Warrior Girl Unearthed

Firekeeper's Daughter #2

by Angeline Boulley

Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.

In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.

Sometimes, the truth shouldn't stay buried.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Indigenous, Contemporary, Thriller

496 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 2, 2023

About the author

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She gained attention from the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program. Angeline was the former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Her agent is Faye Bender at The Book Group. Firekeeper's Daughter has been optioned for a Netflix series by the Obamas' Higher Ground production company.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

i didnt enjoy this as much as ABs debut, but theres still a lot to like about this!

its very clear that AB cares deeply about her people and culture. you can feel it on every page as you learn about the ojibwe, their tribe, and their ancestors. what is important to them feels important to the reader because of the passion in the writing. i also really enjoyed learning more about the NAGPRA through both the story and the little real life excerpts sprinkled throughout the book.

but the reason i didnt enjoy this as much as ‘firekeepers daughter’ is because of how juvenile the story feels in comparison. ‘firekeepers daughter’ was honest, raw, and didnt shy away from difficult topics. and while this explores heavy themes as well, its lacking the maturity im used to when it comes to ABs characters and dialogue.

but overall, this is a very timely novel about honouring indigenous ancestral rights and ensuring sacred items are returned to where they belong.

thank you, macmillan/henry holt and co, for the ARC!

↠ 3.5 stars

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to start sprinkling in more indigenous reads and being intentional with my book choices because Warrior Girl Unearthed was awesome! Perry Fire-Keeper Birch's coming-of-age new adult story is packed with mystery, adventure, and very real feeling issues!!

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**This was an intentional pick because a friend of mine was talking about how much she's loved diving into Native American literature!! If you want to read something with a different perspective than usual, I highly recommend Warrior Girl Unearthed as a way to dip your toe into the genre!!

THOUGHTS:
- Something I loved about Boulley's writing is how the characters' speech patterns felt authentically Native American. From how they spoke English to their blend of regional dialects throughout the story. You may not 100% understand what the words mean, but you definitely catch the meaning based on context when they're not explained.

- When I was growing up, my parents were very open about the truth behind museums, zoos etc, so some of the repatriation/ownership/provenances of artifacts conversations weren't new to me - but I still loved reading about them. I think it's an important cultural step for all Americans to understand who this land belonged to and how we view tribal policies/ how artifacts are discovered and displayed.

- The author describes Warrior Girl Unearthed as a coming-of-age Native American tomb raider, and I 100% felt that was accurate!!

FAVORITE QUOTES:
'I've heard wiindigoo stories my whole life. A wiindigoo is a greedy cannibal that grows larger and more powerful with each person it consumes. This is the first time I've heard one be born.' - This is how an ambitious researcher is described when she realizes she's in possession of artifacts that belong to a native tribe... I don't think I'll ever forget that. It's like the Native American version of a villain origin story!

'I stare at random tourists and wonder how they would react to their ancestors being stolen for research.' - I really never thought about this in this way - but after reading WGU I realize this practice is incredibly disrespectful. Anthropology as a field has a long way to go.

***Of the Book of The Month Books I've picked recently, this has been one of my favorite!! Right now, my Book of The Month tally is 27 Loves, 7 Likes, and 3 Loathed. Learn more about a Book of The Month Club subscription here. (It's not a referral link, just FYI. 😊 Just my thoughts on why I truly think Book of the Month Club is the best book subscription box!)

NOTES:
- N/A 🌶️ There are mentions of people's activities, but not in a sexy way? There's also a little bit of romance between our heroine and her crush, but it's minimal in a way that doesn't detract from the story.
- CWs: The reason I say this is New Adult and not Young Adult -- much of this story surrounds the kidnapping/r4pe of indigenous women. As important as these topics are - they may be a bit much for young minds. Nothing is detailed, but quite a bit is alluded to and discussed. I can see it having been a good read for me around the time I turned 15/16.

