Elysium Girls

by Kate Pentecost

From a lush, dazzlingly original new voice in young adult fantasy comes an epic clash of witches, gods, and demons as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

Elysium, Oklahoma, is a town like any other. Respectable. God-fearing. Praying for an end to the Dust Bowl. Until the day the people of Elysium are chosen by two sisters: Life and Death. And the Sisters like to gamble against each other with things like time, and space, and human lives. Elysium is to become the gameboard in a ruthless competition between the goddesses. The Dust Soldiers will return in ten years' time, and if the people of Elysium have not proved themselves worthy, all will be slain.

Nearly ten years later, seventeen-year-old Sal Wilkinson is called upon to lead Elysium as it prepares for the end of the game. But then an outsider named Asa arrives at Elysium's gates with nothing more than a sharp smile and a bag of magic tricks, and they trigger a terrible accident that gets both Sal and Asa exiled into the brutal Desert of Dust and Steel. There Sal and Asa stumble upon a gang of girls headed by another exile: a young witch everyone in Elysium believes to be dead. As the apocalypse looms, they must do more than simply tip the scales in Elysium's favor — only by reinventing the rules can they beat Life and Death at their own game in this exciting fantasy debut.

• ISBN10: 1368041868
• ISBN13: 9781368041867
• Publish Date: 14 April 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I’m so happy to finally gush about Elysium Girls! It’s a truly unique YA historical fantasy set during The Dust Bowl in Oklahoma about a gang of girls trying to save their corner of the world in a game between Life and Death.

I don’t even know where to start with Elysium Girls. I LOVED IT. From the very beginning, to the very end and gladly read the acknowledgements. It’s the best kind of thing I’m always looking for and like nothing I’ve ever read before.

Engrossing
Atmospheric
Girls liking girls!
TWO couples of girls liking girls.
Witches being witchy and spells
Bullying
Found family
One of our main squad is Comanche Indian, indigenous in the area of Oklahoma. There are mentions of the residential schools
Mechanical horses!
Daemon who quickly became my second favorite.
Love the all girl gang! Kicking butt and taking names
There were moments of “OMG PPL I KNOW SOMETHING YOU DON’T” But it hyped up the tension and suspense and it wasn’t something they missed.
Totally bought the red herring right up before the reveal
Great for all YA lovers and the younger teens as well.


five-stars

5 Stars all the way. There’s nothing about this I didn’t like. I can’t think of comp titles but it’s girl power, queer, and fantastical. I’ll def be following Pentecost for more releases!

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Not going to lie here, friends, I had some sky-high expectations from this book. Because come on, did you see the synopsis? It sounds amazing! And I am here with some great news! It fully delivered (in fact, I think it exceeded my expectations, woo)! And now, I am going to tell you all the reasons that Elysium Girls hits it out of the park!

• • The setting was so on point! When I read "Dust Bowl Inspired", I figured it may be just... a vague feeling of similarity. But NOPE. It is in the actual Dust Bowl! Right smack in the middle of Depression-era Oklahoma, you will feel how dire of a situation this book is set in. Because yes, it's set in a real place and time, but in an alternate situation. It'll all be explained to you, which is also greatly appreciated. The author provides a lot of world-building along the way. In fact, it's kind of a big part of the plot, in essence!



• • Sal is an incredibly relatable and sympathetic character. Gosh, girl cannot catch a break! If it wasn't bad enough that she's stuck in Elysium, her mom is dead, and she's kind of the town pariah after a bout of magic that didn't turn out as she'd planned. She has a handful of allies, but none that are willing to really go to bat for her. At the start, anyway.



• • When Sal finds her people, it is absolute perfection. Look, I am not telling you the who, where, when, etc, because I think you're better off finding that out on your own, but the people who Sal eventually finds/chooses are kind of a perfect fit and they elevate the book so much.



• • I actually enjoyed the magic system! I know you guys, this is a big rarity for me, but here I am, liking me some magic! The author describes it really well in a way that didn't go over my head or feel convoluted. And considering the situation, it worked without requiring any suspension of disbelief.



• • The author absolutely nails the descriptions of the events. And make no mistake, this was not an easy feat! I mean, some things happen in the book that are kind of bananas, so you can imagine that it's a tricky thing to truly make the reader visualize. But she did it! I was able to fully understand what was happening, even when there was a lot of action and excitement. I could picture and sense what was happening with our characters. It stood out for me so much that I kept making Kindle notes about it, which is why I am sharing with you!



• • It's thought provoking, very morally gray, and asks the tough questions. I mean, is there anything I love more than a book that forces its characters to make some terrible decisions and figure out the least of evils? No there is not, and this book absolutely features ALL of that!

Bottom Line: So atmospheric with fabulous characters and a ton of heart and hope in the darkest of situations, Elysium Girls is one you cannot miss.