Together We See

by Ari Tison

This edge-of-your-seat Indigenous murder-mystery set in Costa Rica from Pura Belpré and Walter Dean Myers Award-winning author of Saints of the Household is perfect for fans of Firekeeper's Daughter and Patron Saints of Nothing.

How far would you go to protect your land? To protect your family?

Told in multiple points of view, Together We See follows Ulá Dominguez, a Bribri-American teenager, searching for the truth behind her land-activist father's mysterious death on their Native territory in Costa Rica. Ulá and her brother, Kabék, uncover secrets and corruption as they face off against illegal loggers, kidnappers, settlers, and the local government in the hunt for clues. Their only allies are a few family friends and relatives still living in Bribri, as well as a young journalist, who may be in danger himself. But as details of their father's death emerge, long-held trust is broken. And in this sinister web of deception, no one is safe.

Inspired by real-world missing, dead, and attacked Indigenous activists, award-winning author Ari Tison writes her first novel in prose and pushes the envelope yet again by pulling together a propulsive story full of grief, environmental justice, and the fight for retribution.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Indigenous, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller

Audible Audio

First published June 16, 2026

Reviews

[Jasmine]

I wanted to love this more, I wanted to give this a higher rating. In this book we get a glimpse of Bribri culture, leaving me wanting to learn more on my own. The murder mystery had me intrigued until the end. However, this book is doing too much in not enough pages. It would have benefited from being longer in all areas, creating a more well rounded story.

[Ezra]

Ari Tison, the author of Together We See, is a member of the Bribri Tribe, one of the indigenous people groups of Costa Rica. This is a mystery book in which a Bribri activist (Andres) dies under suspicious circumstances and his daughter (Ulá) and son try to uncover the truth.

One aspect of the book that was especially well done was the complicated relationship between Andres and his daughter. Andres did a lot of important work to protect the Bribri people. But he did that by abandoning his family in the United States and taking almost no interest in them. Ulá struggles with wanting to hold on to her Bribri heritage while at the same time being repelled by her self-centered and absent father.

Before reading Together We See, I had never heard of the Bribri people, and this was a great introduction to them. While the book is fiction, it is inspired by many real hardships that the Bribri people have experienced.

If you enjoy reading books with mystery, difficult family relationships, and learning about cultures you might not know about then Together We See could be just the book for you!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio through NetGalley who allowed me to listen to the book. The narrator, Ina Barrón, was excellent!

[Meredith]

3.75 out of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Fierce Reads/MacMillan Children’s for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

I can definitely see where this one draws comparisons to Firekeeper’s Daughter. An indigenous teen girl, fighting generational issues regarding land use and prejudice solving a mystery where those issues bleed into her very real present? But it’s also a coming of age story in so many ways as Ula navigates the feelings around her complicated relationship with her father and family.

I really enjoyed the history of the Bribri people and all the culture that we learned about - this is a side of Costa Rica that we never really see, and certainly not in modern fiction. I also loved how the concept of grief was handled and presented differently for each of the characters.

[Amy (amyrose.reads)]

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to Fierce Reads for the ARC and the Macmillan Early Listeners Program for the ALC!

Together We See follows Ulá as she searches for the reasoning behind her father’s mysterious death. She balances traditional Bribri customs, the injustices committed against indigenous groups, and the complicated grief she feels for her father.

This book not only zooms in on her personal experiences, but follows a variety of characters throughout. While this helps to give readers a bigger picture of the case, it is also confusing as it is often unexpected when there is a perspective shift. Some clarity there would have been appreciated as a reader.

I think the book’s focus on family was something that I really enjoyed throughout. Seeing how Ulá works with her brother and aunt throughout the story is great to see. Also seeing how community is another form of family for many people. Family friends, neighbors, crushes, are all people who can form a strong support system.

There are many elements of this narrative that I fear do not get tied up at the end. This is frustrating because this story does lean into “murder mystery” elements. Especially as a book aimed at young adults, I think that some increased clarity would serve the story well for all readers. This would also help to feel a better sense of closure at the end of the narrative.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and something I would recommend to people looking to read a mystery. I am curious to read more of Ari Tison’s books, as I would really like to learn more about indigenous culture.