[Nikola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! This was a powerful and interesting young adult mystery about the importance of family and reclaiming your history. Warrior Girl Unearthed takes place 10 years after the events of Firekeeper's Daughter and follows Perry Firekeeper-Birch, a teenager who is in an internship program to pay her Aunt back for the damage to her car. Perry becomes involved in an investigation to find Indigenous women who have gone missing and tries to reclaim her ancestors' remains which have been taken. Will Perry find the missing women and reclaim her ancestors before it's too late?

This was such a powerful and emotional story that is beautifully written. I was engaged in the story the entire time and there were several unexpected plot twists that had me on the edge of my seat. The author did an excellent job of making the story engaging and thoughtful while also discussing the injustice that Indigenous people face. I learned so much about the Objiwe tribe, their customs and the importance of honoring their ancestors. While reading this I could tell how much love that the author put into this story for her culture and tribe. The characters are so well developed and have several complexities to them. I loved Perry, she is strong, resilient, caring, compassionate, loyal and will do anything for her family and community. Perry was so inspiring and I felt a connection to her since family is very important to me too. I also really liked Perry's friend Shense, who is brave, hard working, loyal, kind and always puts her baby and community first. I loved the Native American representation in this book, it's so important that everyone's story is told. This was such a raw and honest story that made me emotional a few times.

[sol✯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW COME NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS

after reading: im literally crying

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angeline Boulley is such a masterful author! Warrior Girl Unearthed deftly navigates sensitive topics with a wonderfully entertaining main character with a growth arc, and gives us a sort of heist/thriller.

And you will probably come out of this book like I did, horrified at the realities of reclaiming and repatriating indigenous ancestral remains and sacred objects from museums and collectors. This book was a real education, but also not as heavy as you would expect given the content. Perry is the perfect character for this and she really grows from not caring about anything besides fishing to being a passionate advocate for her people. While still staying very much herself. This also touches on MMIW (missing and murdered indigenous women) which not enough people are aware of.

Set 10 years after Firekeeper's Daughter, we get to see Daunis as a mother and auntie to Perry which is very cool. In general this novel just feels so well-realized with depth to the community, history, characters, and practices. But it's also a page-turner. Seriously, I can't recommend this enough. The audio narration is also excellent, especially because you get to hear proper pronunciation of the language being used. I received an audio review copy of this book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[Rachel L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking place in 2014, Warrior Girl Unearthed is the story of Perry Firekeeper-Birch, the niece of the character Daunis from Firekeeper's Daughter. After crashing her car to avoid a bear, Perry is relocated to a paid internship with the tribal council where she is put under the mentorship of Cooper. Cooper is the tribe oddball, but he's the museum curator and in charge of repatriating Ojibwe items from local museums. Perry and all of her intern team, the Misfit Toys, realize they may need to think outside the box in order to reclaim their heritage.

I absolutely loved this book and it solidified Angeline Boulley as a rockstar author in my eyes. Normally sophmore novels don't always hit, so I was shocked when I loved this book even more than Firekeeper's Daughter. You can technically read this book as a standalone, although I think you really should read Firekeeper's Daughter first to get the entire scope of the characters and the community.

One of my favorite things about Boulley is her ability to cover tough subjects in a way that doesn't hit you too hard to even read. I feel as a non-native she explains tribal issues in such a way that it doesn't feel like a lecture, it's really interesting and I get upset these topics aren't covered more in non-native spaces. This book talked a lot about NAGPRA, or the repatriation of native items and remains. It is beyond wild to me the nuances of this and why collector's and museums wouldn't give these back to the communities they belong to. This book also covers missing or murdered indigenous women and the reasons why these crimes are not as easy to solve/prosecute as they should be.

I loved Perry as a main character, she's an angry teenager, but she is so relatable to so many people. Her story was very much about the places where life leads you and the rights and wrongs you make along the way. Every single thing that happened to her really did happen for a reason and set her on the path she was meant to be on.

I really loved this book and am eager for more from Boulley. I think she's quickly becoming one of the best modern young adult authors of our time.

