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.

Warrior Girl Unearthed was a solid second book after Boulley’s incredible debut, Firekeeper’s Daughter. I was very excited to see that she written another book and I’m so thankful to Henry Holt and Co., MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for advanced copies so I could read it early! I’m hearing rumors of a third book and can’t wait for that one as well!

Warrior Girl Unearthed takes readers back to Sugar Island, but this time the story follows Perry Firekeeper-Birch, one of Daunis’ nieces, who is now at the end of high school. During Perry’s summer internship, she learns that ancestral remains and other sacred items that belong to her tribe, have been stored in the museum archives. The university has been using loopholes in federal law to hold onto them, but Perry is determined to get them back where they belong. As if this challenge isn’t big enough, young women start disappearing and Perry and her team of Misfits find themselves caught up in more obstacles and secrets as they try to bring peace back to their community.

I enjoyed the book, but found myself comparing it to Firekeeper’s Daughter, which probably wasn’t fair. The first half was slower-paced and I had a hard time getting invested in the plot. It also read more like a young adult book and I didn’t feel as connected to the characters. Looking back on the book as a whole though, it was very well-written and I learned even more about the Ojibwe tribe. I love that their language and culture was a huge part of this story and that characters from Firekeeper’s Daughter made appearances again, even though the two stories are loosely connected. The last 25% of the book had me at the edge of my seat and it really brought the whole book together even though I struggled at the start.

I can’t wait to see if there is a third book in the works!

Happy Publication Day to this charming and engaging sophomore novel by Angeline Boulley!

I want to start by saying thanks to MacMillian Audio, Henry Holt & Company, and NetGalley for supplying me with an ARC of “Warrior Girl Unearthed” for an honest review of this novel which is available on shelves everywhere TODAY.

While the book has overlaps with the first book written by Angeline Boulley it can easily stand alone and be read separately and enjoyed with no issues in understanding the plot even with a few of the references from the prior book. In Warrior Girl Unearthed, we follow Perry Firekeeper-Birch (niece of Daunis from The Firekeepers Daughter) who was ready for a relaxing summer of slacking off and fishing when her plans, unfortunately, get changed after she gets into a minor accident and is now stuck at an internship until her repair costs are paid off. But when she attends a meeting at a local university, Perry learns about the “Warrior Girl”, an ancestor whose bones and knife are stored in the museum archives, and everything changes. From there, Perry is determined to return the ancestral bones back to their original tribe. However, when more indigenous women start to disappear and her internship placements continue to change, Perry and her group of “Misfits” must fight to find a way to make things right – for the ancestors and for their community.

Now, this book was REALLY GOOD The characters were enjoyable and the plot was interesting and engaging and had me wanting to continue the story and find out how it would all conclude. There is a little bit of everything in here for everyone (a little love, family drama, and of course mystery). However, I wished that there was MORE to each of those things. It is clear, and without a doubt, that AB is deeply passionate and knowledgable in her sharing of her/ her community traditions as an Ojibwe, their tribe, and their ancestors. Additionally, the pieces of information that she added about NAGPRA (the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items) added engaging and factual information to the book that I really enjoyed. With all of this being said, this book felt far more YA or juvenile than her first book which felt so much more raw and revealing and had a pacing that really created a sense of importance and depth as we read through it. Additionally, the pacing of this book in particular was not exactly what I was hoping for. In all honesty, I would love to have seen the beginning revised to be decreased in length, then increased the middle to have more drama and suspense surrounding the Warrior Girl, and then rewrote the ending to be fully wrapped up so this book could stand alone!

Overall, none of the small things break the experience of reading this book for me and I look forward to hopefully having my questions answered in another engaging follow-up novel. But, only time will tell.

Hear me out: I think this is super important for any North American person to read. The history entrenched with oppressing Indigenous people needs to be corrected. Still blatantly racist laws/restrictions are in place that serve no purpose. I’m an educator and hope to somehow incorporate this as an option for my students to read for our Indigenous Voices course. There are a few things that I didn’t really feel fit well with the story. It was probably more of a “me” problem than an issue with the greater book. I am glad that it ends on a positive note! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Perry Firekeeper-Birch was ready for a summer of fun and fishing, but after a fender-bender, she is stuck doing a summer internship to pay back her Auntie Daunis. After learning about "Warrior Girl," one of Perry's ancestors who's remains have been held at the local university through legal loopholes, Perry and her friends determine that they will do anything necessary, including a heist, to get back Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors remains and sacred items. Meanwhile, another mystery brews as women begin going missing in the community.

Firekeeper's Daughter (Boulley's Debut Novel) is one of my favorite books of all time, so my expectations were pretty high for this book. While I didn't end up liking it as much as Firekeeper's Daughter, I was definitely not disappointed by Warrior Girl Unearthed.

The mysteries were compelling and the twists were surprising. While I didn't really like our main character, she felt very realistic. All of the side characters had their own stories and they felt very real too. One of the side characters is a teen mom, and the book didn't shy away from the difficulties she faced, but it also didn't make that her only personality trait.

What I didn't realize going into this was that it's sort of a sequel to Firekeeper's Daughter. Perry and her twin are Daunis's nieces, and we see the return of several other characters from Firekeeper's Daughter. You don't have to read Firekeeper's Daughter, but I would recommend it. Warrior Girl Unearthed spoils several major plot points from Firekeeper's Daughter, and I think that you will better be able to appreciate some of the moments and characters in Warrior Girl Unearthed if you have read Firekeeper's Daughter.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Wow!! What a wildly impressive read! Angeline Boulley’s second book, Warrior Girl Unearthed, was just as addictive as her debut novel FireKeeper’s Daughter. 🔥

I love that with this new story we got a reintroduction to Daunis but a wonderful introduction to our new strong female MC, Perry, as well as so many other incredible and badass characters. The plot itself was very interesting, almost thought provoking in a way, and kept my attention the whole time. I absolutely love the way Angeline writes a well-crafted story with a perfectly described world with characters with a lot depth, while also adding in a lot of factual and interesting tidbits about the Indigenous culture. I love a book that can keep me entertained but also teach me things.

If you were a fan of FireKeeper’s Daughter, you’re gonna LOVE this follow up novel, and if you haven’t read FireKeeper’s Daughter yet - what are you even doing??? Get this on your TBR because it drops May 2!

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Angeline Boulley did it again with this companion novel to the Firekeeper’s daughter. This book revolves around Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act..

Perry was an engaging character to follow. She often leaps before fully thinking, letting her passion drive her choices, which causes a few misunderstandings and unintended consequences along the way. Daunis, from Firekeeper’s Daughter, makes appearances as well.

Overall this was a compulsive read for me. It was a 5 stars read until the end, which felt too rushed for my tastes. I would highly recommend this book for any YA or adult reader.

2.5 stars.

I like the idea of this book, but it was very slow at first. It wasn’t until the 56% mark that I felt it started picking up. The genre of this book mentions “thriller,” but I would disagree. Perhaps it’s because this is a YA novel, but it just really wasn’t that suspenseful.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It was informative despite being fiction, and I think that may have contributed to how I found the story just “meh” overall. It read more academic non-fiction than I would have liked.

I definitely want to read more Indigenous authors, and this was a step in that direction, despite not quite hitting the mark for me in terms of enjoyment.

I was VERY worried that this book wasn't going to be able to top Firekeeper's Daughter but I had nothing to worry about.

Bravo.

I loved this story. The heritage. The fiesty Perry.... I cannot wait to reread this one. And I cannot wait to see what Angeline Boulley writes next!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩

If you’ve read The Firekeeper’s Daughter, this is kind of a continuation but with a different central character.

In the same community of Sugar Island, Pearl Mary or Pary is beginning an internship program with her sister and several friends.

Her first assignment places her in a museum of historical pieces from her ancestors.

There she learns about how many artifacts, cultural pieces and even human remains are in the hands of others and the red tape the community has to navigate to get them back.

Frustrated with the process she resorts to sneaking and taking things back in her own way. During these efforts she uncovers shady dealings, who’s been taking missing women and why, and secrets about her aunt’s past she wishes she didn’t know.

This is a powerful story about community and the ties that bind. Being mostly ignorant of native culture, I appreciate the way it’s woven causally throughout the book. It’s central to the story, always there and connecting everything.

Again, listening to the audio was truly amazing. Even though it was the same narrator, they were able to illustrate the characters. I saw so many crossovers from the two main characters of this novel and Firekeeper's Daughter and not just because they are related. I felt that this story focused more on educating about the prejudice Ingenious and people of color face, whether it be through physical actions or political moves. For someone who understands my privilege as a white woman, thank you for teaching me. It did give me less sense of danger and thrills than the first one but still kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope Angeline Boulley continues to write because I will be first in line to read any of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced audiobook copy.

Angeline Boulley is a phenomenal author! I love the way real pieces are interwoven into the story because I feel like I learned so much while also enjoying a fictional story.

The characters were all well established and I just loved Perry.

While this isn’t really a sequel to Firekeeper’s Daughter I think readers would absolutely benefit from reading that first as this takes place on the same land and several events from that book are referenced.

The narrator also did a fantastic job.

Overall I would highly recommend this book to readers of all ages!

Warrior Girl Unearthed was just as great as Firekeeper's Daughter. I loved being in Perry's community and learning more about its traditions. The pacing was great and as always stellar characterization.

