Darcie Little Badger

Elatsoe is a YA fantasy novel that takes place in a version of the US where ghosts can be raised, psychics are real, and fairy circles can be used for magical transport. I loved the worldbuilding in this book, which takes familiar fantasy beings like ghosts and vampires and combines their usual rules with fresh and clever takes. I also enjoyed the way it combines fantasy elements our main character is familiar with and mysterious new ones the reader figures out alongside her. The stories show more about her famous ancestor Six-Great also provided some great action scenes while informing us of what Ellie is already familiar with and also served as a natural way to show how she compares herself to her ancestors and wonders if she'll be able to live up to their legacies. And the illustrations at the top of every chapter were always a treat.

Along the way, it also addresses some tough topics in a way that's both fun to read and easy for teen readers to understand. For example, there's a scene (mild spoiler) where Ellie stops by a gas station with a museum in the back and notices the worker in the front is displaying some signs she associates with racism. When she buys a fossil from the back, she asks for a hand-written receipt, and readers may not understand why... until the worker at the front asks if she paid for the fossil and she whips it out to end the argument before it can even begin.

And this isn't just a scene inserted to force teen readers learn something, like a parent hiding vegetables in a dessert. We get to learn a lot about Ellie as a character, and the fossil becomes an important plot element. Everything flows naturally, just as it should when depicting a character for whom this is a part of life.

I also loved the fact that everyone in the book treats it as natural that Ellie's best friend is a teenage boy who happens to also be a cheerleader. Ellie is stated to be asexual and uninterested in romantic relationships, and no one gives her a hard time. No one makes jokes about her and Jay being "secretly interested in each other" or tells them they'd be "great together". No one makes fun of Jay for being a cheerleader, and his skills even come in handy. I do wish there was a scene in which Ellie watches Jay at cheer practice or a sports game, since the alternative is a few actions and dialogue bits that feel a little shoe-horned in to ensure the reader doesn't forget that he's a cheerleader. Truly, though, I just really appreciated a book that normalizes these things.

I actually have very few complaints about this book that aren't nitpicks. I do wish there had been a little more clarification regarding vampirism, and it feels like a scene is missing in the ending where one particular character (in my opinion) should have addressed their actions leading up to the climax, but apart from these small complaints, this book is so well-written. It's seriously impressive as a debut novel.

As far as content warnings go, it's just the ones you would expect from reading the description. There's death and violence, some depictions of racism against Ellie and her family, and appropriate attention given to things we all know were done to the Apache in the past. The only reason I can see teen readers avoiding it on these grounds would be if plot elements like a family member being murdered/dying in a car crash hit too close to home. For everyone else, it seems entirely suitable to me.

Truly, this seems like a fantastic book for teenage readers. I wish it would have been around when I was that age because I think it would have fit right in with my favorites. show less

I do love a good supernatural murder mystery, and this incorporates a fabulous supernatural murder mystery. Also, teenagers who have great relationships with their (all living!) parents, which is too rare in YA fantasy.

Lots of my thoughts are spoilery, but Little Badger has done a great job of meshing Lipan and European beliefs (supernatural and otherwise) in terms of the implications of one meeting the other. Also, Ellie, our protagonist, and Kirby the ghost dog, are adorable.

I heard indigenous fantasy murder mystery and was intrigued. I heard asexual lead and sold. The threads of Elatsoe's culture and traditions and her closeness with her family and friends were lovely to read. The mystery was interesting and wrapped up well including the commentary it reflects. The magic system is clever without being cumbersome in a YA book whose sole focus isn't just fantasy elements. I think my absolute favorite part would be the stories told by the characters as I listened show more to the audiobook and it struck me how important stories are to most indigenous people and how that was so clear in this aspect of the novel.

I just really appreciated the many layers of this book and am pretty sure people should read this in high school and discuss it. Go read it please. show less

I checked this out from my local library. This is currently a Norton Award finalist.

I loved Darcie Little Badger's book Elatsoe last year, and I loved A Snake Falls to Earth as well. The two books are quite different, but both draw on Little Badger's Lipan Apache heritage in a beautiful way. Here, the story switches back and forth between Nina, a Texas-born teenager on Earth who is striving to preserve and understand her family's stories, and Olie, a two-bodied cottonmouth snake in the land show more of spirits who needs to save a beloved friend from a fatal condition. The two perspectives come together in a way that is both fun and powerful as the book explores the importance of storytelling and families, both found and of like blood. This well deserves its place as a Norton finalist. show less