Elatsoe (December 2021) Group Read Discussion

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

This is the group thread for Elatsoe!

This thread is open for discussion beginning December 1st! Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed (mark as a spoiler) in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days of the month can be used to catch up if needed! Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads.

The Group Read Discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 12/01
December 1: Chapters 1-2 or 20 pages
December 2: Chapters 3-4 or 20 pages
December 3: Chapters 5-6 or 20 pages
December 4: Chapters 7-8 or 20 pages
December 5: Chapters 9-10 or 20 pages


Week of 12/06
December 6: Chapters 11-12 or 20 pages
December 7: Chapters 13-14 or 20 pages
December 8: Chapters 15-16 or 20 pages
December 9: Chapters 17-18 or 20 pages
December 10: Chapters 19-20 or 20 pages
December 11: Chapters 21-22 or 20 pages
December 12: Chapters 23-24 or 20 pages


Week of 12/13
December 13: Chapters 25-26 or 20 pages
December 14: Chapters 27-28 or 20 pages
December 15: Chapters 29-30 or 20 pages
December 16: Chapter 31-32 or 20 pages
December 17: Chapter 33-34 or 20 pages
December 18: Chapter 35-36 or 20 pages



You can read the group book at any time during the month and at your own pace. This is the pace the group will be using, but if you read ahead or will be giving spoilers, please mark them (click the "some html is ok button"). If you have any questions a mod or another member can help you.

[Jen K]

Read (listened to) the first 4 chapters. I'm enjoying more than I expected somehow. I like Elatsoe and the world building is great so far. Somehow the idea of keeping the ghost of your pet isn't as creepy as I would imagine. It will be interesting to see how her investigation goes.

[Jen K]

I may be finishing today. I am enjoying the book. I like the many stories about her family and those that help them learn life lessons but sometimes find them a bit of a distracting detour. The language is so rich. I definitely have some ideas on how this might end up and I hope everyone stays safe. I also really want a ghost dog.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I'm glad you are enjoying it.. I hope to start it in a few days.

[Laura ☾]

Planning to start this today!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Sooo.. I guess I read the synopsis at one time because I remember the cover, but boy, I was surprised that there's an actual ghost dog.

Finished the first 5 chapters and I'm gonna continue with it because it's short and easy to read, but I'm not really into it. I didn't expect the writing to be so... for a younger audience? and the dialogues are a bit, well not cringy, but weird for sure.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Ch 13 (view spoiler)[ The book is pretty much tame, so I was surprised with the vampire attack. and we moved from it so fast.. although it's not the only thing that would happen and we just moved on to something else. (hide spoiler)]

all in all.. i'm just waiting for it to be over, since it's not interesting to me.. the way it's written kinda reminds me of Woven in moonlight.. except the MC here isn't an idiot.

[Jen K]

Agreed, it is definitely younger. It is hard to actually imagine the characters as 17 and headed for college. It is kind of why I put it off a bit. I definitely enjoyed more than Woven in Moonlight though. There are still some questionable choices but I appreciated the overall message and writing more.

[Laura ☾]

Yeah I get what you guys mean - the dialogue definitely reads a lot younger than the characters are and it’s bothering me too

[Tawallah]

I have read the first 4 chapters yesterday- and I had to keep double checking if this was MG or YA. Initially it feels YA because of the age of character, but I know MG tends to deal with grief and family.

And while I don't mind animal companions, not so sure about the ghost dog, but I seem to be in the minority. Looking forward to more stories about Six-Great.

[Leslie]

So I had trouble getting into the book too in the first few chapters. But as I plugged along, I got more and more into it. Just about to start chapter 24. For me what I'm really appreciating is the Apache folklore. And midway, it's getting closer to revealing the mystery. It's a good weave of a murder mystery and Native American mythology. At least so far.

[✨ Brianna Raquel ✨, New Procrastinator]

This book really made me think about so many things.

What would be the world look like if colonization never happened? Natives/Aboriginals have always been so in touch with nature. What great things would they have accomplished if they were given the chance. What meals will they have created over the years? Meals from other countries? How would that have affected language? What would've been the universal language? What if there wasn't one? Would magic be real or would it still be categorized as fictional? I've literally been dreaming about all of this since finishing the book.

Also, the world building of this alternate America is chef's kiss.

[Diné *The Lazy Kitsune*]

I'm halfway in, and I agree it reads more like middle-grade. It reminded of Scooby-Doo and Enid Blyton. I'm really enjoying it so far, although some moments were to heavy handed for my liking. Like banishing a vampire from Apache land but then explaining history to him. But that's me, for MG readers it would be interesting I think.

[Diné *The Lazy Kitsune*]

Ch.26 (view spoiler)[Can't really blame Trevor's ghost (hide spoiler)]

[Diné *The Lazy Kitsune*]

Finished it! What was that doll about? Did I miss something?

[Leslie]

@Brianna Raquel - I love the ponderings this book gave you! I can say that a few of those questions came to mind too,,,

I finished the book, and I would have called the book Elatsoe and Kirby! Kirby was such an important part of her and her story. I really enjoyed the conclusion of this. I think the doll head was the essence of Kirby's "playtime" and representative of the connection with Elatsoe, in my opinion.

[Tawallah]

I put down this book but picked it up today and restarted it from the beginning. It still feels strange because the characters are 17 and yet it best suits MG. Not sure if this is because of El;ie or that we are conditioned to YA being romance heavy.

Whilst I am liking the information on the Lipan Apache history and mythology, I can't say I understand the hype. The author is quite knowledgeable with science and I like the way pre-historic features have been interwoven with this alternate America.

But like Mina, it feels somewhat disconnected as we move from point to point. But reading the questions that Brianna Raquel raised makes me wonder, how can I be smart like her?

[Tawallah]

I'm at chapter 19 - eager to see how this develops? I have a theory (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
And thinking about Dine comment- do adults unfairly judge YA and MG? And if we do, how can we better critique these books that would suit all readers?

[Tawallah]

Okay, my theory was wrong. When I read chapters 20-23, I kinda worked it out. And I kicked myself because the clues were there before, in earlier chapters.