[John Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Ms Boulley's first book Firekeepers Daughter, which also takes place in Northern Michigan on Native land and involves tribal lore and peoples. This book was far more ambitious, using lots of native language in the dialogue and narrative, unfortunately rarely letting us know what any of it means. The plot itself is quite convoluted and becomes confusing by the epic ending involving repatriation of native artifacts and human remains. Well worth the read for what was presented, but ultimately a disappointing one for me. 3 stars.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Just... wow. Angeline Boulley's "Warrior Girl Unearthed" hit me like a thunderbolt. This book isn't just a story; it's a journey that'll leave you changed.

Perry Firekeeper-Birch is the kind of main character that burrows into your heart and refuses to leave. She's fierce, funny, and flawed in all the best ways. Watching her navigate her identity as an Anishinaabe woman, deal with family expectations, and dive headfirst into a mystery that's way bigger than she ever imagined - it's like watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis.

Boulley's writing? It's pure magic. She weaves Anishinaabe culture into every page, not as window dressing, but as the beating heart of the story. I learned so much without ever feeling like I was being lectured. The way she tackles heavy topics like the exploitation of Indigenous remains and artifacts, the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis - it's done with such care and power that it left me in tears more than once.

But don't think this book is all heavy. There's humor, there's romance (Perry's journey of self-discovery includes some sweet LGBTQ+ representation), and there are moments of pure joy that had me grinning from ear to ear.

The mystery at the heart of the story kept me guessing until the very end. I was up way past my bedtime, telling myself "just one more chapter" over and over again. And when I finally closed the book? I felt like I'd been on an epic adventure.

"Warrior Girl Unearthed" is more than just a great read. It's a call to action, a celebration of culture, and a reminder of the power of community. It made me laugh, cry, and think deeply about issues I'd never fully considered before.

If you read one book this year, make it this one. Perry's story will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Boulley has crafted something truly special here - a book that entertains, educates, and ignites a fire in your soul. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to have this, because I loved FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER so much. (I have given away at least two copies, and been responsible for at least a dozen people reading it.) This took me a minute reorient myself: it takes place about ten years later, and is centered on different people, but once I sank into the community again, and once the story got rolling (which didn't take long) . . . WELL. I felt once more like I was living in this community, celebrating with them, grieving with them. I sometimes struggle with rebellious teen characters (I'm old, and I can see how "this will only end in tears!"), but I'm also well aware that I am not the target audience for this book. That said, I soon grew to love Perry and Pauline and the rest of Team Misfit Toys.

Much like FKD, this book celebrated the Ashinaabe community but pulled no punches with the trials they face from both external and internal sources. The subject this one dealt with, of cultural artifacts and even remains being stolen, sold, and kept from Indigenous people, hit hard. How would I feel if I saw my grandmother's skeleton on display in a museum? Alongside the shoes she was buried in? PRETTY DAMN MAD. I learned a lot from this book, but I felt like I was learning alongside Perry, and not being openly lectured to.

I said this with FKD, and I'm saying it again: This should be assigned reading in schools.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Firekeeper's Daughter. It had everything you wanted and it was a great debut by a new author. I felt like it was Veronica Mars of the res.

This book, taking place in the same universe (and same state), was the top of my list to read. When I found out C2E2 was gonna have copies of this I quickly grabbed one. When I finally came to this book, I settled in for a good read. When finished, I felt that while it was good... it wasn't as good as Firekeeper's Daughter and this book may have mixed reactions.

It's by NO MEANS a bad book. No. The issue lies within the plot. The focus of the narrative relies on the main character and her response on how bodies of those within the tribe's ancestors, when found, are not given back to those who have lineage. Instead of allowing a proper burial and or respect, they are given to various universities and museums and put on display. Some are even sold on ebay as Native American art. This is a huge issue and something when I was doing my anthropology class in college was an essay topic (naturally I sided with the families and the treatment / care of preserving them should be with the tribe backed universities). The author wanted to discuss this and made a great focus for her plot.

