Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

11 reviews

lady_valhella's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

It comes up as an LGBTQIA+ read, and it is, just don’t expect coming out stories or romance talk or relationship stuff. This story is not that stuff. This is an LGBTQIA+ community member living life and handling business not related to that part of her identity. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

alicia_rausch's review

adventurous lighthearted 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? No

4.0

This was unlike anything I’ve ever read before - fast pacing, great world-building rooted in Native lore, spooky adversaries, and Elatsoe is a relatable, strong protagonist with some much-needed ace rep in the fantasy space. If you're looking for something supernatural, a little mystery, a cute ghost dog sidekick, and original characters, this is for you.

The one thing I will say is I think this is classified as YA, but I think it should've been classified as middle-grade. The characters read as MUCH younger/less mature than 17, to the point of fault, but you could argue that this makes it more accessible to young readers of a wider age range. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Racism, Car accident, and Gaslighting

wickedgrumpy's review

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

gothnailcare's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Colonisation

eve81's review

adventurous dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

throwback682's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A murder mystery + ghosts and wizards, with a Lipan Apache protagonist who is canon asexual (and I suspect aromantic) and a boy cheerleader sidekick who is shown having both a(n ex) girlfriend, and a YouTube channel where he teaches tumbling and dance moves. 

There are also passing references to other queer characters that feel normalizing, not tokenizing.

(One of the characters, whose life has been irreparably altered, ends the book by moving in with friends - a married couple of women.)

The first half of the book is much slower, the second half is much more action packed. If you’re struggling with the slower start, I’d encourage you to hang in there. 

This book blends together a little bit of everything.

The good guys: an indigenous girl with a strong talent for ancestral magic, a fae boy who travels through fairy rings and his psychic aunt, a vampire who is disliked by his future in-laws, a ghost dog, and a ghost mammoth, among others. The bad guys? A rich “miracle working” doctor (actually an evil wizard), an indigenous vampire, colonizers, and… Teddy Roosevelt?! I love it.

 

I could tell that J had a crush on Ellie the entire book, and she was oblivious. I kept waiting for that to be a plot point, that he was going to confess his love to her despite knowing she’s asexual (and probably aromantic?).   But he never did!! It was so refreshing.

I feel like I could ramble on about this book forever. It has so much good stuff about it and it was exciting and enjoyable. I would especially recommend for young girls (who are old enough for monsters and violence). Ellie is a great role model. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Cancer, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

bookwormbi's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent and Acephobia/Arophobia

zghutcheson01's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Elatsoe (Ellie) is an asexual Lipan Apache teen who has the ability to bring forth ghosts from the land of the dead, just like her daring sixth-great grandmother—whom she is named after—and the other women in her family.  In our present-day world, but including magical beings like vampires and fae, Ellie and her family are shocked to hear of the death of her cousin under strange circumstances.  With her best friend, Jay, and ghost dog, Kirby, at her side, Ellie harnesses protected ancestral knowledge to solve a mystery and right a wrong, destroying something that has been harming her ancestors for centuries.  Guided by stories and the wisdom of elders, Ellie is an empowering Indigenous character facing the horrors of white supremacy head-on.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death

morganperks's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Gun violence, and Kidnapping