This was a touching YA novel that really struck a chord with me. I connected with Daunis' pride of her heritage and was really rooting for her throughout the entirety of the novel. As a mixed-race teen, she never felt quite like she fit in, and I can empathize with that as an American daughter of immigrants. I appreciated her will to strengthen her Ojibwe ties despite never feeling fully accepted as such. The author spoke to the difficulties in native cultures to fit into modern society while maintaining strong roots to their own culture.
All of this depth was combined with a quick dive into Native American history and tradition. To boot, a murder mystery is thrown in that really quickened the pace of the whole story, but also spoke to the reality of the drug problem within the community.
Overall, it was a sobering account of the reality so many are faced with, and the author is able to tackle many topics such as race relations, sexual assault, and drug addiction. I will admit that I was disappointed that Daunis ultimately became a victim - honestly it made me quite angry, as I felt it wasn't necessary to move the story along, but the rest of it was so good, I was able to let that go🤷🏻♀️. Also, I suppose it's a sad reality, too, and an important reminder during this Sexual Assault Awareness Month😢.
Read 12/5/23
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