Warrior Girl Unearthed follows Perry Firekeeper-Birch, Daunis’ beloved niece. Perry and her twin sister Pauline are stuck working for the summer after an accident means Perry must make money to fix their car. As Perry learns from her quirky boss about the Warrior Girl, an Anishinaabe ancestor that is being held by the university, she finds herself gripped with a fierce longing to bring her ancestors home. Perry doesn’t care about the slow-moving rules of repatriation and gathers her friends to return the ancestors no matter what. But going outside the rules is dangerous...

I loved Perry’s story! It was great to see Daunis and characters from The Firekeeper’s Daughter again, especially her son. One of my favorite parts of this book was the way Angeline Boulley writes about the bonds of family and how important they are, even when it’s uncomfortable or bad things are happening. I love how Daunis and Perry’s parents always looked out for Perry and Pauline, even when they’d prefer less protection. 

Warrior Girl Unearthed brings up so many important themes about trauma, grief, and how critical the return of ancestral remains and objects are to the rightful tribes they belong to. Boulley writes about many powerful aspects of Ojibwe culture such as the ceremonies, the Ojibwe language, and meaningful rituals. The US government and discriminatory policies/laws have done indescribable damage to indigenous people, which is both infuriating and heartbreaking to read about. In addition, the haunting reality of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) is not glossed over and instead is brought into the story with skill and intention. 

Angeline Boulley is an auto-buy author for me! Her writing is compelling, realistic, and heartfelt. If you enjoyed The Firekeeper’s Daughter, you absolutely need to read Warrior Girl Unearthed!!
 
Thank you so much to Angeline Boulley, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and LibroFM for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.