Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

49 reviews

achay91's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? No

4.5


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katrinky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.5

good mystery, but got a little muddled sometimes (are they leeches? or vampires? or just magic evil humans?) and I didn't find the characters to be very deeply-drawn. I recommend it for YA fans, mystery fans, thriller fans, and anyone into vampire/mythical lore. and HIGHLY recommend for anyone looking to read more Native authors and see more Native protagonists.

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thelittlestmermaid's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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throwback682's review against another edition

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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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readsforlove's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

4.5

There was a keen moment about halfway through this book where I just closed it and sat in awe, pondering this beautiful story. It had a wildly wonderful and magical setting unlike anything I've ever read, with a rich magic system that left me wanting more. It also had a great cast with supportive parents! Ellie turns to them first for major things that come up, and they support her through it all, having her back without holding her back. 
The only reason this doesn't get a full 5 stars is because the main character felt much younger than 16 to me. The voice seemed more middle school age, and I kept getting thrown when Ellie would drive. I also wanted more into Ellie's emotions and internal monologue, as this was a richly emotional story and I wanted to see more of how Ellie felt through everything. 
The plot was spooky and intense and kept me guessing on the edge of my seat. I'm excited to pick up Little Badger's next novel!

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vercopaanir's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

Amazing world-building and a really neat story!  The ending felt a little rushed and there were a couple plot holes in the last 100 or so pages that didn’t seem to get answered/resolved, but overall really good writing and a unique story.

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angievansprang's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-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

3.25

This book was a cute enough story to keep me interested to finish it, but I felt like the world and it’s magic required more set up. I found myself a bit confused on several plot points throughout the story, and there were some tangents I did not find relevant to the overall plot. I also think the targeted audience is a bit younger than I had anticipated. 

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daryn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? No

4.0


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mia_difelice's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.75

Charming. Family and ancestors. Friendship. Wholesome. Shennanigans. Mysterious. Spooky. Magic. Magical realism. Ghosts. History. Myths and legends. Storytelling. 

Really fun use of magic, myth, and legend in a world that is quite like our own but full of the stuff of fairytales. Interspersed with old stories of Elatsoe's Six-Great grandmother and how she used her powers in the past. Wholesome family and friendship dynamics that will make you smile. Thoughtful notes on grief and different folks' reaction to it. Mystery van-Scooby Doo-type shennanigans, with a rich villain masquerading as a hero but spoiler:
the whole town is in on it. Perhaps a symbol for complicity with colonizer/white supremacy?
. Writing style and plot developments are both charming, sometimes corny, but overall endearing. 

CW: some gruesome/violent scenes, not labored on but graphic.

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katrinarose's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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

4.5

This was such a fun urban fantasy! It felt like right between middle grade and YA, it never got too dark and the main characters were so wholesome. I really liked the elements of Lipan spirituality that were incorporated into the fantasy world, and the Lipan Apache representation (own voice) was awesome to see in a fantasy. The plot was engaging and mostly unpredictable, although my least favorite part of the book was the “final boss” sequence at the mansion/party because it felt a little rushed and predictable. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend to all ages if you’re looking for a quick lighthearted fantasy.

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