Reviews

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Only show reviews with written explanations

grvhppr's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

sussex_bookworm's review

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adventurous emotional funny informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

bookishly_laura9813's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was very excited to follow along with Ellie, Kirby, Jay, and her family in order to learn the secrets of Dr. Allerton and Willowbee, TX. I learned more about Lipan Apache culture from Elatsoe than a lifetime of going to school and even so, I know it's just scratching the surface of their culture.

The book is definitely not afraid to throw barbs at the whitewashed versions of American history and I definitely appreciate it. I will be recommending this book to many students and adults alike. I hope Darcie Little Badger continues to write, I am excited to see what she'll tackle next!

suzyqhf's review against another edition

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4.0

An engaging murder mystery mixed with the paranormal, with a side of anti-colonial critique, all against the backdrop of Lipan Apache culture, wisdom, and myth. Nothing quite like it!

aubrea27h's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

LOVED IT! It was a great Halloween read!

readwithhugo's review against another edition

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5.0

You know when you read the summary of a book and you’re like ‘holy shit, this sounds incredible, I hope it stands up to the hype!!’ Well....this book definitely stands up to the hype. I saw someone describe Elatsoe as ‘mythic fiction’ and I think that’s a really good description, as this book is overflowing with mythology and folklore. The author is a Lipan Apache woman - and so is the main character - which meant that I got to learn a lot about Lipan Apache culture and history as I was reading. This book also contains some serious social commentary about how (particularly Indigenous) POC are mistreated in society, and related themes that would have all of my high school English teachers collectively screaming, ‘it’s a metaphor!!!’

There’s really so much in this book to love. The writing is incredible, the plot is engaging, and even though this story takes twists and turns into the realm of dark and creepy, there’s still so much humor, lightheartedness, and warmth. The main character, Elatsoe (Ellie), is unapologetically asexual and her friendship with her best friend, Jay, is so pure and lovely. There’s no forced romance arc here, just a solid platonic and unbreakable love between two lifelong best friends. Also, there are beautiful illustrations! And ghosts! Vampires! Fae! Monsters! Magic! Ellie’s grandma who rides around on a ghost wooly mammoth! A ghost springer spaniel named Kirby who is A Very Good Boy!! Incredible supporting characters! Nerdiness and comics and fossils! Healthy parent-child relationships! #OwnVoices representation! Oh, and Jay is lowkey an exceedingly sweet himbo!

I can’t think of anything about this book that I didn’t like, except for maybe the ghost mosquitos.

kittybeemartin's review

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

First of all, I'm jealous of Ellie's abilities. I want to play with my lost pets.

Overall this was a 5⭐️ read. It's a little slower paced but such a beautiful story.

Romance was not there since our FMC is asexual, but she has a friend (Jay) who wishes the romance was there.
"Sorry," Jay said. "I wish I could help. There's a loophole, you know."
"Is it marriage?"
"Maybe."

I went back and forth between the audio and the print. The chapter illustrations were so lovely.

Content Warnings