Elysium Girls Published by Disney-Hyperion by Kate Pentecost
on April 14, 2020
Genres: Fiction, YA, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
Format: eBook, ARC
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 1368041868
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In this sweeping Dust Bowl-inspired fantasy, a ten-year game between Life and Death pits the walled Oklahoma city of Elysium-including a girl gang of witches and a demon who longs for humanity-against the supernatural in order to judge mankind.
When Sal is named Successor to Mother Morevna, a powerful witch and leader of Elysium, she jumps at the chance to prove herself to the town. Ever since she was a kid, Sal has been plagued by false visions of rain, and though people think she's a liar, she knows she's a leader. Even the arrival of enigmatic outsider Asa-a human-obsessed demon in disguise-doesn't shake her confidence in her ability. Until a terrible mistake results in both Sal and Asa's exile into the Desert of Dust and Steel.
Face-to-face with a brutal, unforgiving landscape, Sal and Asa join a gang of girls headed by another Elysium exile-and young witch herself-Olivia Rosales. In order to atone for their mistake, they create a cavalry of magic powered, scrap metal horses to save Elysium from the coming apocalypse. But Sal, Asa, and Olivia must do more than simply tip the scales in Elysium's favor-only by reinventing the rules can they beat the Life and Death at their own game.
Plot
I’m going to admit that wanting to read this one was purely driven by my love of the cover… Yeah, I did that. But, what followed as I read was a respect for the amazing story that Elysium Girls turned out to be!
I’ve heard people liken it to Mad Max, and I can see it. You have a bunch of girls–and a daemon–who are left to the devices of the gods; stranded in the desert trying to survive a game that they didn’t ask for. With obstacles both human and supernatural, the girls do what they can to survive with the help of magic.
Elysium Girls takes place in Oklahoma after the infamous Dust Bowl. The gods decide to take advantage of an-already disadvantaged people by setting up a game between Life and Death. If Life wins, so do the people of Elysium. If Death wins… they perish.
From the first page, the author builds up the setting of what is a powerful story of how even the most seemingly downtrodden and defeated characters can not only defy odds stacked against them, but do it with strength and goodness that is rare in the times they’re in.
Characters
The main character, Sal, started out as a weak girl who was unsure of herself due to the treatment she’d received in Elysium for most of her life. She knew she was different, but that difference didn’t give her the confidence that it should have. Sal’s growth through the whole story is one of the things that impressed me the most.
By the end, Sal is a force to be reckoned with. I attribute that to the sheer need to grow and the influence of other amazingly strong characters.
Asa, a daemon sent down as a pawn, came off as a little goofy to me at first. But, that quickly turned into an endearing presence that I know the story couldn’t have done without.
These two, along with a powerful group of girls they find in the desert carry the plot to the finish line and make this story as great as it is.
Writing
The writing was superb! I can’t convey enough how well Pentecost carried out this story. In a world where there are so many post-apocalyptic stories being told, this one was refreshing and unique.
Pacing
The pacing was well-done. Oftentimes I struggle with the beginning of a book when the author is doing the world-building, but there was none of that here.
Cover
I already admitted that I picked this one for the cover… So, do I need to say more?
I absolutely suggest that if you are interested in reading about powerful females, magical battles, and endearing characters, you pick up Elysium Girls. I believe there’s a little bit of something for everyone in this book.
About Kate Pentecost
Kate Pentecost was born and raised on the Texas/Louisiana border, where ghosts and rural legends lurk in the pines and nothing is completely as it seems.
She holds an MFA in Writing for Children &Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She was recently nominated for a Rhysling award for her poem "Small Town Witches."
Her debut novel, Elysium Girls, is forthcoming from Disney Hyperion in 2020 in print and audio formats.
She is obsessed with the Romantic Poets and can be identified by the enormous tattoo of Percy Bysshe Shelley on her arm. She lives in Houston (H-Town, Space City, etc.)
