Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

5 reviews

booksoversecondbreakfast's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective 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

4.75

If I had read this book back in middle or high school, this very likely would have been my favorite book. The story features a teenage Lipan Apache girl, Elatsoe, living in an alternate U.S. where magic and mythical creatures exist. Elatsoe is the type of heroine I loved looking up to as a teen. She is smart, innovative, and passionate and is an all-around loveable character from the very beginning.

This is an Indigenous Futurism book that feels like a cross between Nancy Drew, Ghostbusters, and Netflix's Wednesday. The thoroughness of world-building made it very obvious to me why this book has made it onto Time's list of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Every bit of lore revealed about this alternative U.S. society was interesting and believable when viewed with an imaginative lens. The magic system and the way it interweaves society as we know it feels plausible in the same way that the world's of Harry Potter did.

This book is incredibly heartwarming and interesting. It had a bit of a horror element to it, which I didn't expect, but it was done in a way that still didn't seem too intense. The plot and the lore hooked me from the very beginning and easily held my attention through the end.

My only critique of this is that there were some vampire parts that felt too cheesy for me, but I'm not letting it affect my rating because I have to remember that this was written for ages 12 through 18. Most of the book felt like it was good for teens and adults alike, but it was some of the vampire scenes towards the end that made it feel more middle-grades/YA.

All in all, this was a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I read this as an audiobook I borrowed from my local library, but I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my personal collection because I anticipate reading this more throughout my lifetime and encouraging my friends and future kids to read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Genocide

cowardthedog18's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing 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

5.0

There had to be more; And boy the drawing at the end of the book is the best part. The best parting gift knowing your grandparents will always watch over you. I’m reading A Snake Falls To Earth now. Hope it meets my expectations just as this one did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

pastelkerstin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Racial slurs

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Police corruption

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense 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

4.5

This book was lovely and informative. The magical nature of the world brought into stark focus the reality of the deep-seeded racism and constant threat of violence Native Americans face every day. That, plus all the other horror elements, made this an uncomfortable read, and it was worth every second I spent spent on it. I very much recommend this book to anyone and everyone, for an adventure, for cultural understanding, and for the wonderful depictions of a loving dog. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Racism, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal death and Car accident

kalehouse's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Car accident, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Violence, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Religious bigotry