There's been a lot of well-deserved buzz from the first book in this series, and some more mixed reviews on this one. So I'll post my opinion :)

Compared to Firekeeper's Daughter, this story has fewer characters and less well developed characters in general. This story is set essentially in the next generation after the first book, and main characters from the first book are background characters in this one. This story has a similar kind of story pacing.

But on the plus side, a deep look at MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous) and at the problems of repatriation of remains and artifacts with a lot of references to NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) legislation. It could be heavy-handed, but it's not - you learn about these realities through the eyes of a main character, and the story is central to the plot without being clunky.

I learned a lot - a sneaky amount, given that I follow some of those issues already - and it was all still wrapped up in a YA adventure-ish format.

Both are great as audiobooks, too.