Elatsoe

This YA novel is unquestionably one of my all time favourite reads. It’s about an asexual Apache girl with her ghost-dog sidekick in a world full of magic including faeries and vampires. The prose, the plot, the characters, the narrative structure—it was all brilliant and brought to life the story of a girl who can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill from her Lipan Apache family. A story that could’ve remained delightfully cute and sweet takes a decidedly darker turn when Elatsoe’s cousin is the picture-perfect town of Willowbee. As Elatsoe begins to investigate, she uncovers some seriously… show more.

I encountered Darcie on the Cerebro podcast (a homo and his friends discuss the X-Men) and I was so taken by her insights, smarts, and obvious understanding of what makes a story tick. Elatsoe delivered on every one of those promises. Not only do you learn a ton about indigenous mythology, but the complexity and profundity of the world make it a must-read. Images so vividly depicted you can see why she’s such a good comic book writer also.  

Set in an alternate America shaped by magic, this book follows Elatsoe, a teenage girl with the ability to summon animal spirits, a power passed down through her Lipan Apache family. When her cousin is murdered and his death passed off as an accident, she opens her own investigation, and will stop at nothing to get the truth.

It’s an absolutely beautiful book with a focus on the power of storytelling, complete with a ghost dog sidekick you’re sure to love.