book, but it was a pleasant surprise to read a book set in my home state. My favorite part of this book so far is how important Anishinaabe culture is to Daunis. She is so involved in her culture and her family and I appreciated how much of it the author included in the book. There's quite a bit of Ojibwe language included (with translations) and I hope the final copy includes a pronunciation guide in the back to help readers who aren't familiar with the language.

Obviously I can't comment on the whole book since this is a sampler, but I'm very intrigued on where it goes! There's a potential romance being set up between Daunis and Jamie (the "new guy" who joins her brother's hockey team) and it'll be fun to see where that goes. The sampler ends on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what happens next! This is a promising start and I'm excited to pick it up when it comes out in March!

Big thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the sneak peek!

Daunis Fontaine has a complicated family history. With her mother being Caucasian and her father Native American, Daunis grew up between two very different worlds. Because her father was never put on her birth certificate, she was never fully accepted into the reservation. Along with the microaggressions she deals with on a daily basis, Daunis is struggling after the recent death of her uncle and her grandmother's stroke. But when Jamie arrives to play in her brother's hockey team, Daunis feels like she finally met someone who understands her completely.

However, Daunis witnesses a horrible crime and her life changes completely...

This is the first sampler that left me wanting more. The sampler itself already contains injustices Daunis, her family members and her friends experience, and causes the reader to reflect on this. I haven't read the rest of the book yet so I can't comment on everything, but I do know that this will be one of my better 2021 reads. I think this book has the potential to be powerful and I can't wait to read the rest.

i am OBSESSED! The characters are so vivid and the setting is so immersive. It feels more and more like I was a part of the story. I am desperately needing to read the rest of this book!


The ARC of this chapter was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it very much. I was so glad to receive the copy. Now that I have read it I can't wait to see it released and see the book world go crazy.
The book has a well driven plot. The characters are strong characters with depth that evolve throughout the book.

Loved it

Review provided voluntarily for an ARC received from Netgalley. Thank you public.

As this was only a sampler, this is my thoughts after the first couple of chapters.

I need to read this book. When I first heard about it, I was intrigued by the mythology and lets be honest, the stunning cover.

What little I have now read has made me fall in love with the world and the characters and this is a must-read in 2021 for me!

(As it was a sampler, I have not reviewed it on Goodreads or similar, and the rating is based only on what I have read so far)

First things first, I absolutely love the cover! And now onto the teaser, it had me hooked because I'm all for knowing what happened with Jamie and Daunis, but not just that- because from the very beginning, it's like she is unraveling as she struggles to make sense of everything she feels, wants and goes after.
It's a beautiful read.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a sample of this book!

I am providing a review based on the sample provided, which consisted of several chapters.

Firekeeper's Daughter follows Daunis Fontaine, an 18 year old with a complicated family history. In the except, Daunis meets Jaime, a boy new to the town, and becomes his ambassador as he joins the hockey team. Knowing he has a girlfriend, she does her best to keep her distance, not wanting to be "That Girl".

Just in the sample I read, Angeline Boulley causes the reader to reflect on the injustices faced by the Indigenous peoples. I can only imagine how powerful and confronting the rest of the novel is. The protagonist, Daunis, is very likeable. There are many words and terms from the Ojibwe language, however Angeline Boulley provides the reader with translations, or information and context, so the story is easy to follow regardless of language.

I am very much looking forward to picking up the story where the excerpt left off. And also... That cover is amazing!

“Whenever I fall, my dad’s voice is the thunder following the crack of lightning, telling me to get back up.”


Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for a sneak peek of Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley! Here’s a review made of my own thoughts and opinions based on what I’ve read so far!


🦋 Daunis has grown up straddling two very different worlds — the ones of her mother and her father, so when Daunis graduates from high school she’s ready to start a new life by going to college away from her hometown. Then, Daunis’ family is hit with back to back hardships and she knows she’ll have to stay to help them through the aftermath. Meanwhile, she’s been mentoring one of the players on her brother’s hockey team. While out at a party with her mentee, Daunis witnesses a crime that will send her life spiraling on a new path.

So, I’m absolutely dying to find out what happens in this story! Like, I gotta know what Daunis is going to do next. While there were a few spots where the writing felt a little rushed, I’m pretty excited to finish this debut when it comes out later this year! 🦋

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read a preview for this book!

I don't typically read anything but fantasy, but this one had me intrigued! The characters are good, and oooo that preview ending! I'll definitely be picking this up when it releases.

A lot of potential storylines were already introduced, with great opportunities for character development as the book progresses.

This book follows Dauniss who is 18 and lives in Sault Ste Marie, her mother is caucasian and her father is Native American. Because he was never put on her birth certificate she is legally denied a lot of experiences within her res community (like voting for Tribal Council), but also experiences a lot of privilege when dealing with local cops/border patrol etc. This topic is already explored quite a bit at the beginning of the book, and I am interested to see how they expand on this.

Woven throughout the book is a lot of information about Native American culture and teachings, and also information about legal status difficulties and other problems with the Canadian and American governments including racial profiling at the border.

