Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m really excited about my #AuldLangSpine list from @BookmarkTavern . We both had What Moves the Dead on our list, and two books were already on my TBR (Inheritance of Orquidea Divina and Elatsoe). I really enjoyed Sistersong by Lucy Holland, so I‘m eager to read Song of the Huntress. I‘ll see what else I can easily get from a library - part of why I love this event is finding new books and authors I wouldn‘t have found otherwise!

Wow, what a book! What a story! It was totally different from what I expected - in a very good way! I mean, there's a Ghost doggo! For some reason I just read it shortly after “Wandering Stars“, those books might have been calling me. Darcie Little Badger addresses another target audience, so the story has another narrative tempo, but just as much information about the Indigenious culture. So impressive!

Just a little summer reading…🤗🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ #schoollibrarians #summerbreak

When Ellie dreams of her recently dead cousin, her ghost speaking abilities help her realize that her cousin was murdered, & there is a much darker mystery at the heart of his Texan hometown.

Wow! This blew me away! The characters were all delightful. Absolutely loved the urban fantasy feels, in such a unique way. Excellent pacing & I was kept guessing on the bigger mystery right up until the end! Definitely an author to follow! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

4 ⭐️ s
Weaving together a futuristic United States with Native American folklore and mythology Elatsoe is a tale of legacy and survival that conveys both the perseverance of indigenous peoples and the ways in which they have been exploited. YA dystopian isn‘t generally my vibe, but I really enjoyed this book! I hope the author writes a sequel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½/Rounding up to "Pick"

I loved how Darcie Little Badger wove Elatsoe's "secret" family skill and other Lipan Apache legends into the everyday fabric of our world. This is where her skill as an author shone brightest, and where I felt most convinced as a reader.

However, I struggled with some of the other magic/magical beings. Their presence was less believable and sometimes rather incongruous with the story.

(Cont'd in comments)

This was a fun kind of fantasy mystery. I liked following Ellie on her journey to prove her cousin's murder. The world was fascinating with magic use paralleling climate change. But the mystery definitely had YA vibe all over it. It just felt a little too easy. There is a nice bonus story told through the chapter head illustrations which was fun.

I‘m kind of engrossed in my current read but Callie thinks I need to take a break. Good news is I can multitask and give pets AND read at the same time!
#CatsOfLitsy

Love this cover, glad by the end of the book it makes sense. There are moments where this feels very YA but the premise is very intriguing no matter your age I think. It‘s about an America slightly different than of current, with vampires and animal ghosts and powers passed on to the natives of the land. The commentary is clear while not overwhelming the plot points or the characters. Asexual MC which is written in without making it a major part.

I am glad I finally had a chance to read this book. If you enjoy audiobooks, this has has a good narrator.

This was an enchanting YA speculative mystery with fantastical elements. The story of Elatsoe, who goes by Ellie and also her ancestors. She lives in an alternate world where magic and paranormal creatures exist. Ellie has the ability to raise ghosts, animals to be specific-never humans. Her cousin dies in a very suspicious accident and Ellie, her best friend, family and a very special dog investigate his death and uncover a big mystery. 5⭐️

This hit a lot of marks for me- a YA Murder mystery with indigenous characters and some magical realism, actually a lot of magic, so much that it became a downside to me because it cluttered the story. But overall thankful for the rec from @BarbaraJean thru #AuldLangSpine

@monalyisha

Meet my kitty Ohno, and one of my favorite books! We meet our main character playing fetch with her dog of seventeen years - twelve of them alive. In this slightly more magical America, Ellie is Lipan Apache, and can raise animal ghosts. Animals, never humans. So when her cousin shows up in her dreams and says he was murdered, something has clearly gone terribly wrong. Engaging plot, excellent characters with excellent relationships. #catsoflitsy

Inventive and interesting. Our world but tweaked. I was a bit distracted and did not sink into this as much as I would have liked. But that is definitely a me problem. The storytelling was well done and the mystery was twisty but believable in the world that was built.

