A beautiful addition to the Elatsoe series!

Shane and her mother Lorenza rescue lost people. When Lorenza disappears while searching for a missing teen and child, it's up to Shane and her mother's ghost dog to find out where a fairy ring sent them.

I loved the way this adventure was told, and I always appreciate Sapphic representation, even if it was in side characters. The writing was gorgeous, steeped in storytelling, and I wholly identified with Shane's loss of her father. I hope to see more from this universe!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

I loved the book, but still felt like with this, as with Elatsoe, that the dialogue felt weird to me. Overall a great novel, I loved how they expanded on the world, and the magic. I think the characters were well crafted and that the plot was compelling and kept me interested throughout the novel.

5 stars

"And Shane whispered to her father, "Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve this? He looked her in the eyes - his face was gaunt now, his cheekbones were too sharp, and his chin was rough with patchy stubble, but is expression was so tender - and he said, "Nothing. Tragedies aren't punishments."

Darcie Little Badger delivers another 5 star read. Her writing and her stories sing to my soul.

This is the third book I've ready by this author. Elatsoe is in my top three favorite books of all time. I read A Snake Falls to Earth last year and was again simply blown away by the storytelling. In Sheine Lende, we get a prequel to Elatsoe and we spend time with Shane, Ellie's grandmother, as she navigates high school, a part time job at a pizza place, and assisting her mother Lorenza in finding the missing. We follow Shane, her little brother Marcos, her mother Lorenza, her best friend Amelia, and Shane's recently returned grandfather Louis. When Lorenza goes missing while searching for two lost children. it's up to Shane to find her.

My absolute favorite thing about this book, and all of this author's works, is the clear respect each of the main characters have for each other. Children respect their elders and the elders respect the children. When a character shares their truth, they are listened to and believed. This goes for friendships as well. I just can't describe how much this means to me. My second favorite thing are the pets, both living and dead and how they are members of the family and who love and are loved so deeply. The connections between the human characters and the natural world are so strong and meaningful. The supernatural elements are so much fun, and I love they way they are just accepted by everyone, even people who can't see or feel them.

I recommend this book and this author to everyone. I would say that I think reading Elatsoe before reading this one helped me to understand the world building more than I would have otherwise, but if you go into this one blind I still think there is so much to enjoy.

5/5 stars with a warming ghostly glow...

In my very first review of Elatsoe back in 2021, I named it “one of those magical books I wish had been around when I was a child”, as it would’ve been a foundational book for me. Luckily, that never stopped me from adoring it all the same as an adult, and joyfully adding it to my all-time favourite list. Since then, I’ve reread it a number of times and have been well on my way to considering Darcie Little Badger a favourite author, sheerly based on my love for this one book.
Then came the announcement I didn’t see coming; a new book in the same world, functioning as a prequel to Elatsoe. After finishing Sheine Lende, I can confidently say that I’m no longer “considering Darcie Little Badger might become a favourite author”; she is an all-time favourite for sure!

The Story:
Sheine Lende is set in the same world as Elatsoe, and functions as a prequel to Ellie’s story. Although there are references to the first book throughout, the story follows a completely new cast of characters and can be read as a standalone as well.
We follow Shane, Ellie’s grandmother, whom we already know has lead an interesting life, and shared the same talents of communicating with (animal) spirits. Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can't afford to pay and authorities don’t seem to care. When her mother, alongside a local boy, is next in line to disappear after a strange interaction with a fairy ring, Shane takes it upon herself and her ghost dogs to return her home safely. Together with her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent - who isn't to be trusted - set off on a journey to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world - or this place in time.

