Charming. Family and ancestors. Friendship. Wholesome. Shennanigans. Mysterious. Spooky. Magic. Magical realism. Ghosts. History. Myths and legends. Storytelling. 

Really fun use of magic, myth, and legend in a world that is quite like our own but full of the stuff of fairytales. Interspersed with old stories of Elatsoe's Six-Great grandmother and how she used her powers in the past. Wholesome family and friendship dynamics that will make you smile. Thoughtful notes on grief and different folks' reaction to it. Mystery van-Scooby Doo-type shennanigans, with a rich villain masquerading as a hero but spoiler:

the whole town is in on it. Perhaps a symbol for complicity with colonizer/white supremacy?

. Writing style and plot developments are both charming, sometimes corny, but overall endearing. 

CW: some gruesome/violent scenes, not labored on but graphic.

This was such a fun urban fantasy! It felt like right between middle grade and YA, it never got too dark and the main characters were so wholesome. I really liked the elements of Lipan spirituality that were incorporated into the fantasy world, and the Lipan Apache representation (own voice) was awesome to see in a fantasy. The plot was engaging and mostly unpredictable, although my least favorite part of the book was the “final boss” sequence at the mansion/party because it felt a little rushed and predictable. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend to all ages if you’re looking for a quick lighthearted fantasy.

I read this book exactly when I needed to. Grief is explored in a meaningful way, but is never gratuitous or burdensome, so I found it restorative as I processed the loss of a family member. The narrative voice is warm and inviting, and I felt genuine affection for the characters.

slow start but definitely worth it in the end!!!

Loved the world building - the book is driven by its magical realism, combining a very familiar world of high school and family matters with a fantastical world of ghosts, vampires, fairies, and wizards. The influence of Ellie's (and the author's) Lipan Apache heritage made the story particularly intriguing. My favorite scene in the book involved the author turning vampire mythology on its head

by having Ellie's mom use her ancestral tie to the land to banish the vampire

. This would be a good book for middle grade readers interested in fantasy.

Nevertheless, even for a middle grade book, much of the writing felt crude. The book is packed with superfluous dialogue and detailed paragraphs that suck all the excitement out of a scene and don't progress the plot. The endless light-hearted dialogue between Ellie and Jay not only dragged on, but made me confused about their relationship - if they're best friends, why do they talk like they barely know each other? They constantly share facts about themselves to each other that, if they've been friends since they were little, one would expect they already know. Even outside of the Ellie and Jay conversations, so much of this book is filled up by long, drawn out conversations that often summarize scenes you've already read.

The ages of the characters also confused me. Despite being 17, Ellie and Jay are written to be quite juvenile. Even Ronnie and her friends act as if they're young teenagers even though they're college-aged. Ellie's juvenile personality and her fluffy chatter with Jay wouldn't be so annoying if it didn't affect the pacing - but because she never seems worried about the stakes of any of these seemingly 'dangerous' situations she's in, even the most climactic scenes aren't suspenseful at all. I'm never worried because I know Ellie will live to relate the entire situation back to her mom in the next chapter.

This is also a personal preference, but I just can't take long chapters without any sort of break, especially when the characters move from one scenario to another. I don't need the filler paragraph of "So Ellie grabbed some food and her dog and put on her clothes and got in the car. Her mom turned on the GPS and turned on the engine. They drove for 4 miles..." Just add a break and jump to the next scene.

Tl;dr a very interesting premise and main character are bogged down by overly wordy scenes and flat relationships.