With rich characters, a mystery to unravel, and Indigenous culture and traditions, this book has so much to love.

The MC, Ellie, is 17, but at times she reads younger. She has a unique ability to raise the dead, and her ghost dog companion is wonderful.

This book has great world building and it even has a few surprises as well.

Great read that I highly recommend.

Elatsoe can raise the ghosts of animals, which she learned from her Lipan Apache ancestors. When her cousin was murdered, she must use her talents to stop her cousin's killer before he murders someone else. In this America, magic and monsters are real and have consequences for the Earth.

Such a fun, sweet book! I love Ellie, Jay, Kirby, and all the other characters in this book (even the bad guys). The worldbuilding is delightful and I love the way Little Badger uses Lipan Apache folklore and experiences without shying away from the hard stuff, as much as feasible in an MG/YA book. This did feel a little younger than my preference for books, and there is a chapter near the end in another character‘s POV that really jarred me.

#Bookspin complete!! I really enjoyed this one. The only word that keeps popping into my head to describe the book is: weird 😂😂 Lots of cool supernatural stuff, amazing Lipan Apache folklore (I learned a lot and want to learn more), and a super rockstar protagonist 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@TheAromaofBooks

I really liked this one, it was written beautifully and was so whimsical. 4/5

This was a great audiobook pick for some of my travel last month. I absolutely loved the main character and the way the story was woven together.

Such a quirky read. The book is full of ghosts, but in the best way possible. Although it's not scary, it did give me the creeps though.

There were aspects of Elatsoe I liked- the ghost dog, an asexual main character, a decent mystery, and satisfying conclusion. But there was also a good deal of repetition and some questionable decisions (even for a teenager in a YA novel) that bugged me. Overall it was just ok for me. I liked A Snake Falls to Earth better.

Elatsoe was my book club‘s January pick. Two good friends had been telling me for months I should read it, and they were spot on with their recommendation. Drawing on Lipan Apache folklore & including many other traditional fantasy/folklore elements, this is both a murder mystery & an indigenous urban fantasy—or maybe make that suburban fantasy? I loved the MC & her best friend, and the positive involvement of older family members was refreshing.

Making progress on my #bookspinbingo. #currentlyreading Maya and the Rising Dark 📖 , Howl 📱 , & Firekeeper‘s Daughter 🎧.

This is such an original, creative, immersive world! Darcie Little Badger‘s writing is delicious; I can‘t wait to read more! I 💙 Kirby.

Finally got around to making the pretty version of my #bookspinbingo board. #bookspin title this month is Outbound Flight; tagged book I‘m currently 70% through the audio of and I love it! Bribing myself to finish a couple by splitting them into halves or thirds. 😂

I‘m really enjoying this book!! There‘s mystery, history, adventure, ghosts, vampires, so much and more! I‘m also happy to be finding out a little bit about the Lipan Apache Tribe. A beautifully written tale! And if there‘s a more gorgeous cover, I haven‘t seen it (this is what‘s beneath the dust jacket). Oh, and there are incredible illustrations throughout the book too. #readharder2022 #lennox #catsoflitsy

Fantastic audiobook!

I'm joining @Andrew65 in #12Booksof2021, sharing the remaining months all at once! This YA book is a ton of fun! I love the ghosts, and Elli‘s ghost dog companion. I especially enjoyed seeing her exploration of what she can do with prehistoric ghosts. This magical realist book is playful and never takes itself too seriously, and has wonderful representation throughout. #LGBTQ #NativeAmerican #Ghost #2021WrapUp

Definitely worthy of all the accolades it‘s received, this story about a teen who meets her cousin‘s ghost and learns that he was murdered, & didn‘t just die in a car accident as everyone believes, is rich in magic, the supernatural, Lipan Apache lore & culture (the author is an enrolled member in the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas), & is a very satisfying mystery. Great illustrations throughout. A fantastic YA book. Highly recommended.