[Lisa Penninga]

What is not to love in this murder mystery: a strong protagonist standing on on the line of her lineage and her emotional turmoil, a rainforest setting contrasting with Wisconsin, & poetic language that creates imagery and an authentic voice to the villages we get to travel to. It’s a fast read with symbolic rainforest creatures such as the snake and the frog, and shows the hardships indigenous families have faced to keep their land and live safely. I really enjoyed learning about the Costa Rican culture, the Talamanca rainforest, and the Bribri people. I would have liked a little more closure between Manuel & Ula at the end; I felt like a conversation was missing between them, but overall, I liked the book a lot!

[Barb reads......it ALL!]

A powerful story about Ulá, 17 year old Wisconsin girl who's part white and part Bribri, one of 9 tribes in the Costa Rica region. When her father dies in Costa Rica, Uká and her brother Kabék work to uncover his murder and the corruption within the authorities and timber industry.
Again, the area in Costa Rica and the culture are characters, driving the story forward.

[Kristen]

A gripping YA novel about family, Indigenous land, and the lengths people will go through.

[Jessica Haider]

3.75 stars

Together We See is a fast-paced YA mystery that shines a light on the very real dangers Indigenous land defenders face. After their father's suspicious death, siblings Ulá and Kabék return to their Bribri homeland in Costa Rica to uncover the truth, only to find themselves caught in a web of corruption, illegal logging, and long-buried secrets.

I appreciated how Ari Tison blended a propulsive murder mystery with themes of grief, environmental justice, and Indigenous sovereignty. The story kept me turning the pages, even if some of the twists felt a bit predictable and the multiple points of view occasionally made it harder to connect deeply with the characters. Still, it's an important, timely novel that introduces readers to issues that deserve far more attention while delivering plenty of suspense along the way.

[Manon the Malicious]

I was provided an audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this one, the narrator was great and I really flew through the book. I was intrigued from beginning to end and I enjoyed the voice and the setting. I couldn't stop reading. I really liked the different points of view and the setting. All the characters were layered and I enjoyed getting to know them. However, I read this less than a month ago, and I don't remember a lot of it, that happens to me with some audiobooks sometimes, but it's a shame. Anyway, this was really good and I will be reading more books by this author.

[Daria (AnxiKitKatReads)]

This was a nice story. We were given a glimpse into Bribri culture and some of the environmental issues they face in their community. I also loved that some of these events in the book were directly inspired by the author’s experience or someone they know. The struggles of our main character with her identity and complicated relationship with her dad was so real.

I felt that this story possibly should’ve been longer in all aspects to really feel like a complete story. There was a lot of stuff going on in the timespan of a week and it didn’t feel all that realistic at times. The conclusion came along a little too quick and felt quite anticlimactic. It felt like all the build up and mystery were for nothing. It was also hard to connect with the side characters as their POVs didn’t really add much to the story.

Overall, a nice short read with cultural significance and beautiful story telling. Just wish it could’ve been stretched out a bit more possibly in pages and the in story timeline.

[Emily Heck]

3.5 ⭐️

[Jordan]

I really enjoyed this as a whole. I pressed play on the audiobook, and didn’t stop until it was over. I was
absolutely enthralled in the setting and world that this was told in. I love a story where the plot is engaging, but i’m also learning and Together We See has that and more because it pushed me into wanting to learn more of the Bribri tribe.

The complex relationship our FMC had with her father and family really took the growth in character and just overall web that the characters walk through have another layer that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed the mystery side of this as well. It was engaging and had that little bit of “ope” on where it was going to go, but that side of it felt a bit obvious as the story went on, but at the end of the day it didn’t bother me too much.

The audiobook was well done. I enjoyed the narration. It was done well, but it wasn’t anything that i feel it MUST be listened. Anyway you pick up this story will be enjoyable.

Overall, def recommend!

[Katie]

I enjoyed this. There was a lot going on and it felt like it was just too short for how much was happening. But I really liked the characters and all the Bribri cultural elements were interesting and very clearly written with love and care.

