Elatsoe

Elatsoe is the story of a Lipan Apache girl who has had the multi-generational gift of raising the dead passed down to her. She's solving the mystery of her cousin's murder after he appeared to her in a dream. I think this was a great mystery - not drawn out, overly-cheesy, or predictable. What I most liked about the story was seeing the intersection of Native myths with other mythical creatures, like vampires and faeries. I loved that the family regularly talks about culture and is continuously explaining the importance of things to their daughter and to other non-Native friends and family. It feels warm and familiar because my family talks about culture and shares and explains in the same way.

I will note that this reads as more middle-grade than YA, but I still enjoyed it a lot as a light read and would definitely recommend Elatsoe. Hoping to read other books by Darcie Little Badger in the future!