Sheine Lende (Elatsoe, #0) (2024)

5/5 stars with a warming ghostly glow...

"For us, it’s easy to mistake The Below for home..."

In my very first review of Elatsoe back in 2021, I named it “one of those magical books I wish had been around when I was a child”, as it would’ve been a foundational book for me. Luckily, that never stopped me from adoring it all the same as an adult, and joyfully adding it to my all-time favourite list. Since then, I’ve reread it a number of times and have been well on my way to considering Darcie Little Badger a favourite author, sheerly based on my love for this one book.
Then came the announcement I didn’t see coming; a new book in the same world, functioning as a prequel to Elatsoe. After finishing Sheine Lende, I can confidently say that I’m no longer “considering Darcie Little Badger might become a favourite author”; she is an all-time favourite for sure!

The Story:
Sheine Lende is set in the same world as Elatsoe, and functions as a prequel to Ellie’s story. Although there are references to the first book throughout, the story follows a completely new cast of characters and can be read as a standalone as well.
We follow Shane, Ellie’s grandmother, whom we already know has lead an interesting life, and shared the same talents of communicating with (animal) spirits. Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can't afford to pay and authorities don’t seem to care. When her mother, alongside a local boy, is next in line to disappear after a strange interaction with a fairy ring, Shane takes it upon herself and her ghost dogs to return her home safely. Together with her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent - who isn't to be trusted - set off on a journey to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world - or this place in time.

What I loved:
I’ve mentioned before that Elatsoe is one of those quintessential comfort books for me. There is an almost indescribable quality to the writing that radiates comfort, warmth and whimsy, despite not shying away from heavier subject matter. Sheine Lende, carries forward that same atmosphere through its shared themes. Both stories are essentially about family and generational-love (covering both biological family and found-family alike), and how these connections to our supporting networks can carry us through the darkest of times. The worldbuilding is rooted in Lipan mythology, from an own-voice perspective of the author. I deeply admire how the author manages to honour her culture and history by intertwining threads of generational- and cultural trauma specific to the native America experience, whilst also writing about themes universal enough to be relatable for readers from a variety of backgrounds.
None of this was a surprise of course; I knew full well that Darcie Little Badger was capable of this kind of writing from reading Elatsoe. What díd surprise me was how invested I got in the new cast of characters from page one. I didn’t think Shane would be able to hold a candle to my love and investment in Ellie and Kirby, yet I think I loved both protagonist equally in the end. Ellie and Shane are distinctly different, strong characters, but share a very important quality. They both are strong as individuals because their community allows them to be. They stand on the shoulders of giant and know themselves to be backed by the ghost of the generations that proceeded them. That powerful sense of connection is the backbone to anchor of the story and the beating heart of my love for it.
This is where I’d usually include my “what I didn’t love”-section, but I honestly have no points of critique to give here… Elatsoe did something truly special for me: it’s the kind of book that feels like a strengthening and encouraging hug from a loved one. I didn’t think Sheine Lende, would be able to match that, but it absolutely did, maybe at times even surpassing it! This is a gem of a novel, that I cannot recommend highly enough.

A note on the audio:
This is one of those books where I can't decide whether to recommend the physical book over the audio, or the other way around. I read both, and adored both for different reasons. On the one hand, the physical copy has the benefit of the stunning cover and illustrations by Rovina Cai. On the other hand, the audiobook reflects the nature of spoken-word legacies and storytelling, and Kinsale Drake's exceptional narration and pronounciation of the original Lipan language makes for a truly special experience.

Many thanks to the author and Levine Querido for providing me with (yes, I’ve said it!) my most anticipated ARC of the year. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

If you loved Elatsoe you should definitely pick up Sheine Lende as well! This follows Ellie's grandmother as a teen girl in the 1970's when magic makes her mom and two kids disappear and Shane is on a mission to find them, even if it means a trip to the underworld. It's a slower-paced novel that is as interested in developing the characters and their backgrounds as it is in the search and rescue with mystery elements. It's a lovely, heartfelt story with adventure that expands on the magical world of Elatsoe and integrates the history and culture of the Lipan Apache people. Loved it! I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. I think I liked Elatsoe better though. It was tighter.

The premise was similar, Shane, the teenage MC helps her mother track down missing people with the help of their bloodhounds, one of which is a ghost . When Shane‘s mother disappears while they are tracking a missing boy, she is the only one who seems to know where they are and how to get them back.

There’s quite a lot of peril in this story, but it stays mild because you know it’s going to turn out alright. There’s also a lot of back story, which adds depth to the character’s and motivation to their actions. Horrible things have happened to Shane, her family and the people around her, but there is a lot of good that happens too and people who are there for one another.

The world Little Badger has created is closely based on our own, except for that the Fae are real (and dangerous) and supernatural things happen quite often. One thing that is the same is that the Native Americans were still treated horrendously. There is a deep sense of loss and sadness as a result. These stories are important.

This book is a prequel to Elatsoe, and tells the story of Elatsoe’s grandmother, Shane. You don’t have to have read Elatsoe to enjoy this book, although there are more explanations for the way magic exists in the book.

One thing I didn’t like in the book, was how suddenly, half way through, we start having long passages in first POV. I’m not convinced that was necessary to the story and was a bit jarring.

I received this as an ARC in exchange for a review. Thank yous to Darcie Little Badger, publisher Levine Querido and NetGalley for providing it.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. LOOOOVED. Yes, more than Elatsoe 🤯. (And no, you don't have to have read that one to enjoy this one.)

Seriously, buy Sheine Lende or request it from your library. It will suck you in, I promise.

It has:

🍄 missing persons
🍄 mysterious fairy rings
🍄 the bestest ghost dog (& ghost bugs!)
🍄 alternate 70s texas with magic
🍄 lipan apache rep AND best of all--
🍄 a satisfying journey w/ a satisfying ending 🙂‍↕️

It's absolutely going into my top reads of the year list. Thanks for sending me a copy, @levinequerido ! I read this one mostly on my kobo because I had already requested it from my library, but I'm so so happy to now have a hardcover of it sitting on my shelves as well 😘.

4.5 stars. This is just beautiful.

Darcie Little Badger is the kind of author I wish I was exposed to in my youth. I love her works and will read anything and everything she puts out.
It was nice to be back in the world of Eltasoe and get to know her grandmother, Shane. Little Badger continues to weave in the Lipan Apache culture seamlessly throughout the novel, as she did in Elatsoe.
Sheine Lende at first glance disguises itself as a mystery novel, but it is so much more. It is about individual and collective grief and loss, friendship, culture, community love, support, and keeping hope alive no matter how dire things may seem.

Things I loved:
Sibling love
Friendship love
Community love
Flawed characters
Lipan Apache culture and not shying aways from the harm caused (and continue to cause) to their people on a systemic level, while taking care not to highlight trauma that could cause more trauma.
Nellie
The Below

Some things that may have worked better for me:
We got a lot of internal and external dialogue of Shane telling us her thoughts and what was going on versus showing. Compared to Elatsoe and A Snake Falls from the Sky, this wasn’t as strong for me.
More depth to the Fae, fairy rings, and that world.

Overall, I enjoyed this and look forward to Little Badger’s future works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Levine Querido for making this available as an ARC.

I read Elatsoe in 2021 and liked it. Here we go again, the prequel. It is set in the 1970s, focussing on Elatsoe’s grandmother Shane.

Pretty illustrations again above each chapter. Young adult, 12 years and up. I am not a big fan of YA, but this was very readable. Shane is 17 years old and comes across as very mature. There’s no silly romance. It doesn’t feel too strongly like YA.

Themes are loss of identity, community and family. Shane is a Lipan Apache. Her family lost their home in a flood and the community has been scattered. They live in Texas. Her mother works in search-and-rescue, finding lost people with her dogs. She teaches Shane, who goes on searches with her. There is also Shane‘s little brother, Marco. And eventually their grandfather Louis.

This is a world in which magic exists. The women of Shane‘s family can call the ghosts of animals. One of their tracking dogs, Nelly, is her mother‘s old dog, retuned as a ghost. This world knows fae. They are aliens from a different realm, an anomaly in space and time, from different planets, connected to Earth by fairy rings. Vampires are known as well, although we don‘t meet any of them this time around.

Someone is lost. And in the process of finding them, Shane‘s mother is lost as well. It is now up to Shane and her family and friends to figure out what happened and to find her mother.

I am still debating how much I liked the last third of the story. It‘s the most otherworldly part and the resolution seems to be a bit too easy and superficially told. I was missing a deeper look into how it all resolved itself. If that makes sense.

Still, I liked this and I would definitely get any further books in this word and recommend them to others.

PS: yes, there are mammoths on the cover. No, I am not telling you why.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

My review of Elatsoe is here.