[Sphero]

It leaves out small details and does not share personal opinions.

[Ms.]

Another perfect book by Ari ! This one’s ending was truly breathtaking. Truth of life in Talamanca, Costa Rica for the BriBri indigenous people, specifically one family (based on real life stories from the author or others in the tribe). About matriarchal societies like theirs, settler colonization, family relationships that are difficult and complex. Specially father daughter. So much rich nature writing and spirit in this story. Definitely one I will read again and again. I eagerly look forward to her next book.

[Tamzen]

Together We See brings tradition, culture, mystery, youth, environmental activism, and family together to create a pretty unique YA book. Two young adults have a mixed bag of a relationship with their father, who dies near the start of the story, and they just don't buy that it was natural causes. They go to take care of the body before the funeral, and while there, do a lot of investigating.

I enjoyed learning about a new culture that I'd not heard a lot about (Bribri and Costa Rica), and I liked this story of family and moving through grief together. The book took some turns that I didn't think it would be taking, which I appreciated. Even so, I think still wanted more out of it all.

In conclusion, I liked it! It was a good story, and I found it to be a pretty quick and interesting read. The narration is also great and keeps you engaged.

Thanks to Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Macmillan Audio for the e-ARC and e-ALC!

[Maria]

“…together we see. It means even when we are apart, we still continue together. We see for one another. No one is ever alone. Separation doesn’t stop us.“

Ulá is a Bribri-American teenager living with her mother in the U.S. while her brother Kabék lives with their father on Native territory in Costa Rica. Ulá harbors resentment towards her father for pursuing his activist dreams while leaving her behind. But when he suddenly dies and Ulá goes to Costa Rica for his funeral, she and Kabék suspect that their father might not have died from the heart attack as stated but other mysterious circumstances. As they delve into their father’s activities, talk to family and other locals and are assisted by Ian, a local journalist, the siblings discover a tangle of lies, deception, and danger.

This novel is rich with cultural history of the Bribri which I knew nothing about. The storyline captured me immediately as the mystery ensued and their complicated family dynamics were revealed. I think there were some parts of the story that I would have liked a bit more exploration of and the ending felt a little rushed. I mostly listened to this and enjoyed the audiobook and appreciate the proper pronunciation of the Bribri names and words that are within the book. For a YA novel, it was a quick and engaging read.

Thank you to @fsgyoungreaders @netgalley for an early #gifted digital copy and to @macmillan.audio for a #gifted audio version of this novel through the #macaudio2026 early listener program

[Amanda Brenner]

3.5 stars

After reading and loving Tison’s Saints of the Household, I was really excited to see that she was coming out with a full length novel this year.

Together We See follows Ula as she travels to the Bribri territory in Costa Rica to investigate her father’s mysterious death.

Tison is truly a gifted writer. I really enjoyed that this book focused on the mystery elements, Bribri culture, family dynamics, and injustices faced by indigenous people.

While I appreciate when authors utilize alternating POVs to give us a more in-depth look at the story, I am not sure it worked well here. I feel this book would have been better in Ula’s perspective. I would have also liked to see more character development, especially in our secondary characters, particularly Andres, Kabek, Ian, and Manuel. Actually, this book could have used a good 100 pages more for character development and to help with the conclusion, which felt like a rush to the end.

I enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end highlighting parts of the book that were drawn from her own personal experiences.

Despite not loving this one as much as Saints of the Household, I did enjoy it and will read whatever Tison writes next. I would recommend Tison’s books for fans of Angeline Boulley.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Karis]

~~Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!~~

I dunno, it's been a while since I struggled finishing a book in a long while. Despite how short this was, this took forever for me to read. Even with the interesting takes on themes of colonization and family, its execution was just - less than what I was hoping for. The short length of this book is definitely fighting against everything this book is trying to balance without falling in on itself.

I liked Ula, but her not being the main focus for the majority of the story was very much a determent. The reporter guy Ian's POV took up a lot of unnecessary page count, and the flashbacks to Ula's ancestors would've been much more interesting if it was her telling the story or recalling it or something. I just would have preferred it if Ula was allowed to detect and uncover the mystery on her own rather than accidently stumbling her way through the whole thing.

