Sheine Lende: Chapters 24–33

by Darcie Little Badger
In this prequel to Elatsoe, Shane and her mother are known for their skill in finding missing persons, but when Shane's mother goes missing, Shane must learn to use her skills alone to find her.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–23, Chapters 24–33
15 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. matriarchal
    having a woman or women as the head or ruler
    “They cluster in matriarchal groups, right? Families lead by the oldest females?”
  2. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
    Gravity urged Shane to move more quickly; it would be easy to give in to inertia and hasten her steps into a chaotic sprint downhill.
  3. prehensile
    adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object
    They prodded the fruit with their prehensile trunks, rolling it between them.
  4. petulantly
    in an easily irritated or annoyed manner
    The lioness lifted her paw and brought it splashing down, petulantly swiping at nothing.
  5. mote
    a tiny piece of anything
    The snow continued falling, but it remained light, like dust motes, not clumps of white ash.
  6. doggedly
    with obstinate determination
    So she turned on her flashlight and doggedly kept walking, planning to follow the trail until full dark.
  7. poignant
    arousing powerful emotions, especially pity or sadness
    How often did family stories of trauma make such a poignant impact that through empathy, and repetition, and their ripples through time, they transformed into hand-me-down memories?
  8. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
    How often did family stories of trauma make such a poignant impact that through empathy, and repetition, and their ripples through time, they transformed into hand-me-down memories?
  9. on a whim
    because of a sudden idea or wish
    I probably shouldn’t know what I saw, either, but it ain’t like I can banish memories on a whim.
  10. thwart
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
    When she raised a hand to protect her eyes, the wind whipped around and blew from the left, thwarting her defenses.
  11. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    Abruptly, two things happened at once: the wind abated, going still; and Shane saw, against the horizon, a familiar twelve-armed saguaro.
  12. countenance
    the human face
    The river’s ripples distorted her countenance like a subtle funhouse mirror.
  13. preeminent
    greatest in importance, degree, or significance
    “Nope. Dr. Richards…preeminent scholar of M. transpose biology.”
  14. statuesque
    of size and dignity suggestive of a sculpture
    On that old oak stump, Lorenza had towered over Shane and Marcos, statuesque, like some idol to motherhood; then, she’d held her children tight, all of them standing on the oak stump together.
  15. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    “A few months after Ma returned, I tried to call a butterfly, and the big girl appeared instead. It was like she’d been waiting for an opening. I must’ve piqued her curiosity.”
Created on Wed Aug 26 08:41:09 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Sep 08 12:22:35 EDT 2026)

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