Darcie Little Badger is one to watch. That’s what I say to myself anyway, as I pound back endless cups of tea and anyone else reads these words on the internet. But if you are reading these words, then you ought to know Sheine Lende is a fantastic experience all around, just like my experiences with Elatsoe and A Snake Falls to Earth before it. At every turn, Little Badger crafts a narrative so compelling and compassionate that I’m left satisfied and awestruck.

A prequel to Elatsoe, Sheine Lende is the eponymous story of Elatsoe’s grandmother. Set roughly during the 1970s, I think, the book follows Shane’s quest to rescue her mother. Shane and her mother work as trackers of missing persons, and one day while tracking two missing siblings, Shane’s mom disappears. Shane locates one of the siblings, but the other remains missing, presumably with her mother. Shane has no choice but to work with a ragtag team: her younger brother, the retrieved sibling, her best friend, and her drifter grandfather. Her quest will take her far afield from home, even perhaps into the land of the dead.

As with Elatsoe, this story is set in a world much like ours, except that humanity acknowledges magic—and the fairy realm—exists. Magic isn’t common, however, and aside from some people being able to use fairy rings for long-distance transport, most people who practise it keep it on the down-low. That’s the case for Shane and her mother, who have the ability to summon the spirits of dead animals and even use their ghost dog, Nellie, in their tracking business. Shane and her mother are Lipan Apache, displaced by a rich white man from their ancestral lands, and just getting by. Little Badger expertly conveys Shane’s existence: life with her mother and her little brother is tough sometimes yet also full of love, and Shane, at seventeen, is a mature young woman burgeoning with creativity and ambition.

This is key to the book’s success: Shane is an excellent protagonist. As soon as her mom goes missing, she shifts gear into leader mode. Lots of people older than her—mostly men—doubt her (though shout out to her grandpa and others who eventually cast aside their doubts and get on board). Really, Shane’s best allies are her best friend and her new friend, Donnie—these three young women showcase the power of female friendship (and you can bet I enjoyed the queer vibes as well). Shane is so focused on getting her mom back, and while she has her own moments of self-doubt, it is her grit and her determination that makes her such a formidable figure.

Combine this with Little Badger’s attention to pacing and how to unspool the mystery, and you have yourself an exciting read. Although I felt like the middle third of the book lagged a bit, the intensity of the third act more than makes up for it.

My favourite part was probably the ending, however. I won’t go into spoilers, but basically we get a flashforward to Shane as an older woman (and Elatsoe is there). Shane has been waiting for something for decades. It’s really neat, seeing the older Shane, seeing her reflect back on the adventure we just witnessed. I’ve been thinking a lot lately, as I approach thirty-five, how I’m aging and how I might feel in the decades to come, as I look back at my earlier life. So something about this scene, about seeing an older Shane, really just … hit me. In a good way. Little Badger reminds us that we all grow old—if we are lucky—and there is a beauty inherent in just having lived one’s life.

That’s really what Sheine Lende comes down to. This is a book about the beauty of being human, of building connections to family and friends, of getting angry or sad or distraught and fighting and hugging it out. Of pushing on past what you think are your limits. Of trusting others. This is a fun novel with serious themes (including resisting colonialism), and it’s definitely worth your time.

Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.

I didn't even know we were getting an Elatsoe prequel until I saw this pop up on netgalley and thank goodness I did because I think I might have liked this even more than Elatsoe, and I LOVED Elatsoe.

So this follows Ellie's grandma Shane as she searches for her mom and a missing boy in the underworld. It does feel a little bit long but in the best way like you get excited every time a new plot development happens because you know you're getting more story if that makes sense. I loved the characters and the representation and the setting. I feel like we get more of an insight into the magic system of both Ellie and Shane's ability to resurrect ghost animals as well as the magic system regarding the mushrooms and fairy rings.

This is technically a prequel but it's listed as number two in a series and I think I can genuinely say it doesn't matter if you read this before or after Elatsoe. You get enough information in this book to understand everything that's going on without having read the first but it also provides really great contacts and information for Elatsoe.

If you can't tell, I loved it and am here for it. Please give me more from Darcie Little Badgers.

Lipan-Apache MC, queer secondary characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was so good!! I actually think I liked this one even more than Elatsoe (though A Snake Falls to Earth is still my favourite). I loved being back in this world, and learning more about things from Elatsoe, such as why Ellie's grandmother (who's the MC in Sheine Lende) has a ghost mammoth. Also we get to meet another ghost dog!!

