Elatsoe

Ellie is a 17-year-old senior blessed with a family secret passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache ancestors. When a tragedy strikes her family, she uses both her otherworldly powers and her web of friends and family to get to the bottom of her cousin's sudden passing. The danger amps up with a climax that involves vampires, ghosts, fairies, and a basketball squad-- by the latter half, I could not put this book down! With short chapters, fun characters, a touch of magic in the everyday, and wonderful storytelling passages, this was a fast and fantastical read.

My favorite parts of the novel were the storytelling passages in which elders and family members shared stories of Ellie's ancestors, imparting necessary wisdom for Ellie's increasingly dangerous encounters: "That's why some stories are particularly important. They're more than entertainment. They're knowledge." (p.245) Although this novel was set in a stranger America, I appreciated the way the author emphasized this importance of passing down generational knowledge and ancestral connection through stories.

ELATSOE is a thoughtful and vibrant story about grief, truth, and life, as Ellie tries to fulfill her cousin’s last wishes and stop his murderer (with the help of her ghost dog). It's a coming-of-age story, where Ellie is figuring out the bounds of what she can do, and what responsibilities come with her heritage (spiritual, magical, and mundane). 

I love how this feels to read. It’s kind of a murder mystery, except Ellie is trying to prove how the murder happened since she’s been told who did it. I like the way that stories and memories are woven into Ellie’s narration. It makes them feel like part of her thoughts, as they so clearly are. She’s so full of stories that her point of view wouldn’t feel complete without them. She’s deeply connected to her family, and looks up to her Six-Great Grandmother as example and inspiration.  The worldbuilding is good, it’s shown through Ellie’s perspective in a way that feels effortless. It’s a world where ghosts, vampires, and fairy ring teleportation coexist but don’t all follow the same guidelines, and this does some pretty cool things with adherence to the clashing rulesets. 

A moving read that blends small joys with slow mourning, don't miss ELATSOE

She was stubborn and very concerned about the safety of other people, even strangers. One of her flaws, in my opinion. It made her impulsive.

I knew very little about this book when I picked it up. I knew it had ace/aro rep, that several people whose tastes I often share loved it, and that there was an Apache MC with magical gifts that had something to do with ghosts. The cover led me to believe it was a winter read. I was actually surprised to find out it took place in summer.

Anyway, this story was incredibly enjoyable. I loved this urban fantasy world that started unfolding with a ghost dog and then delved deep into Native myth and cursed vampires and faerie circles. Ellie is a great MC: stubborn, courageous, kind, loyal, and curious. All the characters around her were fully developed and relatable. The story, at its heart, is a mystery with strong themes of family and legacy, and that mystery is incredibly well-crafted, with quite a few nice twists and red herrings and all the ends tied neatly at the end.

It probably says more about me than this book that the relationship between Ellie and her parents baffled me a little. A lot of YA protagonists need to hide their exploits from their parents, turning family into yet another obstacle to overcome, because their parents either don't have a clue about what's going on or, if they knew what their kids were going through, would step in and take matters into their own hands and there would be no YA story for the author to tell. In this case, Ellie's parents remain a part of her life throughout, and not just as mentor figures or moral support. Her mother steps in several times at key point of the plot, but she does so in a way that doesn't take agency away from Ellie. Her parents worry about her and urge her to be cautious, but as they all deal with a murder in the family, they all work together as equals, more or less. This is something I had problems wrapping my brain around, far more so than the intricacies of waking ghosts or other supernatural elements. But I have a suspicion this is how families should work.

I also loved that Ellie's big talent for waking ghosts wasn't in any way portrayed as some sort of burden, something she had to put her life away to fully commit to, something she has to carefully balance with the other aspects of her life frequently making sacrifices, etc. It is, plain and simple, her life. It's a big responsibility, like all big gifts are, and she has to (and does, over the course of the story) grow into it, but it's not something she has to live up to. And her Six-Great-Grandmother, the original wielder of the same gifts, isn't a looming shadow in Ellie's life, someone Ellie has to struggle to be as good as, or anything like that. She's more of an inspiration.

Another thing I absolutely loved: how Ellie being aro/ace is no big deal at all. It's a fact that's mentioned at appropriate times, and absolutely everyone around her accepts her for who she is, and she never has to worry about people judging her, or struggle with her sexuality, or explain herself to people. She's free to simply focus on solving the mystery and working with ghosts and stopping the villain, and I love this book for it.

Despite a big part of the plot being focused on grief from losing a loved one, this book radiates hope and kindness, and I'm so happy I read it. Also, Rovina Cai's illustrations are a delight to look at!