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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
wonderful book on a speculative world ripe with magic - ghost-raising, vampires, etc. - and reflecting on the past as it haunts and helps us. considering indigenous knowledge and genocide and what vengeance can mean, and what justice cannot mean. would totally have my 13 yr old read this if I had one
In a world very similar to our own but with any type of magical creature out in plain sight, Elatsoe is a young Lipan girl who comes from a long line of women who can summon the ghosts of the dead - only they vow to never summon human ghosts, as they are extremely dangerous. When her cousin, Trevor, dies suddenly and appears to her in a dream claiming he has been murdered, Elatsoe and her family go down to Willowbee, Texas to investigate the man who killed him.
This book was put on my radar because Kayla from Booksandlala loved this book last year. Unfortunately, I didn't love this personally as much as she did, but I definitely see some potential in the author. The first thing I loved was the magical world that the author created, where it's like ours but there are ghosts, vampires, faeries, you name it, living in coexistence with cell phones and colleges. This world has a lot of potential for further exploration, whether Elatsoe herself would get another story or if there were other characters to be discovered in it. If you don't love Kirby the ghost dog, you don't have a heart. I liked seeing ace representation in a book for young people, as a person on the ace spectrum myself. The emphasis on Native culture was beautiful. Funeral traditions are practiced; there is a huge point to how the land they are on is the home of the Natives, not the colonizers; storytelling is important to the characters and the narrative. The stories of Six-Great were extremely fun to read and reminiscent of folk tales.
However, this book read very young for me (with the exception of a few low-grade swear words). I have read a lot of middle grade in my day - I was the president of Newberry Club in middle school, not to brag haha - and this felt like more of a middle grade than a YA. This should be shelved next to Percy Jackson and the Secret Series. The humor also didn't land for me and I felt like it would fit better there. I could have also done with more of a reveal near the end. Also, this is super nit-picky, but it bothered me that Elatsoe is only referred to as "Ellie" until 200 pages in. I get that's what she's called, but she is never called Ellie in the synopsis, which I thought was weird. That would have been a very easy fix.
Overall, cute book. I'm very glad that there is more room for Native authors than there used to be, and hope to see more from this author. But, I'm adamant that this belongs in middle grade.
This book was put on my radar because Kayla from Booksandlala loved this book last year. Unfortunately, I didn't love this personally as much as she did, but I definitely see some potential in the author. The first thing I loved was the magical world that the author created, where it's like ours but there are ghosts, vampires, faeries, you name it, living in coexistence with cell phones and colleges. This world has a lot of potential for further exploration, whether Elatsoe herself would get another story or if there were other characters to be discovered in it. If you don't love Kirby the ghost dog, you don't have a heart. I liked seeing ace representation in a book for young people, as a person on the ace spectrum myself. The emphasis on Native culture was beautiful. Funeral traditions are practiced; there is a huge point to how the land they are on is the home of the Natives, not the colonizers; storytelling is important to the characters and the narrative. The stories of Six-Great were extremely fun to read and reminiscent of folk tales.
However, this book read very young for me (with the exception of a few low-grade swear words). I have read a lot of middle grade in my day - I was the president of Newberry Club in middle school, not to brag haha - and this felt like more of a middle grade than a YA. This should be shelved next to Percy Jackson and the Secret Series. The humor also didn't land for me and I felt like it would fit better there. I could have also done with more of a reveal near the end. Also, this is super nit-picky, but it bothered me that Elatsoe is only referred to as "Ellie" until 200 pages in. I get that's what she's called, but she is never called Ellie in the synopsis, which I thought was weird. That would have been a very easy fix.
Overall, cute book. I'm very glad that there is more room for Native authors than there used to be, and hope to see more from this author. But, I'm adamant that this belongs in middle grade.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book introduced me to the concept of ghost paleontology and I need a full story with that premise immediately.
I've been slowly collecting more and more cozy books to keep in my arsenal and this one is the next one to be added.
Elatsoe is set in an alternative United States were magic coexists in our modern days. There are ghosts, vampires, werewolves and other magical beings who walk amongst normal society. Ellie, or Elatose, is a young girl who is deeply tied to her Lipan Apache tribe and has learned their ability to summon ghosts of animals. She has a ghost dog companion named Kirby who goes with her wherever she goes while she is investigating the cause of her cousin's sudden death.
There is a lot to love about this book. I found it to be very fun how the author chose to include European lore, like how Ellie's friend, Jay, is a descendent of the Fairy King Oberon. It's a very small detail that paints a picture of how where we come from plays a huge part in the kind of magic and influence we have in our world. Ellie and Jay's friendship was very meaningful and I loved seeing asexual representation done in a way that felt like a very positive experience for Ellie.
I was surprised that this book was written for a YA audience because it does read more like Middle Grade story, there are many remarks within the dialogue that felt like something a young teen would say versus a seventeen year old. But that doesn't necessarily detract from the book.
C/W: racism, discussion of Native American genocide, death, animal death (they're ghosts)
Elatsoe is set in an alternative United States were magic coexists in our modern days. There are ghosts, vampires, werewolves and other magical beings who walk amongst normal society. Ellie, or Elatose, is a young girl who is deeply tied to her Lipan Apache tribe and has learned their ability to summon ghosts of animals. She has a ghost dog companion named Kirby who goes with her wherever she goes while she is investigating the cause of her cousin's sudden death.
There is a lot to love about this book. I found it to be very fun how the author chose to include European lore, like how Ellie's friend, Jay, is a descendent of the Fairy King Oberon. It's a very small detail that paints a picture of how where we come from plays a huge part in the kind of magic and influence we have in our world. Ellie and Jay's friendship was very meaningful and I loved seeing asexual representation done in a way that felt like a very positive experience for Ellie.
I was surprised that this book was written for a YA audience because it does read more like Middle Grade story, there are many remarks within the dialogue that felt like something a young teen would say versus a seventeen year old. But that doesn't necessarily detract from the book.
C/W: racism, discussion of Native American genocide, death, animal death (they're ghosts)
I loved this story! I really enjoyed the mix of modern, supranational and Native cultures. It was beautifully done. I am really hoping to read more of this world.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated