Last year I fell in love with Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger so I needed her next book SO BADLY. A Snake Falls To Earth is a gorgeous follow-up. It has a different feel than Elatsoe (the biggest factor being it feels much younger), but it cemented my love for the author's voice and storytelling style. Sometimes you just want to read about soft kids who want to help people and take care of each other and cherish tight-knit friendships above all else.

A Snake Falls To Earth has two narrators in two different worlds. (1) is Nina, a Lipan Apache girl who is a storyteller at heart and loves connecting to her roots and believing in old myths and legends. She lives in our world and her family runs a bookstore and her grandmother's land miiiiight be a crossing between two worlds. (2) is Oli is a cotton mouth snake in an alternate dimension, one of the animal people who can shift shapes at will. He's newly left home and loves reading and has made some unusual friends as he camps in the forest, but when one of his friends gets very sick, he realises the answers lie in earth. Cue -- universes COLLIDING. But gently. Because no loud noises here.

I loved both Nina and Oli's stories but I was kind of more invested in Oli. He has a ton of "everyday adventures", from catching voices in jars to meeting his coyote soon-to-be-besties to having a run in with a nonbinary eagle to getting his tail stepped on. It reminded me a lot of my childhood faves of Farthing Wood and Beatrix Potter. Just gentle, cottagecore vibes. He also gets more page time (I think?). While Nina's part was still lovely, as she tries to translate a story from her late great-(great?!?!) indigenous grandma who spoke in a Lipan dialogue Nina didn't know. Plus Nina's half deals a bit more with climate change critiques and hurricanes.

It did feel very young, basically middle-grade voice and vibes. Mostly this is because none of the characters had flaws? Everyone was just really kind and curious, and the book kept reassuring the reader that nothing bad would happen, so even when we DID get some high stakes, it all smoothed out easily. So basically -- read this if you need a break from stressful books but also just read it because it's GOOD . I appreciated the change of pace and the comfortable vibes.

If you're looking for a book that is both wholesome and comforting, full of heart and storytelling and friendship and chaotic teens on adventures -- this is it!! It was a lovely story and beautifully written.

I didn't really know what to expect when I got this book, but I had seen it around Instagram and heard good things about it. It was really good. It was really interesting to hear about Lipan Apache culture/mythology, and the two perspectives that eventually drew together were also well-written. I loved hearing about Ollie and his friends. There's also some representation in here that I was excited for: both ace and nonbinary.

A Snake Falls to Earth is a puzzling novel. I found the story sort of directionless and meandering. The writing style too was far more suited to a middle grade novel, not a YA. I would probably recommend this to readers aged 12+.

A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcie Little Badger, is a gorgeous, moving blend of the new and the old, traditional and technological storytelling, a structurally brilliant piece of writing and an emotionally compelling tale all in one. Even with my high expectations set by Elatsoe (which I adored), A Snake Falls to Earth surpassed them all.

I was lucky enough to listen to an audio ARC, and the readers - Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Kinsale Hueston - do a beautiful job, especially with all the dramatic, different voices of Oli’s friends.

Whether you listen to the audio or read the text, this is a book you shouldn't miss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the advance review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was completely captivated by the book from the very first sentence. It is a beautifully creative tale, following a Lipan Apache girl named Nina who is trying to find a way to translate one of her great-grandmother's stories. It also follows a cottonmouth snake named Oli, who lives in the spirit world. This story was expertly crafted and should not be overlooked!

I love reading about cultures that I know nothing about and discovering different things I would have never known had I not read a book. A Snake Falls to Earth weaves Lipan Apache folklore into the story of a girl who is translating the last story her grandmother tells her about the animal people who are living among us. While at the same time, we learn about Oli, a Cottonmouth Snake Shapeshifter. We learn about their struggles in their own worlds and before long, how those struggles intertwine.

I have not had the pleasure to read Elatsoe as of yet, but it’s sitting on my TBR Cart begging to be devoured. I have only heard incredible things about it, so when I had the chance to download the audiobook of Darcie Little Badger’s newest book from NetGalley, I took it.