I do hope there will be a pronunciation key in the back of the book for all the commonly used "Nish" (as Dauniss calls it) words, phrases and names ubecause I would want to make sure to take the time to pronounce everything correctly.

— thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher Henry, Holt and Co. for providing me with an e-ARC of a sneak peek of #FirekeepersDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

i was so excited to pick this book up, and i was eternally grateful for even a sneak peak. but i have to say i expected more than what i got.

please not that from the sneak peek that i read, i can only judge on the first few chapters. i really loved how Anishinaabe this book (sneak peek) was, i liked how it doesn’t let you forget the existence of indigenous people and native tribes. it doesn’t treat that culture weirdly, just naturally and head-on and i liked seeing that in a YA book.

however, and i’m sure my opinion can be changed if i read the complete book, but the writing was just not for me. the number of times daunis called jamie “buddy” is impossible to count. some/most of the relationships felt forced and unnatural; like daunis’ relationship with her friends and her auntie.

all in all, i wish i could love this. the premise is GREAT, the underlying theme is GREAT, but i just felt like the writing fell short of that. would the progressing plot have made up for it in the next chapters outside the excerpt i just read? absolutely possible. i might just have to pick up the book when it’s released march 2021!

Daunis Fontaine is someone who has always struggled to fit in. When her grandmother has a stroke, she decides to place her dreams briefly on hold so she can support her family. In doing so, she meets Jamie, a new hockey recruit with secrets. When Daunis witnesses a murder, she must decide how far she will go for her community and family. I absolutely devoured this excerpt of Firekeeper’s Daughter! I loved the style of writing and intriguing characters. Daunis’ deep love for her family shines and her grief at the tragedies that occurred felt so incredibly real. Needless to say, I felt deeply invested in Daunis and I will be racing to get my copy in March so I can find out what happened after the cliffhanger in the excerpt! Firekeeper’s Daughter releases on March 2, 2021. Thank you so much to Angeline Boulley, Henry Holt and Co., and Netgalley for a free chapter sampler in exchange for honest feedback.

This was an exciting preview for this book that left me wanting more! The premise of the plot feels unique and compelling, and the characters introduced also seem like they’ll have beautiful stories that will unfold — I can’t wait to see where this story goes in the full version, as I imagine the stakes and plot will pick up and unfold in incredible and unexpected ways.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. The cover is GORGEOUS and the contents of the book itself did not disappoint. I've only read the excerpt but I can see that this book is very well written and nuanced, it left me wanting more and I absolutely can't wait to read the full book and see what happens next.

First of all, this cover. Wow! So stunning. It visually pulls you into this story with this gorgeous and complex illustrated cover.

It so important to tell and share more stories by Indigenous and Native American Peoples, and this book is going to be a powerful addition. As this is only a sneak peek, I can't review the full book. But if this excerpt is anything to go by, this story is going to be impactful. I can't wait to read more about Daunis' journey, and look forward to reading the full book. What a fantastic start!

If this is the sample - the whole story is going to blow your mind away. What a great story. I am so happy to see more and more stories featuring native individuals as the main characters.

This sample is largely the exposition. In this sample we learn about Daunis, the main character, through her background of being half white half native - but not a registered member of the tribe. This decision by her mothers family has large impacts in her life. Hockey is a big deal.. her brother is on the Hockey team and she meets the new hockey player, Jaime. Jaime is also half native and half white - they bond over this fact they have in common as it is a unique perspective to have in their lives. In this exposition we get to see Daunis’ and Jaime’s friendship begin to flourish.

Then it all ends with a BANG.

This review is for an excerpt that truly sets the tone for what is to follow. Daunis in many ways straddles two worlds as her father was a part of the Indigenous people and her mother a white woman descended from French settlers. This story is a revelation as well as a criminal suspense one with deaths, drug use and prejudice. Daunis is at a crossroads in many ways as her uncle recently died, her maternal grandmother has had a stroke and she decides not to go away to university but to stay another year at home. Set against a background of hockey players seeking a better life Daunis stands out as a strong young woman who only wishes to be accepted but sometimes what you wish for can bring terrible consequences. I highly recommend this book and will certainly read more from this author.
This voluntary take is of an excerpt I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I genuinely thought this was a fantasy but apparently not, which is ok. I am glad this excerpt let me know that. But I enjoyed what I read. I loved getting a view into the world of the Ojibwe People and into the experiences of Native American Peoples. Boulley's voice is very important and she brings to life something that is missing from YA Lit. The writing and characterization was also well done.

I have been looking to read more books featuring the voices of Indigenous women. I feel the stories of these women are often overlooked and it is important that we tell these stories, share our experiences. What I read was only a sneak peek, but oh did it leave me wanting more. Daunis felt like a real girl, you feel her insecurities and her ambitions, she comes alive in her words. You feel the strength of her and the Ojibwe women who came before her, you feel their resilience. I want to continue, to see how this story unfolds, I want to know how this young woman will learn and grow. Overall an excellent start to a wonderful debut!