But that plot? Everything surrounding it was so boring, so... unfocused. I was shocked that this was the follow up book. The characters kind of just were there and all what was connecting them was this serious issue. There wasn't a lot of character depth or agency and when the ending came I was still thrown back by it being the end.

In the end, I think it's what you take away from this book that will either make it good or amazing. For me, I wanted a stronger plot wrapped around this important issue. But it is possible that those who are NA will enjoy this and rate it higher. The author is on that is delivering when it comes to a voice for this community. I look forward to reading more books by her.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warrior Girl Unearthed was just okay for me. The story was very clunky and it seemed that there could have been a more straightforward journey from A to Z. It felt like there was too much going on while at the same time nothing was really happening. I gave an extra star for the awareness that this novel brings to repatriation and MMIW. I’m definitely in the minority with my opinion on this one, and it seems many people enjoyed this book more than I did.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angeline Boulley is officially an auto-read author for me. I don’t want to spend this whole review comparing this to Firekeeper’s Daughter, so let me just say at the start that this book isn’t as polished as that one, and I doubt that it will get anywhere near as much acclaim – but it’s written with just as much heart, and I still loved it!

We follow Perry, whom we briefly met in Firekeeper’s Daughter as one of Aunt Teddie’s daughters. Perry is impulsive and a little immature: she drives too fast, likes to take risks, and is more interested in fishing than school – and (somewhat improbably!) I adored her. She just has so much love for her community and her culture, and her care and good intentions are evident, even when she’s making bad decisions. She grows so much over the course of the book, and I loved seeing her learn and mature, and figure out how she can fight for her community most effectively.

The cast of secondary characters was also great. Perry’s twin sister, Pauline, is her exact opposite, and the way they disagreed constantly, but still loved and protected each other so fiercely, felt so real. We also get plenty of cameos from characters from Firekeeper’s Daughter, including the inimitable Granny June, and of course Daunis herself!

This book can mostly be read as a standalone, but it does spoil a couple of things from Firekeeper’s Daughter if you haven’t read that (though it’s legitimately one of the best-written books I’ve ever read, so I don’t know what you’re waiting for!) One of my favourite parts of that book was Daunis’ relationship with Aunt Teddie, so I loved getting to see Daunis in the aunt role now, and generally as an adult and mother. (Daunis and Perry are technically cousins, but the age gap is such that they have more of a materteral relationship.)

The plot of this book is centred around NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a US law that requires institutions like museums and universities to return cultural items (often including human remains) to Indigenous tribes. I hadn’t heard of NAGPRA, but was unsurprised to learn that institutions have spent the last thirty years dragging their feet and making excuses.

The discussion of how Indigenous history and sacred practices are seen as less valuable, or less worthy of care, than their white equivalents, was so clearly laid out, and so powerful. It’s all conveyed through the emotional reactions that Perry has when encountering the stolen items, and her distress is such an effective way for Boulley to show how brutal the theft of all these items has been, how deeply it affects Indigenous tribes, and why it’s so important that they be returned. It’s all also backed up by some really powerful epigraphs, which provide real-world context for everything happening in the story. There’s also discussion around Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, which is a smaller plot but no less effective.

I also love that not all the Ojibwemowin is translated: there are always enough context clues to figure it out, but the writing feels so much more natural and fluid than if it has to stop every few sentences to translate itself.

However, I think the plot overall is where the lack of polish shows the most, particularly towards the end. The climax of the story is so gripping, but the more I think about the story, the more loose ends and unanswered questions I still have. There are a lot of moving pieces that don’t all tie up, and some of the antagonists’ actions still don’t fully make sense to me.

The romantic subplot also felt under-developed. Perry begins a relationship with someone she first meets during the course of the story, and it all feels very early, so the level of heartbreak we’re told she feels when it’s not working out feels disproportionate to the interactions we’ve seen between them.

Overall, this may not be quite the masterpiece that Firekeeper’s Daughter is, but it’s no less important or powerful (and is also a less harrowing read, if the list of content warnings in Firekeeper’s Daughter is putting you off.) I hope Perry gets at least some of the love that Daunis did, and I will be waiting impatiently for whatever Angeline Boulley writes next!
 
CW: abduction, murder, grief, racism & cultural insensitivity, anxiety and trichotillomania, references to sexual assault

Thank you to NetGalley and Rock the Boat for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

This author blew me away with her debut novel ‘Fire Keeper’s Daughter’ and continues to do so with her sophomore book, ‘Warrior Girl Unearthed’. This is not a genre I usually read (YA with some mystery) but these books were both so well written, engaging, and emotional.

Boulley writes such great characters, and Perry was one I loved reading about straight away. Following her story and seeing her bravery and resilience was wonderful. I felt like I learned a lot in this book and it was entertaining as well. Like I said earlier, not my normal genre of book but I’m so happy I picked this up.

Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Narrators: Isabella Star LaBlanc
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary YA
Length: 11h 32m

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I red the first one last year and this was a very good follow up to it.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted and emotionally gripping, Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island once more, as we explore life ten years on from the events of Fire Keeper’s Daughter. And we follow the POV of Daunis’ endearingly impulsive, justice seeking niece, Perry. Whose loyalty and determination to see the remains of her ancestors returned, leads to a Lara Croft meets Ocean’s eleven-style plan to steal them back.

Having recently finished reading Fire Keeper’ Daughter (which had me uncontrollably sobbing at times) I was soo excited dive head first into Perry’s story given we last saw her aged six. And like her debut novel, Boulley masterfully weaves a heartfelt and thought provoking tale that explores another aspect of injustice and highlighting the very real and highly relevant issues that still affect native communities today.

From the racial discrimination and indifference towards violence perpetrated against the native community, to the sheer lack of empathy for the many indigenous women and girls who go missing (or are murdered) each year— Boulley perfectly captures the bubbling rage and unrelenting despair that soo many of the characters (and real life people) have had to endure.

I loved the vibrancy and complexity of almost all of the characters we meet, and the detail into their personal lives and backstories added soo much depth — but I admit, I was particularly impressed with Perry, whose strong sense of justice, unwavering compassion and love for her family (as well as community and cultural identity) really showcased her resilience and strength. I know I could never be as strong (or resourceful) if placed in the same situation and was utterly invested in watching her succeed.

Another firm favourite was Shense who, like Perry, very much tells it like it is. A Young single mother, she’s just trying to give her daughter the best life possible and works hard to make that happen. I loved her level of commitment, both to her family and the community—not to mention her sense of humour which had me giggling on more than one occasion.

It was also great to see some of my fave characters (such as Daunis) from Fire Keeper’s Daughther return, and definitely helped to bring this nuanced and incredibly descriptive world to life.

Overall, an incredibly engaging and informative read that words really cannot do justice—not to mention how perfectly it showcases the love Boulley has for her community and cultural heritage.

It is quite emotional at times (I do suggest checking TWs before reading), but I guarantee that this is one YA mystery thriller that you won’t want to put down.

Also, a huge thank you to Rock The Boat/ One World Publications for the amazing physical copy.

[Brandi Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up because I think the theme of this book is very important and awareness about repatriation needs to be heard.

But, I couldn't get over the language of the main character. It's written in first person and listening to it on Audible probably didn't help.

It's all hella this and hella that. And good grief, how many times do I have to hear her say 'sneaky snag'? Ugh.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved Firekeeper's Daughter. And I will happily read any further books from Boulley but this one just wasn't for me.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never shut up about this book and I will recommend it to strangers on my commute and anyone I ever make eye contact with

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a car accident, Perry finds herself forced into a summer internship to pay for the repairs. During the program she discovers a local university holds sacred Ojibwe artefacts and the human remains of ancestors.

She is pulled in different directions. Some advocate quiet negotiation and persuasion to have what was taken returned. Others feel more direct action is warranted...they should just take them back. She is caught in the middle not sure which way is best.