I really enjoyed the story, but found it slow at times and I was confused in parts, but by the end it all ironed itself out. So the moral of the story is, hold on and it’ll explain itself. 😂

There were a lot of characters I loved, including one who was Non-Binary. Which I am always a fan of. I love great representation and having queer, as well as Indigenous Rep made me super excited!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in November 2021.

"A Snake Falls to Earth" by Darcie Little Badger is a strange book--probably the most out-of-the-ordinary novel I've read recently.
I would be hard-pressed if I had to label it since it defies genre classifications.
It starts off slow-paced (extremely so) and the two alternating POVs from which each chapter is narrated seem to have nothing in common until they collide in the second half of the story.
I must say I liked the first half much better than the second one, where so many additional subplots are initiated and concluded way too rushedly in my opinion, leaving more than a few loose ends by the time you close the book. I felt that the characters' motivations became jumbled in the second half of the novel, with too many changes of course crammed in too few pages.
Another thing I didn't like was the long exchanges of text messages between Nina and her mother, who was working far from home. Listening to these in the audiobook was extremely awkward because the narrator kept repeating the date and time of each message in a mechanical voice. When you have something like ten or twenty brief text messages going back and forth between two characters, and each message is only 3 or 4 words long, you don't want to be informed of the date and exact time of every single message, especially if they're being received one or two minutes apart from each other. If I had been reading the book on my own, I'd have automatically skipped all the dates and times and only read the messages, but as I was listening to the audiobook, I was forced to sit through all the boring parts as well. It took twice as long, and it annoyed me and distracted me from the story.
However, this book has plenty of strengths as well: it's a story about friendship, bravery, and acceptance of diversity. Different gender identities and sexual orientations find themselves represented in these pages, and the best thing about it is that no big deal is made out of this. "A Snake Falls to Earth" is by no means a book about queerness or gender non-conformity: it's simply a book where queer and non-binary people (or animals) are present and visible and do things that have nothing to do with their identity or sexual orientation. We need more stories promoting this kind of representation!
This is also one of the most original books I've read recently, and the world-building is amazing. I'm completely ignorant about the Lipan Apache culture and mythology, so I have no idea how much of "A Snake Falls to Earth" is inspired by Lipan Apache folklore and legends and how much of it originated from the author's sheer creativity, but I'm in awe of Darcie Little Badger's imaginative power and soft, clear writing style.
Overall, I can definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy unusual, highly imaginative, slow-paced stories. As for myself, I'll make sure to check out the author's other works.

First, many thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for granting me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I was over the moon when I got the email.

This story was wonderous, strange and lovely.
It's a magical story about a girl who lives in her great-grandmother's ancestral stories. It's a story about Earth and a tethered world where the mythical animal people live. It's a story about friendships and family and magic.
It's a story about an amazing cottonmouth snake who goes on a quest with his friends to save the life of a toad who'll go extinct. I can write a clearer but I leave you with this one to get you to experience it first hand.

I have to say that I haven't had the best of luck in the magical realism category for the past 2 years, I almost gave up on it. but yeah, it wasn't that I fell out of love with the category, it's just I haven't been lucky in my choices, that's all.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy in audiobook form of this book from NetGalley and RB Media Recorded Books in exchange for my honest review of this book.

With Elatsoe being one of my top reads of 2021, I highly anticipated this release, as Darcie Little Badger has a way of bringing her magical stories to life. I went into this with a completely open mind, as I know that the writing and storytelling is very different from most books I read.

We meet Nina, a Lipan Apache, and we also meet Oli, a Cottonmouth animal person. We have both points of view shared with us, and follow along on the journey of both characters.

Darcie Little Badger shares a unique and heartwarming experience with us. With a slow start, you don't want to give up and miss this magical story.

#NetGalley #ASnakeFallstoEarth #DarcieLittleBadger

Actual rating: 3.5 stars rounded up

You should know that A Snake Falls to Earth is a very different book from Elatsoe. Both draw on Lipan Apache culture and mythology, but the structure and type of story here is quite different. While there is an overarching plot, a lot of it is made up of a series of vignettes set in the parallel world of the animal people.

