5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: urban fantasy, mystery, Indigenous storytelling, historical fantasy
Big thanks to Netgalley, Levine Querido, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed Elatsoe so I was super excited to see there was going to be a prequel about her grandmother! This book ends with the suggestion that there’s more stories from this world to come, so I’m hoping we get something from four/six-great-grandmother (more from Sheine Lende or Elatsoe would also be good, I’m not picky)
Much like with Ellie, Shane’s story centers around a mystery, though this one is a missing person’s case and not a murder. Shane’s mother, Lorenza, utilizes her dogs and ghost dog to find people who are missing. More recently Shane has begun helping her and the two make a good ghost-calling, person-finding duo. I liked reading about how they tracked people down and how their work got spread around by word-of-mouth.
I was a little confused on when this story occurred, so I found the author’s note saying it was the 1970s to be helpful. In this world at this point in time, fairy rings are still being implemented and they’re a relatively new technology still. It was interesting to see how people talked about them and the various opinions and worries people had, especially considering they’re so present in Ellie’s time. The missing person’s case is tied up closely with fairy rings, though in a somewhat unusual way, so there was some light dealings with the Fair Folk and, more interestingly, with an ex-academic who specialized in them.
When her mother disappears, Shane takes over both the investigation for the missing kid(s) and the investigation for her mother’s disappearance. She actually finds the older girl pretty quickly, and by complete accident, and they have a chance to spend some time together and bond before they make it back to everyone else. I liked that Shane and Donnie became fast friends and were eager to help one another out. I also appreciated that Donnie’s grandparents were more than willing to travel with the girls and Shane’s younger brother, Marco, to various places in order to find Donnie’s younger brother (the missing boy) and Shane’s mom.
Despite having a few family members remaining, Shane has a good support system, from her friend Amelia, to their elderly neighbor, to her newfound friendship with Donnie and the help of Donnie’s grandparents. Ellie has that too in her book, but she starts that way, Shane starts by feeling alone and I feel for this type of YA adventure, having a large support system of mixed teenagers and adults really breaks the mold. I also liked that the adults, particularly the newer ones, were willing to defer ton Shane’s expertise and research and didn’t just insist they were right.
Shane is confident in herself, though not to the point of ego, and is able to draw on her knowledge, what her mother taught her, and her own investigative skills to connect dots and come up with next steps. She’s overall friendly but knows when to put her foot down and is more than capable of being firm and even intimidating when necessary. She’s still coming into her ghost-raising power, so I also liked seeing her knowledge and experimentation in that area.
Beyond the mystery element, this book also deals with trauma, family, and the effects of colonialism. Shane, Marcos, and Lorenza definitely had a hard time for a while, are technically still having a hard time, and it’s a direct result of historical and modern colonialist greed. The family also suffered some major losses when Shane was younger, resulting in there being only a few family members and the dispersal of their home community. Shane and Marcos both still have a lot of emotions about that, albeit different ones since Marcos was in utero when this was going on and only knows the aftermath. Shane also struggles with not knowing or misremembering traditional Lipan stories and has several moments when she deeply wishes there were community members around she could engage with. It was definitely heartbreaking to read about those aspects, but I did enjoy seeing Shane begin to set them to rights. I also think the loss of their original support system and the growth of a different one help mirror each other and the path of healing in the story.
Overall I liked this story and think it stands well both on its own and as an addition to the world of Elatsoe. Shane definitely has an interesting story, and I would say this book serves as both a mystery and a healing journey. I’m looking forward to whatever Little Badger writes next!
Reading Queen E Reviews 