What I loved:
I’ve mentioned before that Elatsoe is one of those quintessential comfort books for me. There is an almost indescribable quality to the writing that radiates comfort, warmth and whimsy, despite not shying away from heavier subject matter. Sheine Lende, carries forward that same atmosphere through its shared themes. Both stories are essentially about family and generational -love (covering both biological family and found-family alike), and how these connections to our supporting networks can carry us through the darkest of times. The worldbuilding is rooted in Apache mythology, from an own-voice perspective of the author. I deeply admire how the author manages to honour her culture and history by intertwining threads of generational- and cultural trauma specific to the native America experience, whilst also writing about themes universal enough to be relatable for readers from a variety of backgrounds.
None of this was a surprise of course; I knew full well that Darcie Little Badger was capable of this kind of writing from reading Elatsoe. What díd surprise me was how invested I got in the new cast of characters from page one. I didn’t think Shane would be able to hold a candle to my love and investment in Ellie and Kirby, yet I think I loved both protagonist equally in the end. Ellie and Shane are distinctly different, strong characters, but share a very important quality. They both are strong because their community allows them to be. They stand on the shoulders of giant and know themselves to be backed by the ghost of the generations that proceeded them. That powerful sense of connection is the backbone to anchor of the story and the beating heart of my love for it.
This is where I’d usually include my “what I didn’t love”-section, but I honestly have no points of critique to give here… Elatsoe did something truly special for me: it’s the kind of book that feels like a strengthening and encouraging hug from a loved one. I didn’t think Sheine Lende, would be able to repeat that, but it absolutely did! This is a novel I cannot recommend highly enough.

Many thanks to the author and Levine Querido for providing me with (yes, I’ve said it!) my most anticipated ARC of the year. All opinions are my own.

This was the adventure story I didn't know I needed, and cannot live without! I haven't read Elatsoe, but it is now that the top of my TBR because of how much I loved Sheine Lende. The main character Shane is a reluctant hero who doesn't back down or give up once she's thrust into a quest to save a lost boy and her mom. This book is plot-driven with high stakes, and those stakes do not let up until you reach the epilogue. I highly recommend this book for folks who love adventure, light-fantasy, and plot-driven stories.

A beautiful book and so beautifully written. This prequel immerses us in the story of Shane who along with his mother can train ghosts, so they are sought to find some missing children, which immerses us in a mystery plot, but everything is complicated when Shane's mother also disappears and now it is up to her to find them and find out why it happened.

We are immersed in the stories of the ancestors and how they build us to some extent into who we are now; how those powers develop throughout the story and how we see this fantasy point with the family's ghost dogs to solve the mystery.

The beautiful illustrations shown in each chapter of the story gives a super beautiful touch to the story and a point to fall in love with. The world building gives us a glimpse into the indigenous culture and all the folklore of these groups.


Do I recommend it? Yes, it is a beautiful story that you can get to like with that point between magical realism and fantasy that can interest many.

My queer book club (Reading Rainbow Queer Book Club @doverpubliclibrary, drop by if you’re in the area!) read Elatsoe (the first book of this series) last year and I loved it. Big thanks to @netgalley and @levinequerido for the ARC of this book.

This book follows Ellie’s great grandmother, Shane, and is a prequel to the events in Elatsoe. If you’ve read the first one you may remember that instead of ghost dogs, Shane could call ghost mammoths. And this the story of how that came to be.

Shane and her mother rescue people who have gotten lost in the wilderness. When a teenage girl and her little brother go missing in strange circumstances they call on Shane and Lorenza to find them. But a simple lost in the woods case turns out to be more complex than expected, involving strange faerie rings and the possibility that the missing kids might not actually even be on earth any more. When Shane’s mother suddenly goes missing too and the government swoops in and shuts down all information, Shane knows that it’s up to her to rescue everyone who is missing. Turns out where they are is stranger than anyone could have expected.

Read This If You - loved Elatsoe, want to read more stories by indigenous authors, like a good paranormal mystery, love stories of intergenerational families, love dogs (especially ghost dogs!)

When a young girl goes missing, Shane, her mother Lorenza and their trained dogs are called for a search and rescue mission. One of these dogs called Nellie however, has died years ago. For generations, Shane’s family has passed down the ability to raise ghosts, allowing Nellie to continue these missions even after his death.