Nina is a Lipan Apache teen girl trying to translate a story she recorded from her great-grandmother in her native language. Meanwhile Oli is a cottonmouth snake who can shapeshift, seeking his place in the world. Their stories run parallel until they ultimately intersect. There was a lot that I loved about this- strong family relationships, friendship, many charming animal side characters, and two individuals trying to figure out how their identities fit into the worlds they inhabit. The pacing isn't traditional so you do have to take your time with it. It's worth noting here that Nina is asexual, but it's not a big part of the narrative, more a casual piece of who she is and how she moves through the world.

Where it didn't quite work for me was how convoluted Nina's story became, especially leading to the ending. There was just so much going on in the story already that throwing in some of those added plot points late in the game felt like too much. I see some reviewers talking about how this is a slower book, and it is. That's not for everyone, but I wish it had just leaned into that throughout rather than trying to make things suddenly so dramatic at the end. Your mileage on this is going to vary, but even though some elements didn't quite work for me I'm glad I read it and do think it's worth your time! The audio narration is very good as well. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

“Recuerda nuestra historia.” Remember our history.
Little Badger has done it again: creating another storytelling marvel. Seemingly unconnected narratives spanning over eight years and alternating between two distinctive worlds are magically woven together.
Oli, a Cottonmouth lives in the Reflecting World, home of spirits and monsters. He is devastated when his friend Ami, a small spotted toad disappears. Oli recruits three spirit animals who can assume human form to help him search for Ami, who is gravely ill and faces possible extinction. ​The companions leave the Reflecting World and "fall" to Earth, hoping to locate and save one small toad.
On Earth, sixteen-year-old Nina is puzzled by comments made by her Great-Great-Grandma Rosita and seeks answers from her Grandma. Both women are an enigma. Why do animals mysteriously recover in Grandma’s presence? What accounts for Rosita’s unusually long life?
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When a major hurricane is projected to make landfall near Grandma’s South Texas property, Nina along with her father and the spirit animals join forces to save Grandma’s home from destruction.
The two worlds are well delineated. Characters are fully formed with unique personalities. The narrative sparkles with numerous charming details: a nearsighted snake who wears spectacles, a cantankerous alligator with a score to settle, a father habitually consuming all the chocolates in the candy dish, a grandmother who delights in gifting garage sale purchases.
The story's conclusion is dramatic, taking on mythic proportions. A devasting hurricane. A species facing extinction. A mysterious individual who seems inordinately interested in Grandma’s property. Impossible odds. ​
Extraordinary forces are at work here: the ability to shape nature and the overarching power of love. A Snake Falls to Earth, a 2021 National Book Award longlist selection, is a fascinating tale and a literary masterpiece.

Filled with magic, hope, and a found family, A Snake Falls to Earth is a beautifully woven tale. Love and respect for indigenous culture flow freely in this short but impactful story.

A Snake Falls to Earth does such a fantastic job of weaving folk lore with the mundane joys and sadnesses of life to ultimately create something so hopefully that it's like a warm bath for my soul.

There's so much I loved about this book! The interconnection between us and a spiritual self. The impact the climate crisis not only has on nature and animals but also us and how we fit into this new changing world that's intrinsically intertwined with every part of our being.
The importance of elders and the wisdom they have in our lives.
And lastly the found family of humans, animal people, animals, and spirits.

The two narrators did a beautiful job of not only bring Nina and Aoki to life, but the whole ensemble cast as well. The only downside to this book was a slow start and that by the end I really wish this book was just a wee bit longer with a little bit more of a concrete ending to Nina's story.

4.75 almost perfect stars

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this Audioarc in exchange for my honest review.

This was so fun! I had pretty much zero expectations when I started this, but I enjoyed it so much. It felt like reading a modern day folktale. There was a nice balance of adventure, worldbuilding, environmental commentary, and humor- I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

There's a lot of unusual elements in this, including the worldbuilding and the two seemingly disjointed POVs. I didn't question things too much and just enjoyed the ride, and the payoff was worth it!

The first half started off a little slow for me. It took a while to see how Nina and Oli's stories connected, but once they did, it was nonstop action. Even though this resulted in inconsistent pacing, I think the slower start was necessary to fully develop the rich worldbuilding and all the characters.

