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wickedgrumpy's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The magical realism involving ghosts lent a dreamy quality to this book. I’d love to read more about this world.
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Murder, Xenophobia, Animal death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Body horror, Trafficking, Medical content, Abandonment, Classism, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Car accident, Deadnaming, Gore, Grief, and Hate crime
sammysammsam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The mix of Native lore with an alternate United States where magic and the supernatural are even part of the court systems and law enforcement was intriguing for me. Main character was very relatable as a teenager, and her friendship with her friend Jay was heartwarming. Descriptions of the supernatural scenes were great, and the more scary ones were bordering on horrific and scary. Her entire interaction with the spirit of vengence was very unnerving- I loved it! Kirby is the best ghost-boy. I loved so many things about this story, but Kirby is probably my favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
cassielaj's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. What an incredible story. Ellie is a fierce protagonist, and the rest of her family and friends make up a great cast. I loved Kirby and the idea that pets continue to be companions after death 🥹 The mystery plot was super intriguing, and it was resolved well. I worried that the magic added to a familiar setting would be too much or confusing, but I think it was balanced well. And the art of the chapter headers… it took me a second to catch on, but i loved how Six-Great’s story paralleled Ellie and Kirby’s. SO COOL.
P.S. Hooray for an explicitly asexual protagonist! Especially in a non-romance story
P.S. Hooray for an explicitly asexual protagonist! Especially in a non-romance story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Car accident, Grief, Gore, Violence, Death, and Racism
Minor: Animal death and Kidnapping
livlamentloathe's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Stalking
language_loving_amateur's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
This book will stay with me for quite a while. There is a deep examination of grief and death that is 100% relevant and interwoven with the plot. Elatsoe has a good amount of suspense and I worried a lot for the characters. I could not put it down after the 65% mark. There were a few times when I wanted to yell "Stop Kids! You're making a bad decision!" but even though they made their own choices they came out alright in the end. The social commentary is both upfront and nuanced. I liked the asexual representation, and that it is clear while she plans on not having children Ellie is invested in her community and future generations.
It is on the younger side of Young Adult, and some of that I think comes from the writing on a sentence level. Now I listened to the audiobook, so I cannot reexamine the sentences or give examples, but I think that most of them follow a similar pattern. This could make for easier reading, or make the narrator feel flat. One thing that irked me was when an action sequence was interrupted for a story about Six Great (Ellie's sixth Great-Grandmother). It pulled me out of the book and made me wonder about the author's choices and not Ellie's choices. I know that in the situation Ellie was facing, I might briefly recall an image from the Six Great story, but I definitely would not think through the whole story until everyone was safe.
I read this for Book Riot's 2023 challenge #17: Read a YA book by an Indigenous author. I'm not sure if this is a book that I'll revisit, but I am very glad that I read it.
It is on the younger side of Young Adult, and some of that I think comes from the writing on a sentence level. Now I listened to the audiobook, so I cannot reexamine the sentences or give examples, but I think that most of them follow a similar pattern. This could make for easier reading, or make the narrator feel flat. One thing that irked me was when an action sequence was interrupted for a story about Six Great (Ellie's sixth Great-Grandmother). It pulled me out of the book and made me wonder about the author's choices and not Ellie's choices. I know that in the situation Ellie was facing, I might briefly recall an image from the Six Great story, but I definitely would not think through the whole story until everyone was safe.
I read this for Book Riot's 2023 challenge #17: Read a YA book by an Indigenous author. I'm not sure if this is a book that I'll revisit, but I am very glad that I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Car accident
gothnailcare's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
river23's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Racism, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Gore
cowardthedog18's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There had to be more; And boy the drawing at the end of the book is the best part. The best parting gift knowing your grandparents will always watch over you. I’m reading A Snake Falls To Earth now. Hope it meets my expectations just as this one did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Genocide, and Gore
ggcd1981's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Elatsoe foi uma boa leitura, apesar de que minhas expectativas eram muito altas o que afetou o meu aproveitamento da obra. Por nenhuma razão aparente cheguei nesse livro esperando que fosse voltado a faixa mais velha do YA/juvenil, e na verdade Elatsoe é mais voltado ao público mais jovem beirando o Infantil. Isso é claro não é um defeito, mas eu não sou o público alvo e isso afetou a minha experiência. Elatsoe ou Ellie, para abreviar, uma protagonista adolescente de 17 anos apache e assexual, vive em uma América alternativa contemporânea, cheia de monstros e mágica, moldada pela magia ancestral e pelo conhecimento de seus grupos indígenas e imigrantes. Para o povo Lipan Apache, o treinamento de fantasmas é uma tradição familiar de longa data. Ellie é capaz de “acordar” ou ressuscitar fantasmas do submundo. Ela trouxe de volta seu fiel cão Kirby e vários outros animais, mas tem o cuidado de observar a regra mais importante de acordar espíritos: nunca, jamais, acorde fantasmas humanos porque eles são altamente destrutivos e malignos. Quando seu querido primo morre, todos os sinais apontam para um acidente de carro, mas seu fantasma lhe diz o contrário: ele foi assassinado. Quem o matou e como ele morreu? Com a ajuda de sua família, de seu melhor amigo Jay, do leal Kirby e da grande, tatara, tatara, tatara, tatara, tataravó, Elatsoe, ela deve rastrear o assassino e desvendar o mistério desta cidade assustadora e seu passado sombrio. Mas os nefastos habitantes da cidade de Willowbee e um misterioso médico tentarão impedir.
Elatsoe é um livro que considero bastante relevante a seu público alvo com mensagens relevantes, retratando relações familiares e amizades saudáveis com representação de uma protagonista indígena e assexual. O único ponto fraco que realmente posso apontar é que o mundo mostrado deu a impressão de ser amplo, mas não foi aprofundado pela autora. Então se tem uma diversidade de criaturas e elementos mágicos nesse mundo, mas nada foi realmente aprofundado me deixando sem realmente entender como essa realidade funciona. Fora esse ponto, acredito que os elementos que me levaram a não dar 5 estrelas a obra são mais de gosto pessoal do que defeitos da obra em si. Dou 4 estrelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Animal death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol