Ahhh I adored this book so much. I'd been looking forward to this book for a while after first discovering it last year and seeing a lot of my friends enjoy it. I love magical realism when it deals with legends and folklore, especially when it teaches me about a culture that's not my own. I haven't read many books written by Indigenous authors, and I'd really love to change this in 2022 and beyond.

I adored the writing of this book, and loved how it blended a middle-grade style of storytelling with young-adult content. It worked really well for the story, even if it sometimes made some characters feel younger than they were, and I loved the whimsy it seemed to add to the story. I also loved Elatsoe/Ellie so much, and adored the cast of side characters that solved the mystery with her. Her connection to spirits and the undead was fascinating and I loved reading about her exploring her history and her powers, and how she seemed to approach it differently from others in her family. I also really loved how much love was in her family, and seeing how they treasured each other and their ancestors was heart-warming. Jay was also a fantastic side character, he was so friendly and cheerful and I loved the optimism he added to the story.

Overall, I loved this and can't wait to recommend this to all of my friends. It had some great rep too, and I loved that it included an asexual main character who didn't face hatred because of it. I can't wait to read more by this author!