Friendships are so important to me in books, and this one had such amazing friendships, both old and new. There is also a big focus on family, and on what's it like being Native American. Shane has such a heartbreaking story. I'm really glad the book has a happy ending though (well as happy as it can be).

Finally, Sheine Lende is a prequel to Elatsoe, but having read both of them I can say that the order they're read in doesn't really matter. I definitely recommend both of them, and I will be reading anything Darcie Little Badger publishes in the future!

Rep: Lipan-Apache MC and SCs, sapphic SCs

3.5/3.75ish rounded up

I feel so conflicted about this book. As self-proclaimed number one Elatsoe stan, I was super excited for this prequel, and I'm lowkey devastated it didn't live up to my expectations. For most of the book, I struggled through each chapter as the characters continued to contribute information that wasn't relevant to the plot and as more and more world-building lore was discussed that also wasn't super necessary to the overall story. This only confused me and made the book hard to read. I really wish it had gone through a few more rounds of edits to clean it up a bit more :/

However, all that being said, there were still plenty of parts about this book I enjoyed, it just took me most of the book to get to that point. It wasn't until about 75% through that I realized characters kept sharing what I thought were useless bits of information and random memories because the whole point of this book is the beauty of storytelling. Once this clicked, I was able to enjoy the book way more, as well as each character's sharing of small memories and grand adventures alike. Considering how both of Darcie's other books are steeped in storytelling traditions and the special experience of sharing those stories with loved ones, I should have understood this sooner, but with the choppy writing it took way longer.

I do still recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed Elatsoe and wanted an expansion of how that magical realism world works, as well as get to know Ellie's grandmother and her mammoths a bit more. If you can get past the seemingly all over the place writing in the first half of the book, this is a really lovely ode to storytelling that is worth a read regardless of the book's other issues.

Thank you to Levine Querido for providing a free digital copy to review via NetGalley.

Sheine Lende is a prerquel to Elatsoe, centering on Ellie's grandmother when she was a teenager. Shane is a tracker, who was trained by her mom. One day, her mom goes missing and Shane must find her with the help of her family and new found friends.

Despite the high stakes of the story, I found the first half to be quite slow paced. It was worth taking my time with and I found the second half to be more compelling. The storytelling within the novel created any layers and nuance to the characters and plot. I especially enjoyed the few chapters in first person in contrast to the ones in third, as they felt more emotional.

Another aspect I enjoyed was how the conflict in the story arose very natually from the circ*mstances of the characters' lives and how they were well equipped for their journey. This adds a level of believability that many speculative stories can lack and for me, raises the stakes, due to the reality mixed in with ther fantastical.

The ending was incredibly satisfying and very rewarding.

This is the third novel I have read by Little Badger and I am always excited to return to her work. Her signature writing style remains beautiful, the much needed focus on familial and platonic relationships was present, as well as poignant themes of colonialism. Little Badger manages to have a distinct style, while each of her works functioning as its own distinct story. I am excited to see what she has in store for us next!

What a FANTASTIC prequel to Elatsoe. There was just so much about this book that was so great and so well done. I definitely intend to read all of Darcie Little Badger's works.

Oh, this was a delightful and moving story that makes an excellent prequel to Elatsoe, one of my favorite YA novels. I am grateful to Levine Querido and Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My thoughts:

🐕 It lives up to the high expectations that Elatsoe set. A banger of a storyline, an interesting cast of characters to root for, and a satisfying conclusion.
🦣 Our main character, Shane, is easy to become invested in and I appreciated her badassery and wisdom, already at such a young age. Her backstory is gradually revealed as the story progresses, fleshing out her character.
🌻 The side characters are endearing and fun, and they build toward found family.
🌵The folkloric magic conjours creative imagery while also being grounded in the traditions and history of Shane's indigenous heritage, specifically Lipan Apache.
🌲The exploration of generational trauma of indigenous people - and finding the strength to subvert oppression - is impactful and drives aspects of the plot.
🏞 While this is a Young Adult novel, age is no barrier to enjoying this story.
🦋 You don't necessarily need to read Elatsoe first to enjoy this (it's a prequel after all).
🎨 The illustrations by Rovina Cai are beautiful and meaningful.

Highly recommend this for fans of Elatsoe, YA, magical realism, spirit creatures, characters you love to root for, and exploring other realms.