After the girl is safely returned home, another family asks Shane’s mother for her assistance in the search of two missing siblings. Mere hours after the search began, Shane gets a phone call, telling her that her mother has also gone missing. Now it is up to her to discover the mysterious circumstances under which the sibings and her mother have seemingly vanished into thin air, with her ghost dog Nellie on her side at all times

I’m a huge fan of Darcie Little Badgers writing. Her stories feel very organic and all seemingly loose ends tie into each other in the end. Almost every interaction and friendship forged serve the plot. Shane’s Lipan Apache heritage is beautifully described, and present in every part of this book. The memories of Shane’s childhood make the reader feel almost nostalgic and do a great job at describing Shane’s motivations and personality.

The short detours into stories of Shane’s ancestors are always refreshing and well thought out. They give us very real snippets of a culture and its people, and how it translates into a fantasy setting.

As the story progresses, we get to see more of Shane’s powers, which are unlike anything I’ve read in Fantasy. Usually in literature, the raising of ghosts isn’t seen as the serene and helpful power it is in this book, but it definitely works.

The chapter heading illustrations by Rovina Cai accompany the story well, visually tying the book together with their unique, slightly sketch-like appearance.

Sheine Lende is a fantasy book unlike any I’ve read. Anything by Darcie Little Badger is automatically on my tbr list and so far, all of her stories have captivated me, which i expect they will continue to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for providing me an eARC to review!

After falling absolutely in love with Elatsoe, I was really excited to be getting more, especially with Rovina Cai's beautiful illustrations. Unfortunately I just really couldn't connect with this story - it started off promising with ghost-dog-assisted searches for missing people, but then kind of become an info-dumpy road trip with a bunch of characters I didn't really care for and the world felt a lot more like the 'bureaucratic magical realism' style that I just don't gel with.

Sadly, it just didn't capture the same magic Elatsoe had for me. Perhaps later in the book things may have picked up, but I didn't care enough about the plot or characters to stick with it. I'm still interested to see what the author does next though, and to try her other work A Snake Falls to Earth.

If you haven’t had the chance to pick up a book by Darcie Little Badger let this be your sign!

I’ve had Elatsoe on my bookshelf for quite some time and once I saw news of the prequel I knew it was time to dive in… which hear we are and I’ve just finished Sheine Lende and oh my word it was fantastic! Both are a must pick up!

The book is plotted around a rescue. Shane, her Mom and their ghost tracking dogs help find missing people. Then one day while on a search Shane’s mom goes missing… not only does Shane need to find her mom but also the two siblings her mom was searching for.

On Shane’s journey to bring everyone home safely you get a peek into what Shane has gone through… from her family being displaced to losing people she loved the most.

If your looking for…
A mystery
Beautiful world building
Community
A great look at Lipan Apache Culture
Ghost dogs

I’m hoping Darcie is creating more in the Elatsoe universe because I LOVE these books!

Thank you Levine Querido 📖
Release 4/16

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/

I enjoyed this a lot! I liked the way Shane sees and interacts with the world, and how she things things through and the conclusions she comes to. It felt down-to-earth, unique, and refreshing. I also enjoyed how there was still a focus on stories, like in Elatsoe, except the point was often that Shane did not know the stories, where Ellie did. It was fun to revisit this world adjacent to ours where fairy rings and vampires and other little magics are normal, but to focus on different aspects of the magic - and to have a different experience of visiting Below for each Shane and Ellie.

My heart ached for Shane's family and the struggles they went through, and how they were given insufficient help after the flood and ultimately forced off their land. The narrative spoke a lot about how that pain persists through generations (Shane's younger brother was born after all of this, but he still felt like he remembered it) even as it feels like the Lipan people and ways of life are disappearing at the same time. It was deeply, deeply sad and very well-written.

Let's just get this out of the way, you will not have Sheine riding her ghost mammoth through this. I basically waited for it the whole book, and it doesn't happen. Expectation setting. Now, it is a fantastic story. Little Badger does really excellent mysteries in her fantastical worlds. This is an adventure/mystery/quest that is so rooted in real world issues. Loved all of it.

I wish I had books like these when I was a kid.

This is my second book by Dr. Little Badger, and I was thrilled to return to the world of Elatsoe.

