Elysium Girls is an incredibly diverse and original YA Fantasy novel that will wow you as you flip the page!

When I first saw and heard of Elysium Girls I was intrigued, but I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t know what to make of it. But as I read, I realized just how original and unique this story is. It’s not your usual YA Fantasy novel with magic in a fictional magical land. Instead, it’s a story in a Southern setting with a diverse cast and a high stakes plot.

The first 40% dragged on for me. It definitely took a while to build up. But once I got past that, it just got more interesting! I met the girl gang of witches (which was incredibly diverse and I have to give kudos to the author for that, (there are Mexican characters, Black characters, and Native American characters!)), and the plot thickened.

The characters are great, but I wanted more characterization. Specifically, I wanted to explore these different characters more and see more of their relationship with the other characters. For example, Sal and Asa has a connection since they were part of a big mistake and got exiled from Elysium together. They have a bond of their own, but I never got to see that flourish. Sal and Olivia also has quite a dynamic as sister witches/co-leaders, but I never fully saw that. And of course, Sal and Lucy. I shipped them since the beginning, even though they only had a few scenes together. I just wanted more of them!

On the other hand, I loved the plot twists! They were not anything major or out of the blue, instead they were just right and were cleverly written into the story. The author’s use of foreshadowing was also great and it made the story more exciting as I unraveled all the little details. The epic final battle was also a great way to end the story! Although, I do wish that there was some sort of epilogue after that.

Overall, Elysium Girls was a great read and I am pleasantly surprised! Go ahead and pick up this book!

(This review was first published as part of the Elysium Girls Blog Tour.)