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foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
This was so much fun!!
Elysium Girls is a Dust Bowl inspired fantasy of a town that's trapped in a game between life and death deities. The inhabitants of Elysium are pitted against the supernatural to judge humanity. The end of the ten years is coming up soon when the town will be judged. But things aren't going smoothly for Elysium. A small mistake could lead the town to ruin while various illnesses are running rampant through the population.
This book focuses on two main characters: Sal, a girl who is plagued with false visions of rain, and Asa, a demon sent from the Life deity in order to win the game. When Sal is picked as Madame Morevna's successor, she thinks she's finally had the chance to prove she's a leader. Asa is granted entrance to Elysium with supplies for the town. But when these two clash in a duel meant to show Sal is the superior witch, both of them are exiled from the town. They find a group of girls headed by one of the only other Elysium exiles, a witch named Olivia Rosales.
Y'all I didn't think I was going to love this one as much as I did. I knew I would enjoy it, but damn I fell so hard for these characters. I loved both Sal and Asa, their dual POVs worked so well for this story. Both of them have a small romantic subplot, Asa's being more prominent, but overall the focus of this book is friendship, solidarity and winning the unwinnable game of Life and Death.
The cast of characters are diverse and relatable. My favorite side character who is focused on is Lucy. She doesn't get as much page time as Sal or Asa, but her scenes were important. Lucy is a Black lesbian and even in Elysium where things like race, gender or sexuality matter less, Lucy still feels ostracized. She also does a great job of pointing out how this society is supposed to be feminist and matriarchal, but the same limitations on women still exist and enforce gender roles. Lucy acts as a nurse when a strange plague breaks out in Elysium. I cannot tell you how much courage, strength and compassion Lucy has. I loved her so much.
I absolutely loved the girl gang in the desert vibes. Plus the fact that it's a coven of witches makes it even better. I loved this group so much. Sal becomes stronger for joining them and I loved watching her grow and become more confident. I do wish we got to see more of Sal and Lucy together, because I loved them so much. I am going to take the open ending as they do get together when they're ready, but I wouldn't be mad if this had happened on page.
Overall, this is a new favorite. I'm definitely going to be screaming about this one for now on.
Rep: white sapphic female MC, Black lesbian female side character, lesbian female side character, Mexican female side character, Comanche female side character.
CWs: Blood, death, death of parent (past mention), grief, murder, misogyny, racism, sexism, sexual harassment, terminal illness (plague type sickness), violence, xenophobia. Moderate: Colonisation, genocide, kidnapping (mentions of boarding schools Native children were sent to), cannibalism, medical content. Minor: Forced institutionalization, confinement, child abuse.
Elysium Girls is a Dust Bowl inspired fantasy of a town that's trapped in a game between life and death deities. The inhabitants of Elysium are pitted against the supernatural to judge humanity. The end of the ten years is coming up soon when the town will be judged. But things aren't going smoothly for Elysium. A small mistake could lead the town to ruin while various illnesses are running rampant through the population.
This book focuses on two main characters: Sal, a girl who is plagued with false visions of rain, and Asa, a demon sent from the Life deity in order to win the game. When Sal is picked as Madame Morevna's successor, she thinks she's finally had the chance to prove she's a leader. Asa is granted entrance to Elysium with supplies for the town. But when these two clash in a duel meant to show Sal is the superior witch, both of them are exiled from the town. They find a group of girls headed by one of the only other Elysium exiles, a witch named Olivia Rosales.
Y'all I didn't think I was going to love this one as much as I did. I knew I would enjoy it, but damn I fell so hard for these characters. I loved both Sal and Asa, their dual POVs worked so well for this story. Both of them have a small romantic subplot, Asa's being more prominent, but overall the focus of this book is friendship, solidarity and winning the unwinnable game of Life and Death.
The cast of characters are diverse and relatable. My favorite side character who is focused on is Lucy. She doesn't get as much page time as Sal or Asa, but her scenes were important. Lucy is a Black lesbian and even in Elysium where things like race, gender or sexuality matter less, Lucy still feels ostracized. She also does a great job of pointing out how this society is supposed to be feminist and matriarchal, but the same limitations on women still exist and enforce gender roles. Lucy acts as a nurse when a strange plague breaks out in Elysium. I cannot tell you how much courage, strength and compassion Lucy has. I loved her so much.
I absolutely loved the girl gang in the desert vibes. Plus the fact that it's a coven of witches makes it even better. I loved this group so much. Sal becomes stronger for joining them and I loved watching her grow and become more confident. I do wish we got to see more of Sal and Lucy together, because I loved them so much. I am going to take the open ending as they do get together when they're ready, but I wouldn't be mad if this had happened on page.
Overall, this is a new favorite. I'm definitely going to be screaming about this one for now on.
Rep: white sapphic female MC, Black lesbian female side character, lesbian female side character, Mexican female side character, Comanche female side character.
CWs: Blood, death, death of parent (past mention), grief, murder, misogyny, racism, sexism, sexual harassment, terminal illness (plague type sickness), violence, xenophobia. Moderate: Colonisation, genocide, kidnapping (mentions of boarding schools Native children were sent to), cannibalism, medical content. Minor: Forced institutionalization, confinement, child abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Genocide, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization