Elatsoe

This is at one level a YA supernatural mystery novel, and successful as such. Unlike many YA novels where the bulk of dramatic tension is provided by stupid and uncaring adults, here the love and support Elatsoe receives from her family and elders is a constant happy surprise. Unlike the relentlessly negative (and probably accurate!) media stories I usually read, this made being an indigenous child/teen seem like a wonderful experience I was missing out on.

While I didn't personally love this as much as I hoped I would, I can see why it's so highly recommended. Urban fantasy I guess just isn't really my jam these days, though I really enjoyed Ellie's ghost stuff and the stories about her Six-Great-Grandmother. Also as an Australian is was really cool to learn a bit about a Native American culture through an own voices story.

Did not realise going in that there would be ace rep, but as an ace myself it was a nice surprise, especially since it's not really important, just an aspect of the character and extremely normalised. Also nice to just read a YA book with zero romance lol.

Overall, it was well-written and a fun book to read even if it's not a new favourite and I pass on the recommendation!