Angeline Boulley speaks truth to power. This book is YA fiction but she dives into many issues that Native Americans still face to this day. The desecration of graves, the taking of human remains by museums and universities, the murder of young Native American women.

I loved the story, the characters and I finished the book smarter than when I began.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perry Firekeeper-Birch hat sich eigentlich auf entspannte Sommerferien voller Angeltage auf Sugar Island gefreut, als sie gleich zu Beginn des Sommers in einen Wildunfall mit ihrem Jeep verwickelt wird. Ihre Tante Daunis kommt für die Reparaturkosten auf und lässt Perry diese durch einen Praktikantinnenjob in einem indigenen Museum abstottern. Perrys Chef Cooper ist ein Eigenbrötler, doch als Perry erkennt, was er sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, brennt auch sie für ihre Arbeit: Cooper möchte die sterblichen Überreste einer Vorfahrin, "Warrior Girl", sowie weitere kulturelle Gegenstände und Kunstwerke eines nahegelegenen Museums über das NAGPRA-Programm dem Anishinabe-Tribe zurück bringen. Als aber nach und nach immer mehr indigene Frauen verschwinden, spitzt sich die Situation zu und Perry findet sich in ihrem eigenen Rückholungskampf wieder.

Angeline Boulley ist mit "Warrior Girl Unearthed", aus dem Amerikanischen übersetzt von Petra Bös, erneut ein hochspannender und dabei unglaublich lehrreicher (Jugend-)Roman gelungen. Bereits "Firekeeper's Daughter" hat mir letztes Jahr ausgesprochen gut gefallen, mit diesem Roman knüpft sie an ihren Erfolg an. Das Setting bildet erneut Sugar Island, eine kleine Insel zwischen den USA und Kanada, und auch einigen Figuren aus "Firekeeper's Daughter" begegnen die Lesenden wieder, allen voran Daunis, Perrys Auntie, die Protagonistin des Debütromans von Boulley. Thematisch geht es in "Warrior Girl Unearthed" zum einen um die Rückgabe sterblicher Überreste indigener Menschen und indigenen Kulturgütern, die durch die verschiedenen Institutionen trotz des Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), der vor über 30 Jahren verabschiedet wurde, verzögert oder gar ganz verhindert wird - von den privaten Sammler*innen ganz zu schweigen - und zum anderen um die Entführung und Ermordung indigener Frauen. Angeline Boulley schreibt in ihrem Nachwort, dass sie unterschiedliche Beispiele aufzeigen wollte, wie indigene Körper bis heute missachtet und abgewertet werden.

Mich hat Perrys Geschichte sowohl berührt, als auch sehr gefesselt. Ich finde es beeindruckend, wie die Autorin Ausführungen über indigenes Leben und die Kultur des Anishinabe-Tribe mit einer spannungsgeladenen und dramatische Geschichte über Liebe, Freundschaft, Familie und den Einsatz für die eigene Community verbindet. Auch die Charaktere waren sehr gut ausgearbeitet, ich habe sie schnell ins Herz geschlossen und mochte besonders, wie facettenreich sie gestaltet wurden. Von mir gibt es eine große Leseempfehlung!

Hinweis: In der Übersetzung wird das I-Wort verwendet.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 reads: 35/250

2024 tbr: 21/120

perry firekeeper-birch was prepared for a laidback summer, but instead, she has to find a job to repay her aunt daunis for a fender bender that wasn’t even completely her fault. with her twin and the other teens in the summer program, she feels that maybe summer isn’t ruined after all. however, when she learns of the remains of “warrior girl,” an ancestor, being kept at a local university, she makes it her new mission to bring her home. with the university continuously finding loopholes to hold onto these remains, she and her friends start to wonder if perhaps the best way to bring warrior girl and other ancestors home is to break the law.

after reading firekeeper’s daughter, i thought i’d be permanently saying goodbye to that world and those characters, so i was pleasantly surprised when i learned daunis had such an influential role in this book!

