From the Bookshelf of SpecFic Buddy Reads…

Elatsoe (Elatsoe, #1)

Darcie Little Badger,

Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

Start date: May 1, 2021

Finish date: May 31, 2021

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Justine

Why we're reading this: Group Read Fantasy - May 2021
[close] Group Read Fantasy - May 2021

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What Members Thought

Apr 23, 2021 DivaDiane SM rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: diane-s-meager-effort, audio, fantasy, sffbc-book-shelf, borrowed

4.5 stars - but not quite blow-your-mind awesome for a rounding up to 5 stars.

This was a wonderful read. It started out rather slowly and very much rooted in a world much like our own, but then casual little mentions of magic as every-day stuff cropped in. Then it went full-fantasy. The type of world, where vampires, ghost conjurers and fae-folk inhabit what seems just like our modern world reminded me of Chris Lester's Metamor City podcast memorialized in books like Welcome to the City. This st ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

May 07, 2021 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021-read

3.5 stars rounded up because ghost dogs cannot receive less than 4 stars.

There are so many things to like about this book. The friendship between Ellie and Jay really shone. It is so rare in YA books to see a truly platonic relationship between teens with absolutely no complicating undercurrent of romantic tension. Also, ghost animals. I could read about them all day. The twists are turns of the story were interesting, and I loved the slow and steady revealing of the everyday supernatural elemen ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2021 Cathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yes, it‘s Young Adult, not my favourite genre. But it looked interesting. And while I didn‘t bite my nails, the story was not bad and the writing was good. More background about the world this is set in would have been nice. Essentially it‘s UF/magical realism, set in our place and time, with ghosts, vampires and fae added to the mix. My favourite gadget: instant teleportation via fae ring.

Author and female main character are Lipan Apache. Ellie is 17 years old and has the power to call animal g ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2021 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bipoc-author, sf-f-h, bipoc-actor, x2021-read

Young Lipan-Apache woman Ellie lives in a world much like ours, but slightly different. Fantastic Beasts and creatures and fae inhabit the world, and racism against indigenous peoples is common.
Ellie (Elatsoe) can conjure and interact with animal ghosts, like her family’s now deceased dog. Ellie’s power is similar to a powerful ancestor of hers, and Ellie must rely on her abilities and good sense when a cousin is struck down suddenly, and asks Ellie to find out why he was murdered.
Ellie’s frien ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

May 10, 2021 Denise rated it liked it

Shelves: women-2021

3.5
Interesting premise of an alternate world filled with magical beings, where vampires can be good guys or not and prehistoric ghosts can help in an emergency. Debut book for this author and I will keep my eyes out for further books.

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2021 Ctgt rated it liked it

6/10

3 likes · Like · see review

May 12, 2021 Lulu rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, lgbt, books-read-in-2021

Cute story and a quick read, but the prose and dialogue left a lot to be desired. The characters also felt much younger than stated and this may have been better suited as a middle grade book.

1 like · Like · see review