I adored the premise of this story and loved Elatsoe and her dynamic with Jay and her family. The story featured a compelling mystery, a magic system rooted in Apache culture, and a deeper message about the greed and evil of colonizers. 

Also, Kirby is the goodest boy. 

I adored this book. It had maybe the best worldbuilding of any contemporary fantasy I've ever read. I loved the characters. I loved the way that Darcie Little Badger integrated the many different lore/magic systems. The vampires were especially compelling, especially when put in contact with the indigenous people of the land they were occupying. Kirby is best ghost dog. I will be reading everything this author writes.

I loved this little urban fantasy! It's too overtly magical to be just magical realism, but it's treated as a normal part of life in much the same way. It's chock full of vampires, wizards, and magical powers. Ellie is a great narrator too - she's a little dry, and very funny, but she's also incredibly heartfelt. Her sense of right and wrong is stronger than many contemporary protagonists, and she shows a degree of selflessness and courage that was really nice to see. Maybe her wisdom comes as a result of her deep connection to her family - not only to her parents and cousin, but to her six-great grandmother, from whom she inherited her own powers.

Dude

I thought we were safe having the dog already dead, but the ending scared the HECK out of me, no thank you!

Luckily everything ended up fine but for a moment I was quite displeased.

My brain is boring today. I liked this, I liked the writing, I liked the fantastical elements. There were several moments that made me chuckle. Maybe it's because I read this as my "at work" read, and it took me like 3 months to read, but I don't have much to say 😔

"Last season, we sat three to a seat on the bus to Dallas," Jess added. "By the end of the trip, I was in Martia's lap."
"Good times," Martia said. "Until my legs fell asleep. How do mall Santas do it?"

*Okay, but the bit about how indigenous people can kill vampires by verbally claiming the land was pretty metal.

Make sure to listen or read the intro because it explains a lot. The book is kind of confusing if you don’t.

The magical realism involving ghosts lent a dreamy quality to this book.  I’d love to read more about this world.