Elatsoe

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger was really good! The magic elements and how they tied to and interacted with Native American culture was really fascinating and I found it very intruiging.
Though I will admit that I did struggle quite a bit with understanding the world, since all of the characters knew it so well. I felt like during every revelation I was one or two steps behind. By the end of the book, I think I understood what was going on but I can't really be sure. Some of the big reveals didn't make me go ‘ohhhhhhh' but rather ‘hmm???'. I found the emissary especially to be very confusing and I don't think it was explained entirely enough.

But what really brought this book together for me were the character interactions. The little anecdotes and observations made by Ellie felt so real and human, which is very important in a fantastical world like this. Elatsoe herself (whose name I was mispronouncing for almost half of the book, yikes) was a brilliant protagonist and I loved following her story.

I also appreciate the casualness with which her asexuality is brought up. It's nice to see subtle queer representation.