I liked learning about the Bribri, and the depiction of the hardships they endured under colonization were the parts I were drawn to he most. But there was just too much stuffed into the pages for me to fully enjoy the whole book as much as I wanted to.

[Chris G.]

Ulá lives in Wisconsin with her white mom; Dad is Bribri, indigenous Costa Rican, and brings her older brother Kabék to visit for Christmas. As usual when she’s with her dad, it’s an emotionally complex time, since Ulá never feels that she is Bribri enough. Just as Ulá thinks her dad is seeking a stronger relationship with her, he gets a text and cuts the visit short, returning to Costa Rica. A couple of days later, Dad dies; he’s had heart trouble and has not been taking his medicine. Ulá and Kabék fly back to be a part of the traditional ceremonies for a death, sitting with the body until the burial four days later. While going through her dad’s possessions to determine what to bury with him, Ulá finds clues that suggest the death was not accidental.

Ulá and Kabék have a compressed timeline in which to find out the truth and in the process uncover family secrets while strengthening and revising how they relate to Bribri cultural expectations. Fabulously well told, excels at clear eyed descriptions of the damages of colonialism as well as the stresses of being bi-cultural. Memorable. Earc from Edelweiss.

[Kim]

Story: The murder mystery aspect started off interesting but I was 70% of the way through the book when I realized the ending was coming up fast but this did not seem to be resolving ??? So the pacing wasn’t the best and a lot happens at the end, but it worked out for me, except I thought the conversation between Ula and her kidnapper was lacking (I think it could have reinforced a lot more of the author’s themes!). There were some neat surprises (Mu kidnapped, him figuring out the attackers, the viper, Ula finding the bugged wire in the house light, Ula kidnapped and bit by the snake). And I literally flipped back in the book when Kabek asked Tia about what she remembers from their family land and when Ula describes the land she’s walking on when kidnapped (the pond !!!!). I liked the full-circle thing with Lilo and the anti-venom obsession. I feel like I’d recommend this to teens who want a less intense Angeline-Boulley-type-Indigeous-murder-mystery-story - this work is less heavy, much slower pacing and focused on character identity, and less graphic. It’s rare that I say this, but this work could have benefited from being longer - it would have allowed the author to flesh out certain portions of the story more. All the missing people in the story supports the author’s goal of talking about missing and murdered Indigenous individuals. Liked the light romance! Romance takes a backseat to everything else in this work, but I appreciated the choices made - Manuel is Ula’s childhood friend, it’s not cringe or awkward, neither of them is weird about it, and it’s super light with a couple cheek kisses and 1-2 lip kisses not in detail and nothing lingering/graphically described. 

Voice: Ula's voice was distinct and very relatable to teens. She really came alive with some of her feelings, thoughts, and comments with snark towards her father. Everyone else's narration was bland.

Style: I didn’t enjoy the switching of narration between Ula, the ancestors, and occasional others (Mu, Lilo, Ian). I would have preferred just Ula. Ian doesn’t really need to be in it and I thought he could have been used better overall to show more journalism or environmental activism. I didn’t like the texting. That is NOT how 2025-2026 teens (17-year-olds) would text !!! Or how most people would text in general! They all sound the same!

Setting: The setting was clear and well-described. I could feel Wisconsin in the winter cold and could feel the BriBri territory forest with the humidity.

Accuracy: Excellent in teaching about Indigenous culture and Indigenous land rights, thoughtful in portraying complicated family relationships while grieving a loss ofa family member, but not the best in pacing and execution of the murder mystery. I’ve never read a book about the BriBri people (Indigenous Costa Ricans) so I felt like I learned a lot in this book about this Indigenous people’s traditions, culture, and language, particularly with regard to funeral/death customs (how long to sit over the body, what to bury them with) and societal norms (matriarchal, women inherit the family land). The work includes English, Spanish, and BriBri.  Also appreciated how this work shone a light on illegal logging, environmental activism, independent journalism, Land Back, giving Indigenous people their land, and how settlers think Indigenous land is their land. The work’s strength is its portrayal of complicated family relationships - Ula wrestling with her feelings and view of her dad Andres before and after his death (she felt like he forced her to love their people and she did but acted like she didn’t to stay out of his grasp, saw his pride in himself and in anything she did, hated that he didn’t keep his word to her multiple times, feeling used when her dad tried to rekindle their relationship because she was going to inherit their family land), Kabek’s relationship with his father (the good child, taking care of his dad, being what his dad wanted him to be, kind), Ula’s relationship with her mother (someone outside their culture making things about her while being good-intentioned), and Ula/Kabek’s sibling relationship (close and affectionate!!). The work portrays grief and loss well in its prose.

Characters: Ula was solid and compelling, but I wasn't really interested in anyone else. Ian had a ton of potential at the beginning, and then he disappeared off the page. I feel like none of the characters were deeply developed and I wish their relationships had been explored a bit more.

Theme: I appreciated the themes of navigating land rights, recognizing Indigenous peoples who land we reside on, and "loving complicated people, it's about loss and memory and matriarchy, and about belonging. We all belong on this earth, and I hope you know that there are choruses around you and above you who love you....know that sometimes fighting for those you love and yourself is the most loving thing you can do" (309). I also loved the author includes the book title in the work with an explanation - Ula tells us that "se ne suwe" means together we see - "It means even when we are apart, we still continue together. We see for one another. No one is ever alone. Separation doesn't stop us" (259).

Illustration: The cover illustration was beautiful and encompassed items from the book!

Cursing. Parental death. Grief and loss. Murder (poison, snake bite venom). Weapons (guns, machete, knife). Colonization, illegal logging, people’s land rights, independent journalism, and environmental activism. No sex yay, light kisses that don’t linger. 

[Kelly]

I wanted to like Ari Tison’s Together We See more than I did. Indigenous stories are finally starting to make some small inroads into mainstream storytelling, and they not only offer a new perspective, but also the connection to land, animals and ancestors that is a beautiful element missing from most books authored by white people.

Comparisons for the advanced copy were made to Firekeeper’s Daughter and Patrons Saints of Nothing, both of which I really enjoyed, and made me optimistic about Together We See. It’s okay, but I felt like it needed more character exploration, less narrators and a tighter focus.

The book is primarily told by Ula, who returns to her Costa Rican Bribri roots from her home with her mother in Wisconsin, after her father dies. But the book is also told by Ian, a reporter who has moved to Costa Rica to report on the less fortunate, and the Bribri ancestors as they watch over other characters in the story.

The book would have been better if it had been almost exclusively told by Ula, and it would have allowed more opportunity to explore her character and the complicated relationship she had with her father, Andres, how it affected the dynamic with her brother Kabek, who moved to Costa Rica to live with their dad, and her complicated relationship with Manuel, who has always lived there.

Instead, it pretty much only scratches the surface of how angry and disappointed Ula is because her father always seemed to put activism and rights for the Bribri people above the family he was supposed to care about the most. And even in death he does this too, beseeching seventeen year old Ula to look into his death, anticipating it is coming and won’t be of natural causes, and putting her in danger as a result.

Ula and Kabek are already suspicious about his death before finding the note he left behind, and they begin investigating behind the back of their Tia Paloma, with the help of Ian, Manuel, Liloh, and Liloh’s younger brother Mu. Mu goes missing, further validating that something sinister is going on.

But is it the logging that Ian is following up on that Andres was fighting against with a fellow activist, or land rights for his family he was pursuing on his own that led to his death? It all felt very muddled to me, and the Ian and Mu storylines didn’t feel like they added anything crucial to the story.

One thing I think it did pretty well is show how difficult it can make relationships when someone commits themselves to pursuing justice for their people. Andres is passionate about this and accomplishes things that matter to his community, but in doing so makes Ula feel like he either doesn’t have time for her, or sees her accomplishments as a way dedicate herself to the cause without considering if that’s what she wants to use her knowledge and skills for. It highlights both the loneliness and risk of fighting for your people’s land and livelihood, and the personal consequences for loved ones when someone commits themselves to an important but potentially deadly cause.

This wasn’t a long book, but there was almost too much going on. I think a longer book told exclusively by Ula, exploring her complicated relationship with her father, while unraveling the circumstances leading to his death, would have made for a more cohesive story. It would have better allowed the reader to understand Ula’s love for her heritage, and desire to have a better relationship with her father, while acknowledging that her father’s love of their people prevented him from being present for her.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tutankhamun18]

We follow Ulá Dominguez, a Bribri-American teenager living in Wisconsin whose relationship with her father, Andres, has become strained. Andres has returned to Bribri territory in Costa Rica and devoted himself to Indigenous land-rights activism, while Ulá feels that he has repeatedly chosen his political work over his family. Shortly after an uneasy Christmas reunion, Andres returns to Costa Rica and dies suddenly, supposedly of a heart attack. Ulá and her older brother Kabék travel there for his funeral, where they begin to notice details that suggest his death may not have been natural.

Ulá discovers a cryptic message left by her father, and she and Kabék begin investigating what happened to him. Their search draws them into conflicts involving Indigenous territory, illegal logging, settlers, corruption and people profiting from Bribri land. As they uncover more about Andres's activism and the threats surrounding it, Ulá is also forced to reconsider her understanding of her father.

The emotional centre of the novel is Ulá's complicated relationship with her father. At the beginning, she views Andres largely through the pain of feeling abandoned by him, and she sees his activism as something that has taken him away from his responsibilities as a parent. After his death, her investigation goes on through two levels: Ulá is trying to discover what happened to Andres, but she is also trying to understand him. The novel does not suggest that her anger was wrong, but instead complicates the tension between responsibility to one's immediate family and responsibility to a wider community.

A major theme is Indigenous land rights and environmental justice. Bribri land is not presented simply as property or a natural resource, but as something connected to ancestry, identity, culture and collective survival. Threats such as illegal logging and land seizure therefore represent more than environmental destruction: they are also threats to the Bribri people's ability to maintain their community and traditions.

The novel also explores identity, grief, intergenerational memory and different ways of knowing. Ulá has grown up partly removed from Bribri territory, so returning to Costa Rica forces her to think more deeply about what belonging to the community means.

The narrative structure jumps between Ulá’s perspetive and the voices of Bribri ancestral matriarchs. The ancestors provide a broader, collective perspective that reaches beyond what any individual character can see.

This connects directly to the title “Together We See”, where truth and understanding do not come from one person alone, but through family, community, ancestors and shared memory.

I enjoyed Ulá as a character and found this story very propulsive. Its plot was simple but interesting, it makes sense that this is YA.

[Mary Lou]

Together We See
By Ari Tison

First, I’d like to thank Ari Tison, MacMillan Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC of Together We See by Ari Tison

This book is a YA publication, but is just as interesting for adult readers like me. I was drawn to this book because I spent part of my college years studying in Costa Rica. Living in the capital, I received limited exposure to indigenous culture. Ari Tison does a very good job of including indigenous practices and ideas throughout the story. One aspect of Bribri culture is its matrilineal orientation, which plays a key role in this book.

The main characters are Bribri Americans, Ulá Dominguez and her brother Kabék. The story revolves around 3 main friction points. Those are: family dynamics, cultural differences, and indigenous difficulties with the Sikua (outsiders).

Ulá and Kabék’s parents are divorced, with Ulá living in Wisconsin with their mother, and Kabék living with their father in Costa Rica. Ulá is interested in her indigenous heritage, but feels pressured by their father, who is a land protection activist in the Bribri territory.

Indigenous territories in Costa Rica have some similarities to the reservation system in the US. Key differences are the territories lack autonomous governments and land rights are much more vague.

Ulá and Kabék travel to Costa Rica when their father dies unexpectedly. They are faced with unraveling the truth behind his mysterious death. Is it due to natural causes, his activism, family conflicts, or something else? And who is next?

Other important characters are their father’s sister, Tía Paloma, journalist Ian, and childhood friend Manuel. The natural world also plays a significant role in the story.

The book was entertaining and nicely paced. Tison does well with building suspense but less well with credible misdirects. The story was told from multiple points of view. Because of the setting it could have devolved into a myriad of details. There was just enough information about the rainforest to set the scene, without being overwhelming. Bribri cultural practices were woven into the book in a natural and immersive way.

The action was appropriate for the intended audience, but is a very worthwhile read for adults as well. If you enjoy mysteries that include indigenous culture, and a tropical setting, this one’s for you!

[Cassie]

3.75/5 ⭐

"Se ne suwe. And I remember what it means: together we see. It means even when we are apart, we still continue together. We see for one another. No one is ever alone. Separation doesn't stop us."

This novel shines most in its cultural richness and emotional authenticity. Tison’s portrayal of the Bribri people of Costa Rica feels immersive and thoughtfully rendered, offering readers a perspective that is both educational and deeply human. One of the strongest elements is Ula’s internal conflict—her struggle to honor her heritage while navigating the expectations and realities of the modern world is compelling and nuanced. The relationship and the complicated feelings between Ula and her father are raw and honest. That tension grounds the story, giving it a sense of realism that makes the characters and their decisions feel genuine rather than manufactured.

However, the narrative structure doesn’t always serve the story as well as it could. The abundance of points of view becomes overwhelming at times, particularly when the narration shifts in and out of ancestral voices. While this stylistic choice is ambitious and thematically relevant, it can blur the lines between perspectives, making it difficult to follow who is speaking and when. Instead of enhancing the story, these transitions occasionally pull the reader out of the experience.

The pacing toward the end is where the novel stumbles the most. After spending so much time carefully building motivations, relationships, and cultural context, the conclusion arrives abruptly. The final chapters feel rushed, as though the story accelerates too quickly to its resolution without giving key moments the space they deserve. Expanding one of the final chapters—or even adding a few more—would have allowed the climax to land with greater emotional weight and cohesion.

Overall, Together We See is a meaningful and engaging read that excels in its cultural depth and character authenticity, but is held back by structural inconsistencies and an ending that feels too compressed for the journey it sets up.

[Erricka Hager]

3.5 stars

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with advanced reader and listener copies of this impactful book.

Together We See is a gripping murder mystery that explores the lengths a family will go to protect their own. The story follows Ula, who returns to her ancestral land in Costa Rica to mourn the death of her estranged father. There, she reunites with her brother, Kabek, and the two begin to unravel the mystery surrounding their father’s untimely death.

As the investigation unfolds, the novel weaves in broader themes, including eco-journalism, missing islanders, land theft and land back movements, and the importance of matrilineal lineage. At its core, however, it is also a story about a fractured family and the complex, often painful ways Ula and Kabek attempt to repair those bonds.

One of my main challenges with the book was the use of multiple points of view. I found myself wishing we had more of Kabek’s perspective, especially given his markedly different relationship with their father. That said, Tison’s author’s note offered a compelling explanation for the inclusion of the journalist’s viewpoint and helped me better appreciate its role in the story. I also would have loved for the book to be slightly longer, allowing for a deeper exploration of Ula’s family dynamics and her complicated feelings about her father’s absence.

Overall, Tison’s commitment to Indigenous storytelling, along with the nuanced exploration of land, identity, and family, deeply resonated with the kinds of stories I’m drawn to—both personally and professionally. I’m looking forward to reading more of Tison’s work and would recommend this book to anyone interested in eco-justice, Indigenous perspectives, and stories about how stolen land impacts communities and relationships.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

[Ellen]

Together We See is a YA book with a lot of similarities to the books of Angeline Boulley. As in Boulley’s books, the protagonists are teens with both white and indigenous roots. As in Boulley’s books, the teens (here a sister and brother of the Costa Rican Bribri people) must work together to solve a mystery that has connections to their heritage. Ulá and Kabék come into this story with some family baggage; they live in rural Wisconsin with their mother and resent their father, who has been distant both physically and emotionally for many years. When he dies suddenly, Ulá and Kabék must go to Costa Rica for his funeral. While there, they discover that signs point to their father being murdered, and they work together and with Bribri relatives to uncover the circumstances surrounding their father’s death.

Because the father was a land activist, the story centers around Bribri culture and disputes over the land they inhabit. In addition to the living characters, the story is told by their ancestors, who watch silently as the events unfold. Thus we learn about the Bribri way of life at the same time as Ulá and Kabék do. While learning about this culture was fascinating, there was far less of it that I would have liked. The narrative concentrated on Ulá as she worked through her emotional ties to her father and her investigation into her father’s death. It seemed that the bulk of time was spent on how her father died rather than why. I would have been happier with story and the ending had more been discussed throughout the book about the tensions between the Bribri and white settlers leading up to the story.

The cover of the book also deserves mention. The image contains many references to Bribri culture, and I think it would be a fascinating exercise for an English class to research the symbols while reading the book. Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[lisa]

I would have read this no matter what since it was about indigenous Costa Ricans, but this was really sold to me as a book similar to The Firekeeper’s Daughter. It was sort of the same, but the protagonist, Ula was not nearly as proactive as Daunis. She lets things happen to her, as opposed to seeking things out. Most of the book is Ula and her brother Kabek accidentally finding things and other people figuring everything out and telling them what they learned.

There’s also a maddening amount of times when people don’t talk to each other, or refuse to answer direct questions. (Like why is Ula’s aunt lying to her at certain parts of the book? It doesn’t make sense.) Jorge also moves along at a very convenient time, and how did no one figure out who was involved until the very end when it’s such a small community, and many other things that mixed up the whole story. However, buried in the mess of plot was an interesting thought of how should land be rematriated back to the people it originally belonged to. The colonizers have been here for so long now that they have built their own connection to the land that was stolen from the original people. They have their own version of love for the land their ancestors stole, so how should those feelings be acknowledged? I liked the way the story ended, but it does leave a lingering question of how land repatriation should be decided.

This wasn’t bad, but The Firekeeper’s Daughter was much better. Read both and see which one you like better.

[Kelly]

3.5 stars rounded up.

Okay this is when rating is hard. I landed on 3.5 mainly due to execution, but it’s one of those that I want to rate higher because I think it’s a story and perspective worthy of attention. This book made me profoundly curious to learn more and I found myself thinking about it several times after finishing last week. It led me to research & learn more and that is really important to me; I think it may have a similar effect on others!

In this slow burn mystery, teenager Ulá goes to the Bribri Native territory in Costa Rica with her brother Kabék after learning of their father’s death. Ulá has a complicated history with her dad, but when she returns she learns about some of his activism work, about how police treat the crimes that happen on Native territory. There’s commentary around settlers and logging industry power & influence.

A few things I learned about Brirbri people:
- Population estimates ~11.5K in Costa Rica about about 1K in Panama
- The clan system is matrilineal - lineage, land inheritance, and clan membership pass exclusively through women!!
- The title of the book “Together We See” comes directly from a Bribri word – a drawback of listening to audio is that I didn’t know how to spell the word and I didn’t want to get it wrong here - but it means (from the book) “...even when we’re apart, we still continue together. We see for one another . No one is ever alone. Separation doesn’t stop us…Dad’s vision will continue with each of us.

[Alejandra]

This was such a beautifully told story. While it is a murder mystery, it also digs deep into family dynamics, grief, and the struggles of being biracial. As a biracial woman myself (Mexican by my mom and white by my dad), I related to Ulá and her struggles around identity and belonging.

Ni de aquí ni de allá.

Ulá's estranged father comes to spend Christmas with her, and in his typical fashion, he leaves just as quickly as he comes in. To Ulá's shock, upon returning to his home in Costa Rica, her father passed away. The police consider the case closed, as he had known health complications and a heart condition.

Ulá and her brother Kabék return to the territory to observe the funeral traditions. Upon their arrival, they quickly learn things are not what they seem; their dad's land activism may have made him the target of dangerous people. Ulá is determined to bring her father's death to justice with the help of Kabék and a few trusted adults.

Inspired by real-world missing, dead, and attacked Indigenous activists, Ari Tison pulls together a propulsive story full of grief, environmental justice, and the fight for retribution.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Ari Tison, and NetGalley.