this was an incredible dive into the horror of stolen ancestors and artifacts and the racist institutions determined to keep them. i’m ashamed to admit i’ve never thought about these things before, so reading about these laws and the grueling process of reclaiming these people and artifacts was eye-opening to me. during this time, perry interacted with different mentors, one who followed the law, and one who encouraged perry to break it. seeing these two viewpoints was interesting!

i loved the characters, as well. perry is a great main character and a realistically-written teenager. i enjoyed the exchanges she had with her twin, pauline, with the other teens in the summer program, and with the adults she interacted with throughout the novel.

i highly recommend this book and i can’t wait for more from angeline boulley.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Apparently I'm not loving anything lately. I want to start this by saying I loved Firekeeper's Daughter so much. i pushed it into everyone's hands and raved about it. I was so excited to see a new book from this author set in the same town with some of the same characters. The problem with this book I think is that it is too long and it tries to do almost too much without flushing out everything. The book tackles reparations and the theft of Native bodies for cultural studies and the author does so well with this part of the story. I was as angry as Perry as I read about the disrespect and dishonesty of these museums as they fight to hold onto stolen bodies and was horrified at the way they use science to justify their actions. However, there were also subplots in this story that weren't fleshed out. Perry is Black and Native and while every now and then there is some line about it, it didn't feel like a complete story. There was very little that made me feel like Perry was Black. As a woman who is both Black and Native who identifies as Black I do understand the concept of being more engrossed in one culture, but I just felt like the author was trying to bring up things like Black Lives Matter and the way it effects Black people but she wasn't committed and it came across. There is also a subplot about MMIW which is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This is a huge problem in Native communities and it is one that does not get enough attention, and yet when the author tried to tackle it I felt like it was just an idea she threw into the pot without fully figuring out how it would tie in. There were too many ideas in this book and I wish she would have done a little less and just focused on one thing. I did learn a ton from this book and I will read the author's next book because I love being immersed in this community.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good effort but fell short of being a very interesting story. I found the main character to be not particularly likable. I think the author was going for prickly but smart and instead I got selfish and impulsive.

I also felt that there was a really blatant piece of character motivation missing, and that was that she never fully spelled out why burying the ancestors was so extremely important from a religious/cultural standpoint. The closest we got was a quote at the beginning of a chapter about the bones being full of power and needing to be returned to the earth (paraphrasing here) but the characters themselves didn't provide a very clear motive. They cared, they talked about wanting and needing to do it, and planned it for the entire book, but I never fully understood WHY aside from the obvious broad strokes of it being disrespectful and unjust. But I wanted to hear the reasoning from their cultural perspective, not mine, and I never got it.

To be fair, that might have been my fault since I was listening to the audiobook instead of reading and was occasionally distracted. Haha

[bookishcharli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Firekeeper’s Daughter so I knew I was going to love this one too, and I absolutely did. I think the thing I love the most is learning about the culture of the Ojibwa people. It astounds me just how badly indigenous people are treated over their land and cultures, and how the legal system over there fails them so greatly.

This is one of those brilliant books that makes you angry on behalf of the characters at how they’re treated and taken advantage of, with very little care from the “outside” world. But not only does it make you go through a range of emotions, it makes you think and question the world as it is now, and all of the things we’re doing in terms of cultural appropriation.

Frankly I will read anything this author writes because the amount of talent they have is unreal.


Thank you to Rock the Boat for sending me a proof of this incredible book.

[Britt W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am soooooo sorry but I did not like this book.
I felt that the plot, the writing, the flow, the details, everything felt so lackluster and honestly boring. Nothing flowed together and it honestly felt choppy.

Truly this surprises me because her first book, Firekeeper’s Daughter had me in a trance. 100% engrossed. This one was the total opposite.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked The Firekeeper's Daughter and was excited to find out there was a sequel featuring the next generation. It was good to see some familiar characters too, like Daunis and Stormy, but because the recurring characters are secondary and very few references are made to the first book, it is easy enough to read this book as a standalone.