The central plot of the novel concerns a rescue, Shane's, the grandmother from the first book, mother has gone missing and she sets out to find her. The first half of the novel is a bit slow paced, but the eloquence in which Little Badger weaves in Lipan Apache culture and the complexity of the characters and their relationships both to each other and the environment had me hooked.

I loved the magic and the world of Elatsoe and am so thankful for NetGalley and Levine Querido for the chance to read the ARC!

Sheine Lende follows Elatsoe’s grandmother Shane, who is a tracker. Shane and her mother are looking for missing children when Shane loses her mother as well.

The rescue is the main plot of the book, but it touches on family, identity, cultural ties to your past, and so much more on a personal level while also adding to the depth of the world Shane and Elatsoe inhabit.

This book was solid. It didn’t blow me away like Elatsoe did, but still a very enjoyable read.

It felt a little rushed at the end - especially compared to the pacing of the rest of the story, but I’ll definitely be recommending it to friends!

I love Darcy Little Badger's writing style. There is just something about it that resonates with me and it's always so lovely and immersive. I've yet to read something by her that I haven't enjoyed. Having said that, this book is so far, my least favorite of Little Badger's books. It didn't wow me as much as Elatsoe or a Snake Fell to Earth did. Those books blew me away, this one was just a book I really enjoyed. It just felt like something was missing in comparison to the author's previous two books.

It was pretty cool to get more in the same 'world' as Elatsoe. Learning more about Elatsoe's grandmother and her own story was great and the plot was pretty fascinating. I couldn't connect to the characters as much as I wanted too and some of the more minor ones just felt a little flat. Shane herself is a good protagonist and very interesting. There was also some minor plots that seemed to have been built up and then they just fizzle out and are never properly resolved or explored.

The world building is immersive and intriguing and well panned out and there's a lot of things within that world that I'd like to know more about. The fairy rings and their more extended lore and source for example.

Overall this was a great book that I really enjoyed. It was a solid addition to the world of Elatsoe.

4.5

A wonderful prequel to Elatsoe that stands well on its own. You'll learn how to say the title around page 187 this time.

CW: missing children, death of a parent, death of a grandparent, illness, dementia, mentions of blood and vomit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of Doc’s upcoming new book and it was absolutely amazing. The world building is fantastic in a universe not entirely unlike our own and not unlike the one you wanted to live in when you were 12 and dreamed of being the chosen one. It’s a real place, her world feels lived in, it’s got magic sure but also all the colonial BS and real life traumas that we’re used to. The blend is so smooth.

We know I’m a sucker for (the land currently known as) Texas based stories and Doc being a local makes her a must read on my list. This book is set in the 1970’s on unceded native homeland and with heart and soul you feel her knowledge of that. Read Own Voices stories guys, it makes all the difference.

As extra bonus points, my favorite publishing illustrator Rovina Cai does the cover art and the chapter headers which tell a story all their own.

4.75 only because the story of Hurricane Alda made me feel so bad again (see Hurricane Harvey 2017) that I had to take three days off reading. The rage and uselessness and the scent of that moldy drywall all came back up vividly.

Sheine Lende was a quick delightful read. I could not put the book down. I had to find out how Shane was going to solve the mystery of the missing child and her mother. The words by Darcie Little Badger are beautifully written.

This was a nice return to the world of Elatsoe! Sheine Lende takes us back in time to the teenage years of Elatsoe's titular ancestor that goes by Shane most of the time. With her mother and their dogs, including ghost best boy Nellie, Shane tracks down missing people - until her mother herself disappears while tracking down two missing siblings.

The world is, once again, imaginative and intriguing and I really enjoyed revisiting it. Shane is a good protagonist, too. I did feel like the novel suffered from pacing issues, and the writing in general is rather heavy on the dialogue so I was at times admittedly a bit bored. The side characters weren't entirely fleshed out and there were some plot elements introduced that seemed to go nowhere in the end, like, for example, Shane's relationship with her grandfather. I also felt that the world building, as intriguing as the bits and pieces were, was lacking and made it hard for me to imagine all these things the author kept weaving into the plot.

So in the end, it's a solid novel for fans of Elatsoe that expands on its world by diving into the past, and it's enjoyable for what it is. It's also nothing more than that.