YA Fantasy is one of my favorite genres. No matter my age, it never ceases to bring me joy and make me smile. This book is no exception.

Our main character Ellie (Elatsoe) is a 17 year old asexual girl who can see, speak to, and summon ghosts. Her favorite ghost companion is her childhood dog Kirbie who is a near constant figure in her life. The ghost dog is absolutely adorable. I know that he does not look like Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas, but that is immediately who Kirbie makes me think of.

We have diverse fantasy. Not only is our main character asexual, but she is Lipan Apache. Their culture, language, and history are the backbone of this story which is grounded in Native American and Indigenous folklore. The author is Lipan Apache, and you can feel her love for her tribe woven throughout.

Little Badger does a great job of incorporating real life issues into her fantasy world. This book tackles issues of colonization, exploitation of minorities (especially in the medical field), land ownership, revenge versus justice, and grief. Despite incorporating all of these serious topics, Elatsoe manages to maintain its humor. From vampires tagging bridges in graffiti to ghost dogs playing with skulls, there are several moments that stand out as being just plain funny.

There are several moments where you feel like crying only for a character-driven moment to make you laugh. But none of these moments are at the expense of the underlying messages and themes.

This is just such a great story, and I can’t wait to read more stories from this author.