Elatsoe

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A highly imaginative story of an indigenous Indian girl who can raise the dead, though she limits herself to animals because there is a darkness to the power that must be controlled. This YA novel tackles issues such as grief, love, family, race and class. She has a healthy friendship with her best friend Jay, who enthusiastically supports her, and she has a ghost dog that can appear on demand and howl incredibly loudly. She occupies a slightly different America, where besides waking the dead, vampires also exist. But racism still exists, and can be just as deadly as in this America. In fact, it was a little hard to figure out if Badger was setting her story in this America with people with hidden powers or in a different America, and I'm not sure which one it is to be honest, and I wish she would have made that more clear. Also, although I enjoyed how obedient, wide-eyed, and optimistic Ellie was, it was hard to believe she was also 18 years old. Good story-telling with a satisfying ending.

View all my reviews

Ellie's grandmother often said, " A wise woman knows how to pick her battles."  Ellie would add that an unwise bird nearly dies by attacking its reflection.