Sheine Lende

When you plunge into the unknown during rescues, there are two journeys. First, you have to find the person. Then, you have to find the way back. These journeys may seem equally important, but they’re not. ’Cause if you fail to locate a missing person, you can always try again. But if you fail to return home, you’re lost, too.

This prequel didn’t fully live up to my charmed memories of Elatsoe, but I really, really loved it regardless. The vibes are really very similar to the original, and the worldbuilding continues to be so amazing with the mixture of Native American beliefs and faerie rings and even aliens creating a setting with so much enchantment and depth. Just like with the original book, I loved the ghosts the most, and the Below, and the prehistoric critters. Honestly, this entire world is just so cool.

The main plot is once again mystery-focused: there are kids that keep going missing, there’s the MC’s mother searching for them with the help of bloodhounds and ghosts, and then she goes missing, too, and it’s Shane’s (the MC) turn to be the seeker. Overall, I liked how this story was constructed, and how the plot interacted with the worldbuilding and the friendships along the way. There were parts of the story that felt a bit unbalanced/sloppy, with the lore drowning out the actual events and developments—or so it seemed at first. But as I read on, I’ve come to realize that all the lore, even when it didn’t seem directly related to the story, was kind of the point. There’s a rather interesting effect here which is, I feel, best experienced for oneself. So I’ll just say that in the latter half of the book all the worldbuilding-related meandering really, really pays off. I do feel there were maybe ways to tighten up the pacing and the narrative in general, but overall, I liked how the story was told.

In addition to everything mentioned above, I really loved all the themes of family and community and how they were delivered. There’s a lot of focus on intergenerational trauma here, and generally on the hardships faced by indigenous people, but there’s a hopefulness about how these subjects are handled, and despite all the dark places the story visits, it feels optimistic by the end. Honestly, this was just a great choice of book for me right now. I wish there was more of the same immediately waiting for me!