This YA book is amazing. Easily one of the best books I've read this year.

I listened to this book but also have the hard copy. First, the narration is spectacular. It's done by actress Isabella Star LaBlanc. Her variations of accents--especially the differences between young-adult Daunis and her Native elders is precise and impressive.

A mix of YA coming-of-age, mystery, thriller, romance, #ownvoices, and fake dating, this story is a tour-de-force. While the engrossing main mystery plays out--who in the Ojibwe community is potentially lacing meth with potent hallucinogenic mushrooms to create a lethal new drug that is killing Native kids--we learn about the narrator, 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine Firekeeper. Daunis is the daughter of Grace Fontaine, a member of the richest white family in town and Levi Firekeeper, a legendary hockey player from the local Ojibwe community. Daunis's birth rocked the town and continues to reverberate for Daunis today, as she struggles to reconcile her Native ethnicity with her life as a young woman on the cusp of venturing out to college in hopes of being a doctor. Yet, she's drawn into both the FBI's investigation of the meth operation and an attraction to the mysterious yet charming Jamie, the new recruit on her brother's hockey team.

This story grips your attention from the start and never lets go. Daunis is a thoroughly engaging character whose first-person narration resonates with heart, humor, fear, warmth, and complexity. Her romance with Jamie is equally compelling, as is the truly twisty, edge-of-your-seat mystery. The supporting characters are expertly drawn and entertain and engage, while helping to move the story along.

I especially loved how well information about Native American culture is organically interspersed throughout the narrative. Particularly fascinating were stories about how nature and the properties of its plants and resources inform Native American beliefs about life and the afterlife. It helped me form a new appreciation for the natural world around me (other than getting annoyed when mosquitoes ruin my outdoor reading time!).

Whether you're a young adult, adult, or middle-aged bookworm like myself, I highly recommend this original, bold, incredible book.