While the Lipan Apache lore was new and interesting, I couldn't help but feel bored by the overall plot. It felt like it was about nothing for the first 50% of the book, and then for the remaining 50% it was about what felt like ten things at once. Lots of plot points were left unsaid and then mentioned later on as if we were supposed to know what had happened.
Non the less, I think this could be a good book to introduce younger readers to the young adult fantasy genre.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, RB Media, and Recorded Books in exchange for an honest review.

Drawing from traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structures, Darcie Little Badger gives readers the story of a Lipan teenage girl Nina who is trying to save her great grandmother's stories. While Nina has her suspicions, she wasn't sure how much truth was in those stories until she meets Oli (a cottonmouth kid), and his friends on a quest from another world (one mostly forgotten by humans), to save their friend.

The pace and structure of this story took me a little bit to get in to, but overall this was a really good read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. While there is resolution at the end, I wanted the story to continue because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Nina, Oli, and the rest.

Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Kinsale Hueston do a good job with the audiobook narration, though I found some of the voices they used a little distracting.

A Snake Falls to Earth is the story of Oli, an animal person - Cottonmouth specifically, and Nina, a Lipan Apache. When these two are thrown together, they must work together to help Oli's friend.

I think indigenous authors are probably the most underrepresented group in all of mainstream fiction. Because of that, and because I'm trying to read as many books by BIPOC authors as possible, I was happy to see this title come across my feed.

I LOVED this story. The characters are rich and beautiful. Oli and Ami were my favorites, but I especially loved Ami. (Even though he's not in the story very much, he's such a colorful character.) The other characters, Risk and Rain and Nina were super interesting and so unique. The story was super cute and had me smiling many times.

I listened to the audiobook, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Kinsale Hueston were awesome narrators. If you're thinking about reading this, I definitely recommend the audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC.

This book is masterful. I think I really had to finish it in order to see it that way because there were moments when reading it where I couldn't figure out where was going, but as a whole finished book, it is full of intensely interesting Indigenous storytelling and a wealth of characters who you want to continuously root for.

I will preface my review by saying that you really have to commit to this book. You have to give it the time that it deserves to sink in how important it is. Be patient and just allow it to exist and allow it to weave you this complex multifaceted story about an indigenous girl on the hunt to figure out her great-grandmother's story and simultaneously tell you a story about a cottonmouth animal person navigating his way through being on his own and finding his way.

So the formatting of this book is a little bit strange and I received a copy from NetGalley as an audiobook and so I'm not sure how this translates into a physical copy, but the chapters are very long and there isn't really a rhyme or reason as to why perspectives switch until like the last 10 chapters. The first chapter is from the perspective of young Nina, who is waiting at the hospital bed of her great-grandmother and trying to connect with her. A great grandmother doesn't speak a lot of English and she tells Nina a Lipan story that gets mistranslated through Nina's translation app. When her great grandmother dies, Nina becomes committed to really translating that story and figuring out what it all means we'll also trying to figure out why her grandma potentially has magic on her land.

After you learn a little bit about Nina, it jumps into another point of view from a character named Oli. Oli is an animal person, a cottonmouth snake, and he is being pushed from the nest. He has to go out on his own and learn how to survive in his world. He has some misadventures and some dramatic run-ins but there's also a rag tag little found family element that comes into play and I don't want to give you too many details but just a little teaser that that exists.

This book is all about trying to figure out how these two worlds are connected and why we're getting perspectives from an indigenous girl on Earth and cottonmouth snake person in a seemingly alternate earth.

I think that if you go into this with an open mind and a patient heart you will be rewarded with an exceptional story. Highly recommend this one. The audio is pretty good it has multiple narrators and each narrator really commits to doing a whole range of voices for all the multitudes of characters.

Asexual MC: It is mentioned that Nina is asexual but it's not really a part of the story. There's no romantic subplot at all which was refreshing as hell and Nina's sexuality is only mentioned in passing about being the only other ace.

Nina is a Lipan girl who believes in the old stories and wants to learn the truth of them. Oli is a cottonmouth kid who’s been cast from home. Neither knows the other exists until tragic incidents occur in both of their lives and they’re driven together by fate.

This book has dual POVs which is important in this kind of story. We are able to follow both the events of Earth and the events of Oli’s world. This was a very unique story unlike anything I’ve read before!