I have huge respect for Darcie Little Badger as a writer and storyteller - and she was so, so delightful in a webinar I had the pleasure to watch. So it pains me to say that I found Shein Lende's pacing inconsistent, and I caught my attention wandering a little too often. There was something so...loose...about the narrative and the way the characters interacted that I couldn't dig in.
Also, I seem to be the only one thinking this but Sheine Lende gave me strong, older-middle-school vibes rather than YA. Anyone?
Regardless, I look forward to Little Badger's next novel!

If you liked the first one, you will like this one, too!

I loved Elatsoe, so I knew I needed to get my hands on this book. This lived up to my expectations and then some. I love a good adventure book, and this was definitely that. Also, kudos for Shane bringing Marcos along with her, because too many books like to leave little kids home, while the big kids go off on missions to save the world. I think it worked very well with some of the messages we get from this book, especially surrounding family and culture and traditions and how important they are to pass on to the generations after you.

The last chapter and the epilogue were obviously my favourite parts, and I think anyone who reads this will enjoy those two chapters. They were very satisfying and heartwarming and concluded this story perfectly.

A story about families, histories, and how we envision "home". I was really excited to learn that Elatsoe was getting a prequel, and after reading Sheine Lende, I am hoping that there will continue to be more books in this series. This story follows Ellie's grandmother Shane on an adventure of her own. I appreciated that although there were some overlapping themes, the storylines felt very distinct. While Elatsoe has a strong mystery element, Sheine Lende is more a journey than a puzzle, and focuses very heavily on the telling of stories and histories. I don't think you would need to have read Elatsoe to enjoy Sheine Lende, but there are some nice links to Ellie's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

I read the ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

I think I appreciated this prequel more than I did Elatsoe (which I also liked, just didn't quite gel with) - the characters still feel written younger than their age (style-wise, voice-wise, not maturity-wise), but the narration worked a little better (and the suggestion that this is a story told to a younger sibling could actually account for the younger feel) and the conclusion was so satisfying, both as a balancing of the scales and as a beautifully executed plot-twist.

Sign me up for the third book with a ghost cat.

Action packed and a great mix of mystery, fantasy, family and adventure, this prequel to the bestselling Elatsoe is sure to delight fans of books like The firekeeper's daughter, David Robertson's The Misewa Saga or The Floraverse series by Wab Kinew. Great on audio too! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 Wow!!!!!!!!!

3/3.5*

I just really enjoy all of Darcie Little Badger’s books and I can’t recommend them enough

I read the Advance Reader Copy courtesy of NetGalley.

Reading Sheine Lende was such a special experience. From the first chapter I was on edge, not sure how anything would play out. There is a sense of dread throughout the novel that had me worried for the characters the whole time.

Shane was a lovely character to follow, sharp and clever and loving. She has to deal with impossible loss and overcome her fear to save the people she loves, and the way she sticks with it and keeps her top priority in sight is admirable.

The world is so surprising, as well. I kept forgetting that not only is this in our world with real stories of cryptids, and Shane and her family have this incredible magic to summon ghosts, but fae kingdoms and other realms also exist in this world. The mesh of those two kept surprising me. However, this iteration of the fae was a bit less chaotic than I expected. I wanted to see more risk involving the fae, not just the risk of unpredictable fae magic.

I also found myself a little disappointed at the climax and conclusion. I wanted there to be greater risk and see some greater loss. The best opportunity, I thought, was when Shane is in the Below. Everyone warned her not to talk to the people Below, because home may be harder to find. The fact that she didn’t see anyone, so the risk wasn’t even an option for her, felt like a huge missed opportunity.

I loved how the characters’ challenges worked as metaphors for very real hardships marginalized and Native American communities have had to face. Loss of loved ones, missing people, lack of respect for their expertise, and lack of care for the threats that concern these communities the most are on full display in this book, and the narrative works excellently to pick apart how those hardships have a lasting impact across generations.

I loved this book. It wasn’t perfect, and I wished a few things things that were teased had been more thoroughly explored, like the owl-eyed man from the first chapter…what was he? I wanted to learn more about these monsters rooted in Native American culture. But it gave me a lot to think about and showed me some new perspectives. I’m excited to recommend it to the people in my life.

Solid four stars. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book; this doesn’t change my review.

I really enjoyed this; even more than I enjoyed Elatsoe, I think. Shane, our main character, has a very interesting backstory that makes her somewhat-typical personality feel very unique. The side characters feel equally loved, and the world is as unique as Elatsoe’s, even more so to me because I didn’t grow up in those times. The world building is definitely where this book shines most, but the story was fascinating, and the ending was very satisfying.

The last words in the book, “This is not the end”, makes me very excited to see what is next in this world; I will absolutely be getting any other books in this series.

oh my goshhhhhh yessssssssss

I loved Elatsoe so much and this prequel really has everything I loved about that one--intriguing worldbuilding, rad characters, loving family, and real Lipan Apache history/lore.

I think it could stand alone if you haven't read Elatsoe but also like. Why haven't you read Elatsoe???

This was a nice return to the world of Elatsoe! Sheine Lende takes us back in time to the teenage years of Elatsoe's titular ancestor that goes by Shane most of the time. With her mother and their dogs, including ghost best boy Nellie, Shane tracks down missing people - until her mother herself disappears while tracking down two missing siblings.

The world is, once again, imaginative and intriguing and I really enjoyed revisiting it. Shane is a good protagonist, too. I did feel like the novel suffered from pacing issues, and the writing in general is rather heavy on the dialogue so I was at times admittedly a bit bored. The side characters weren't entirely fleshed out and there were some plot elements introduced that seemed to go nowhere in the end, like, for example, Shane's relationship with her grandfather. I also felt that the world building, as intriguing as the bits and pieces were, was lacking and made it hard for me to imagine all these things the author kept weaving into the plot.

So in the end, it's a solid novel for fans of Elatsoe that expands on its world by diving into the past, and it's enjoyable for what it is. It's also nothing more than that.

Many thanks to Levine Querido and Netgalley for the arc!

Book 73 of 2024: Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can’t afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood and the loss of Shane’s father and her grandparents. Then Shane’s mother and a local boy go missing after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent—who isn’t exactly trustworthy—set off to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world—or this place in time.

I absolutely loved this book and the entire Elatsoe universe that Darcie Little Badger has created! This book solidified Little Badger as an auto-buy author for me and I am respectfully BEGGING for stories about all of Elatsoe’s ancestors all the way back to six-great grandma! I absolutely love the atmosphere of these stories—the mystic is grounded in reality, and the strong female protagonists are such wonderful characters, making the books a true joy to read. I loved that in this book, much like in Elatsoe, Little Badger was able to capture much of the Lipan mythology and lore and intertwine it into a fascinating coming of age story about the importance of family and heritage. But what took this above and beyond was that she also addressed many of the hardships and cultural/generational trauma that Native Americans have suffered through throughout history, particularly displacement. I love that Little Badger is able to write about her heritage in a way that is as informative as it is entertaining, and there is something very special about the accessibility and magic of her writing. All the starts to this book. I highly recommend this series and this author, and can’t wait for what comes next!

Sheine Lende
By Darcie Little Badger

Remember how I raved about Elatsoe last year? It’s time to rave about the prequel.

The overarching structure of this book is a rescue. Shane and her mother are looking for missing siblings, but something goes terribly wrong and Shane is left hunting down both her mother and the young boy.

But more than that, I felt like this was an exploration of identity. Shane and her family were displaced and have gone through several horrible events because of it. They had to scatter and so Shane feels that she is losing a part of herself as she realizes things she has forgotten, or things she forgot to ask her elders so that she could carry them on. She doesn’t know the Lipan language well and mourns that she stumbles over pronouncing her own name. Darcie Little Badger managed to write this in such a visceral way. As someone who doesn’t feel she has ties to any specific culture, I was mourning it along with her. And rejoicing when she found connections to her past and her people’s past.

Isn’t it fascinating how books can do that? I read somewhere that people who read (especially fiction) turn into more empathetic humans and I think this book really highlights how that happens. I’ll never fully know how that feels, but I now have a better understanding of, appreciation and sympathy for, peoples who know that all too well. Because, unfortunately, this isn’t an issue only of the past.

I hope I’m saying that coherently.

Thanks to @netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf p. 207

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing me an eARC to review!

After falling absolutely in love with Elatsoe, I was really excited to be getting more, especially with Rovina Cai's beautiful illustrations. Unfortunately I just really couldn't connect with this story - it started off promising with ghost-dog-assisted searches for missing people, but then kind of become an info-dumpy road trip with a bunch of characters I didn't really care for and the world felt a lot more like the 'bureaucratic magical realism' style that I just don't gel with.

Sadly, it just didn't capture the same magic Elatsoe had for me. Perhaps later in the book things may have picked up, but I didn't care enough about the plot or characters to stick with it. I'm still interested to see what the author does next though, and to try her other work A Snake Falls to Earth.