Content warning: murder, kidnapping, sexual assault

WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED has a different vibe and feel to it, so readers that loved FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER shouldn't expect the same type of novel again. While in the same community and with many of the same characters, this time Boulley takes the "Nancy Drew teenage sleuth" aspects and focuses more of the point behind a procedural plotline. While reading FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER first will give you context to the people, places, and plot, WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED can be read on it's own.

Readers will watch Perry push against "appropriate behavior" or those within her community who refuse to do anything but follow the rules... while also learning that those who live by "any means necessary" aren't always the good people either. Boulley encourages readers to really sit within the concept of museum pieces and who they should belong to while also acknowledging the red tape, bureaucracy, and colonizer mindset (and let's face it, fetishization) that makes it impossible for communities to be successful in having items returned to them. It's uncomfortable, but it's a necessary conversation that we as a human race really need to be having.

While I enjoyed FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER more, that's not to say that I didn't really like WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED. Perry is a great teenage protagonist. She's got a lot of feelings and emotions without the hinderance of adulthood. She's brash and has no problem with breaking rules in the name of her Anishinaabe ancestor's honor and memory. And I don't blame her. The twist of finding out one of the bad guys was really good. Team Misfit Toys was perfect and I adored the role Perry's dog plays within the entire novel.

Honestly, I hope Boulley keeps adding books to this world.

Isabella Star LaBlanc does a great job with the audiobook narration and I appreciated being able to hear the beauty of Perry and her fellow Anishinaabe's native language.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

“I stare at random tourists and wonder how they would react to their ancestors being stolen for research. I’m guessing they would see it as sacrilege, so why were my ancestors fair game?”

Warrior Girl Unearthed
By Angeline Boulley
Narrated by Isabella Star LaBlanc


QUICK SUMMARY 🖊️
Perry Firekeeper-Birch finds herself as an intern for the summer after a fender bender leaves her paying off the repair costs to her Auntie Daunis.

Perry’s “slack” summer turns into a learning experience she never could have imagined.


FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
Thank you @NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was scared going into this book. Scared to be disappointed because I loved Firekeeper’s Daughter THAT MUCH. My fears went away within the first five minutes. This book blew me away.

Angeline has a way to tell a story of people, community and traditions to keep you captivated but to teach you at the same time. This book has my emotions on overdrive through the majority of the book.
Just like her first book, she brings very real life into a work of fiction.

Review for the audio performance: 4/5
Decent narration overall. In a story that so heavily utilizes Ojibwa words the pronunciation was surprisingly good most of the time. My only real criticism is that for me there wasn’t enough variation to the voices.

I LOVED Firekeepers Daughter. Reviewing Warrior Girl Unearthed, it’s hard not to directly compare the two. The books feature largely the same cast of characters, set 10 years after the events of the first, and deals with a lot of similar themes. That may be the worst thing about it, because while I did genuinely like this book I didn’t think it was quite as good as Boulley’s first, and it was hard to separate the two.

Warrior Girl Unearthed was fast paced, and dealt with an interesting and incredibly relevant form of racism dealt with in todays world. Utilizing academic research and curiosity as a way to justify itemizing and dehumanizing people and cultures. This was so realistic and fascinating. Still sadly the book just didn’t grab me like Firekeeper’s Daughter did. The story just didn’t feel as gritty or intricate. Given the characters are a little younger I understand this and would still highly recommend!

Trust me, no one is more disappointed than me. I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t get into it. I don’t recommend it unless you’re really into cultural anthropology. It was slow and boring, too technical and not entertaining.

I loved Firekeeper's Daughter and couldn't wait for this one. I had high hopes, and they were met and exceeded!

We meet Perry and Pauline, twin nieces of Daunis for Firekeeper's Daughter. They are spending their summer off from high school doing internships for Native teenagers. Perry isn't happy about this, but has no choice. Perry ends up workin at a local museum, where she learns about tribal artifacts and how to care for them. She realizes what an uphill battle it is to bring sacred ancestor's remains back to where they belong. She decides it will be her goal to right the wrong, and she's not above crossing a line to do it.

At the same time, Daunis is involved in a murder mystery where native girls are missing, and soon Perry is also involved.

I love the way Boulley weaves an enthralling story, and at the same time educates her readers on Native culture and current issues they face today.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan's Children's Publishing/Henry Holt and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for granted me early access to the audiobook of Warrior Girl Unearthed.

After reading Firekeeper’s Daughter, I knew this author would be a must read for me. Angeline Boulley is an absolute amazing storyteller. She knows how to captivate the attention of her readers.
Her writing is superb. The narrator did a great job. There was never a boring or dull moment in this book. There was constantly something going on that kept me interested and invested, and I just wanted to keep listening.
I highly recommend this book.

Damn that was good! Both of Angeline Boulleys books have slapped and I’m definitely a fan. I’ll read anything she releases in the future. Definitely pick this up if you have the chance.

The narrator was excellent! Great on audio.