Between the two, I liked the first one more because the primary characters felt more mature, but I think this second one touched on themes that we don't talk about enough in mainstream media, weaving together the confiscation/theft of Indigenous artifacts and MMIW2S (missing and murdered Indigenous women and two-spirits). My Indigenous friends are particularly concerned about the lack of attention by the US government and its law "enforcement" bodies whenever another woman is kidnapped or otherwise brutalized into oblivion and/or murdered. The rate of MMIW2S is HIGH, and there needs to be more awareness of it so that more of them can be found and brought to justice. Of course that also requires a tremendous amount of desperation to trust that authorities will actually care, which, to-date, they haven't really.

As to the appropriation of artifacts - that seems to be a global problem wherever colonization took place. My friends in India are still pissed off (rightfully so) that Elizabeth wore and displays the Indian crown jewels stolen from them. Japan still has a lot of Korean art too. I'm sure this is a shared pain among all the lands and people once forcibly governed. What makes the sting hurt more is that many of the thieving nations refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing. So while I found Lockhart's machinations deplorable, I couldn't condemn the Misfits schemes.

I'm looking forward to Boulley's next book in this series coming out (I read there would be four in total). Rounding up to 4.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perry just wants to fish her summer away with no worries, but when she gets into a minor fender bender, her auntie makes her join an internship program to pay back the repairs. Perry's twin Pauline is already in the program, but while Pauline is working alongside the tribal leadership, Perry is stuck with the weird museum director, who makes her scrub windows and dust shelves. Her interest perks up, however, when she learns about museums and universities who maintain "collections" of indigenous culture: including the remains of her ancestors. Perry becomes determined to return her people to her tribe, no matter what.

This was such a hard book to read, but it was so, so good.

This is a companion novel to Firekeeper's Daughter, set in current day to Firekeeper's early 00s. Darius makes an appearance, as a mom and auntie, and oh this book.

There's so much to love and so much to hate and just so much love. It's so good.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful and incredibly informative. I loved how Boulley added in so much information on the reclamation laws/acts and look forward to learning more about this. The book is heartfelt with an excellent mystery attached to it. I especially enjoyed the Daunis update.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75✨

I’ve been having such a hard time keeping up with reviewing lately 😭 I just have not felt like doing it at all so if you see any of my reviews recently you’ll see that I’ve been keeping it short and sweet 😂 but anyways…

I thought this was really interesting and informative and I learned a lot about Native American culture! Perry Firekeeper Birch was a spunky protagonist and I enjoyed following her story. I thought there were some pacing issues tho and the writing felt a bit choppy at times

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firekeeper's Daughter blew me away in 2021, so while I had high expectations for Warrior Girl Unearthed, I wasn't expecting to be as awed or enthralled as I was with FKD. I'm so happy to say I was proven wrong.

WGU follows Daunis's nieces (specifically Perry; they're now 16) from the first book, but you don't need to read FKD to understand WGU. It's just a special extra little piece to understand how the first book connects to this one. WGU focuses on Perry's summer working an internship. She starts out in the local museum and learns about stolen artifacts that are being held illegally from her people. Perry isn't one to back away from a challenge, so she hatches a scheme with fellow interns to get their stolen ancestors and ceremonial objects back.

As is typical with Boulley's writing I'm finding, things aren't as straightforward as they seem. We have mystery on mystery. It felt like a female Lara Croft which is exactly what Boulley intended (read in her author's note--if you don't read authors' notes, I sincerely suggest you start). Boulley said in her author's note that she wanted the focus of this book to be the mistreatment of Indigenous bodies whether that was through the inappropriate digging up of ancestral bones, the excessive amount of missing Indigenous women, or children being taken from their parents and put into "orphanages", all of these issues are explored in WGU.

While this book is fiction, it highlights very real issues Indigenous people face. Boulley included a reading list at the end of WGU that I am interested in learning more from.

Read Warrior Girl Unearthed. You won't regret it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.