Elatsoe

 All in all, I really liked this book. It was extremely entertaining, easy to read and interesting to follow. I guess one of its biggest advantages for me is the take on various supernatural creatures featured in the story. Though it's a low fantasy, the magic aspect of it was quite unique and well thought-through. The themes of familial love, friendship, racism towards Indigenous people, the asexual representation (which I, as an aroace person, really appreciated) is another thing that makes this book so good. Moreover, I'd like to mention that I like how Ellie's and Allerton's magical abilities directly correspond with their role in the story. Dr. Allerton's heritage is the magic that can, in some ways, “steal” people's life forces and give them to others. This makes a lot of a sense for a character whose predecessor was a white man who participated in the colonization, stealing the lives of Native Americans to give a place and the chance for long live to white people. Ellie, on the other hand, can wake dead and has a deep connection with the Earth itself. This is a good way to metaphorically represent the importance Indigenous people place on their family, ancestors and the world around in general. However, the one downside of this book is that I can't imagine myself thinking about it ever again. I give it 4 stars, and not 3 or 3.5 (as I would usually do in such a situation) because it was a solid story with good narrative, captivating “murder mystery” subplot and, most importantly, it made a (successful) attempt at exploring very important themes.