Can I interest you in a YA fantasy book about a young woman who can raise the dead and her adventures with her ghost dog? Thought so. This is a fascinating book, beautifully written, about injustice against Native and marginalised peoples, vengeance and coming of age. With a ghost dog.

Awesome middle grade/YA storytelling based on ancestorial and secret knowledge with a bit of fantasy thrown in. I especially liked the truths of American history from an Indigenous person's view.

#ReadHarder challenge 24: a genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author.

At one point, Little Badger writes “Don‘t rush stories. That‘s sacrilegious.” I think this may have been a bit of meta-commentary, getting ahead of the criticism that her book is too long — because it is…but just a little! Her story of an asexual, 17-year-old Lipan Apache girl (with OCD) trying to solve the mystery of her cousin‘s murder with the help of her ghost dog & her cheerleader bff, Jay, is enchanting. 👇🏻

I finally finished putting away my Halloween decorations this week (I had a good reason to leave them up at first, then I just didn't get around to taking them down). In October, I added googly eyes to this plastic skull for a book photo of Elatsoe, and decided to leave it for Halloween because it was so creepy! #Halloween

Set in the author‘s home state of Texas, this is the story of asexual Lipan Apache teen Elatsoe, whose best friend is a ghost dog, using her paranormal abilities to solve the murder of her cousin before his vengeful spirit causes irreversible destruction.🔸#octoberreads2021

5/5 absolutely adored and would recommend. It gave me the same feeling Gilda Joyce psychic detective did when I was growing up. I really hope we get to see more of Ellie in future books !

So fun! The world building is wonderful, and I really enjoyed getting to know Elatsoe and her powers. The legends of Six Great and the glimpses into stories from Lipan Apache folklore added a lot to the story, but there was a long period where it felt like we hadn't had one in too long (it felt a little unevenly mixed). Overall, I really enjoyed this read. #Ghost #Asexual #Vampire #NativeAmerican #Dinosaur

I'm picking one of my recent reads for the poltergeist prompt of #Haunted. There's some excellent enraged ghost action later in the book. I highly recommend this book (it's YA, so if you don't like YA it might not be the recommendation for you). I'll be posting a review shortly now that my WiFi is fixed (once I catch up on a few other reviews...)! #Ghost #NativeAmerican #Legends #Dinosaurs #Vampires #MagicalRealism @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I read this in big chunks and quite enjoyed it, but it didn't quite feel “for me“.

I liked this alternate America where the supernatural and natural worlds blend, including Indigenous spirituality and customs. Elatsoe is a great teen protagonist, excited to figure out her powers to raise the dead and at the same time blind to how much danger she could actually be in. The values of family and friendship run strong, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

#PopSugar Reading Challenge 2021: a book by an Indigenous author

I'm having trouble getting a handle on who this is aimed at/Ellie's age in the story. It feels really young, and then she says things that make me realise she's meant to be older. Ooops.

Having a little self care saturday night and starting the tagged book which is on kindle for only $2.99

This is my book club choice for my Habitica challenge this month, so I hope to start today... I don't actually know much about it, though! I did see Darcie Little Badger on a panel about asexuality, at Worldcon in Dublin, but I kind of hated that panel (can't quite remember why, but IIRC it felt like there was a rather stereotypical view of asexuality being promulgated) so I actually don't remember much about what she said...

It was a bit slow, but I enjoyed it! Kids will read it next.

Delayed May wrap-up: Elatsoe was definitely my favorite - a not-too-overly magical murder mystery with a strong theme of family and a subplot of displacement. Searcher was for a book club, and was OK. I should have bailed on Obsidian Tower 10x but was too proud to DNF it, because it had all the elements of a book I‘d like but just did not execute well. The rest (which I‘m sure you‘ve seen hyped), I would definitely also recommend.

Quote from a recommendations essay.
https://www.tor.com/2021/06/09/five-young-adult-sff-books-with-asexual-leads

I want to read this like whoa.