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Reviews

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

tate_walker's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow wow wow. Fabulous storytelling here - I could see every scene play out in my mind (TV show writers take note!). The MC, her family, ghost pets, and bff felt fresh and authentic in ways that every fan of YA adventure/realistic fantasy/mysteries can get behind. It was fast-paced with thrills and deep emotion in every chapter. Not a big fan of the narrator, who lacked the necessary life inherent within the MC. Fav part was settler vampire getting his comeuppance (BRILLIANT writing here)!!!

eriosyce's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

emilywordsandbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

i read Elatsoe for school and i learned a lot about the Lipan Apache from this book, which i loved, but this definitely reads middle grade, low YA (i’d only categorize this as YA because of the mild language and the age of characters, but the writing style is very middle grade). the characters were interesting and i loved being pulled into the plot, how everything wrapped up nicely and had a purpose.

susanehc's review against another edition

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4.0

2021 Read Harder Challenge - genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author

thebookishmutant's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Levine Querido/Chronicle Books for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The premise already excited me, but in all respects, Elatsoe is a fantastic, paranormal murder mystery!

First off, REPRESENTATION! Elatsoe is an incredible #OwnVoices story–both the author and the protagonist are Lipan Apache, and the protagonist is also confirmed to be asexual. I hardly ever see asexual representation in literature, and so I’m so excited to see that such stories are coming into the spotlight.

This novel strikes the perfect balance between the spooky paranormal and a murder mystery. The worldbuilding of this alternate America is absolutely stellar as well; most aspects of it are deftly explained without an excess of info-dumping. Darcie Little Badger introduces all sorts of fascinating creatures, and weaves them seamlessly into alternate America.

Going off of this, my favorite aspects–and my favorite scene–was that of the ghosts. Not only is Kirby adorable, but there’s a beautiful scene in which Ellie stumbles into a ghost sea, filled with trilobites, whales, and all manner of prehistoric creatures. The writing is lush and gorgeous, beautiful and immersive. And I’m a sucker for prehistoric critters and marine life, so of course you have my attention with the scene, even if it was fairly brief.

At times, some of the dialogue felt flat, causing a bit of a lull at the halfway mark, but I’m glad to say that it quickly picked up from there. I found myself completely immersed in the supernatural murder mystery, and after said dull spot, I enjoyed it from start to finish. Darcie Little Badger made so many creative choices that made Elatsoe all the more original, making for a supernatural story unlike any other.

All in all, a brilliant and creative #OwnVoices paranormal murder mystery. 4 stars!

l_is_4_laurie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

While I don’t normally read books involving vampires, I enjoyed this book a lot owing to its Native American characters, mythologies, and traditions.  It’s YA from a new author, and narrated by an excellent reader who carries along the youth and energy of the story.  Really fun, with lots of important messaging. 

crabs_with_sticks's review against another edition

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4.0

I might write up a more complete version of my thoughts on this book, but one thing I thought was so, so clever was the fact that native peoples can forbid vampires from being on their ancestral land. Amazing. I love it.

sarahc0608's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

kylieve's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

5.0

Elatsoe reminds me of Scooby-Doo in the best way. There was an almost slapstick-like ridiculousness to some of the "fight" scenes. The phrase "meddling kids" is used at one point. I also found it to be a compelling mystery with great characters. There are serious moments, which are handled well, and a great message. I think Darcie Little Badger is a really wonderful YA writer, and I would like to read more by her. 

nesso's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

For anyone who's gazed in awe at a fossil; for anyone who has wept for a lost animal. Magnificent.