helenareadsbooks's reviews
677 reviews

The audiobook was hard to follow. I enjoyed the beginning but lost interest when the focus shifted to the author's relationship with her ex. 

A Girl Called Echo is a stunning comic series about a time-travelling Métis teenager. After starting classes at a new school, Echo finds herself being pulled back in time during her history class as her teacher discusses Métis history. Echo is thirteen and doesn’t know much about what it means to be Métis, but her journey in this book helps her reconnect with her heritage and overcome her struggles with her identity. This omnibus edition collects all four volumes of the comic created by katherena vermette, Scott B. Henderson, & Donovan Yaciuk, and explores pivotal moments in Métis history: the Pemmican Wars, Red River Resistance, Northwest Resistance, and the Road Allowance Era. This book discusses Métis resistance, survival, grief, hope and connection through impactful writing and beautiful art. 

 

vermette’s writing is earnest and emotional. The use of time travel in this book creates a story that depicts everyday Métis life in the 1800s alongside Echo’s life in the present day. The way past and present narratives are woven together effectively shows readers that history is always with us. Even for those of us who are disconnected from our heritage and feel like we don’t belong, vermette makes it clear that the connection is always there, we just have to be willing to reach for it. Reaching for her ancestors helps Echo through her struggles in present day, and it also helps her strengthen her connections with her family and friends. The artwork by Henderson and Yaciuk showcases the beauty in everyday moments, which create a sense of quiet and peace interspersed between the violence of settler colonialism. This includes heartwarming moments of joy, showing that joy is a form of resistance, too. 

 

I love this book’s commitment to educating readers and making history more accessible. Each comic highlights a pivotal moment in history and readers learn about it with Echo in a way that’s easy to understand. There are also timelines of historical events at the end of each issue that provide more context. Although each volume focuses on a different moment in history, they are all tied to the Métis struggle against white settlers who are displacing them from their land. White settlers acting on behalf of the crown steal land simply because they think they can, but the Métis are determined to uphold their rights and seek justice. This discussion of Métis land rights has clear parallels to Palestine, and it serves as an important reminder that the enduring legacy of colonialism impacts us all and its ripple effects are still felt today, from Turtle Island to Palestine. 

 

I think the most important aspect of A Girl Called Echo is that it focuses on Métis people in narratives about their own history as opposed to focusing on the white settlers and colonizers, which was the case when I was learning this history in elementary school. This book doesn’t shy away from showing the truth or depicting the violence that went into the creation of so-called Canada. It’s also wonderful to see Métis history and culture illustrated in a graphic novel, and I think Echo’s personal journey will resonate with a lot of people. 

 

Highly recommend to anyone who loves reading graphic novels or Indigenous lit, and anyone who loves learning about history. I think people who enjoyed reading Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction will enjoy this too. 

 

Thank you HighWater Press for the gifted copy! 

Liza Wemakor’s Loving Safoa is an intimate sapphic story about two Black vampires in love. This novella begins in New York in 1999, but frequently flashes back to the 1800s in West Africa as Safoa recalls her journey to becoming a vampire to her partner, Cynthia. Cynthia is on the verge of becoming a vampire herself and by intertwining their journey’s, Wemakor gives readers a spellbinding character study that sweetly explores love and partnership. 

 

Loving Safoa feels like a unique take on vampires because it mostly avoids the typical tropes found in vampire stories. Yes, there’s blood, immortality and pleasure, but the focus is always on Safoa and Cynthia’s relationship and experiences. It also discusses colonialism and racism, and I love how discussions of politics were included, with the story becoming increasingly political throughout the book. It touches on the importance of solidarity and community, and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. 

 

There are a lot of different aspects that make up this story—vampires, queer romance, history, colonialism and some speculative elements—but Wemakor ties it all together brilliantly. Pick this up for a thoughtful and intricately written vampire story full of love and hope. 

 

Thank you Neon Hemlock for the gifted copy! 

I reviewed this book for Canthius! You can read my review here: https://www.canthius.com/feed-2/2024/7/31/review-of-thyme-travellers-an-anthology-of-palestinian-speculative-fiction