Firekeeper's Daughter - Angeline Boulley

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

Daunis is a half-Ojibwe girl in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, trying to balance the two sides of her life. When she witnesses her best friend getting murdered by her meth addict ex-boyfriend, she gets sucked into a police investigation of meth use and distribution in Anishinaabe communities, including her own.

There's a lot going on in this book, and I found it all really compelling. There's death, grief, racism, colorism, sexual abuse, violence... It's definitely a heavy read, because Daunis experiences a lot of really difficult and terrible things. She wants to help her community, which she loves, but she doesn't like everything she discovers. It's also a crime thriller, because she and an undercover cop (who is conveniently young and good-looking, because is it even YA if there's no romance?) are trying to find out who's behind everything. Once Daunis learns about the mystery, the pages basically turn themselves. It's a book that's both important and enjoyable to read.