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M

Melanie

January 21 2018

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1527025496i/25581546._SX540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> ARC provided by Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. 1.) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1663125805" rel="nofollow noopener">Labyrinth Lost</a> ★★★★ ? My favorite review for Bruja Born: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1744402324?book_show_action=false" rel="nofollow noopener">Lilly's!</a> <blockquote> “This is a love story. At least, it was, before my sister sent me to hell.” </blockquote> Friends, Bruja Born was such a treat. It’s the ownvoices, Latinx, magical story you’ve been looking for. And I liked it even more than <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1663125805" rel="nofollow noopener">Labyrinth Lost</a>, which I loved! When I first requested an ARC of this, I was completely surprised when I found out it wouldn’t be following Alex, the main character of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1663125805" rel="nofollow noopener">Labyrinth Lost</a>, but her sister, Lula, who I quickly and easily fell in love with, too. <blockquote> “Magic transforms you. Magic changes you. Magic saves you. I want to still believe in all those things.” </blockquote> But Lula’s story also quickly and easily breaks my heart. I want to write so much here to give you guys a synopsis, but I’m going to be very vague. The book’s actual synopsis feels really spoilery, in my opinion. I went into the book without reading the synopsis, and I truly think I had a better reading experience because of it. But Lula finds herself in a very heartbreaking situation, and when this tragedy strikes, the goddess of death herself is there to pick up the pieces. Lula finds herself unable to give someone up and uses her magic to desperately try to keep them close to her, but she quickly discovers that not all things are meant to stay. Trigger and content warnings (please do not read if you want to go into this book completely unaware of the events) for car crash, blood, gore, loss of a loved one, grief, trauma, a lot of talk of death, talk of dead bodies, and scenes with physically harming oneself. One of the best elements of Bruja Born is the strong emphasis on familial bonds, and how unconditional love will always be the most powerful kind of magic any of us will ever possess. Lula, Alex, and Rose are such sister goals, but their entire family and their willingness to sacrifice is something so beautiful that I don’t even have words for it. <blockquote> “You really think I’m going to betray my sister for you? Boy, bye.” </blockquote> And Lula’s personal journey, to loving herself, outside and inside, is so powerful that I wish I could put this book in the hands of every teenage girl in the world. Being able to sacrifice for the ones you love, but to ultimately put yourself and your life first is a combination I hardly ever read in books, but it is so very needed. This truly is the most beautiful love story of all time: the love story of loving yourself, unapologetically. <blockquote> “My mother told me beauty was a gift. If they’re right, then what am I now? All I know is I left fragments of myself in Los Lagos and I don’t know how to get them back.” </blockquote> And this book also heavily deals with the effects of grief. Everyone in this family is grieving from what they’ve lost or what they’ve found. PTSD, trauma, and grief are all touched upon in this book, and everyone is coping and dealing with it differently. Lula is the star of this book, and everything she is dealing with breaks my heart, but seeing her deal with it is so important and so inspiring. Overall, I loved this and I think the world will love it, too. And I feel like I could never get enough stories about these Brooklyn Brujas! I’m guessing the next installment will be about Rose, and I’ll be honest with you all: she’s my favorite sister. So, I’m extra hyped. Also, Nova totally won me over in this book as well. So, hopefully we get both of them and more paranormal beings, because this book had vampires, shifters, zombies, and more! Please, Zoraida, give me all the fae! I loved Bruja Born and I hope you all fall in love with it too! <a href="https://meltotheany.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/meltotheany/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.twitter.com/meltotheany" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://meltotheany.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Tumblr</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4RbHEg_fH6CewJrh_0xJ9g" rel="nofollow noopener">Youtube</a> | <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/meltotheany" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitch</a> The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. Buddy read with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2432645-lilly-lair-of-books" rel="nofollow noopener">Lilly</a> at <a href="https://lairofbooksblog.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Lair of Books</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/36907106-alexis-theslothreader" rel="nofollow noopener">Alexis</a> at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSlothReader" rel="nofollow noopener">The Sloth Reader</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13507409-amy" rel="nofollow noopener">Amy</a> at <a href="https://acourtofcrownsandquills.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">A Court of Crowns and Quills</a>, & <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/56698680-lori" rel="nofollow noopener">Lori</a> at <a href="https://majesticreadingblog.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Reading with Lori</a>! ❤

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Acqua

June 08 2018

Bruja Born is the second book in the urban fantasy series Brooklyn Brujas, and one of the best YA fantasy novels I've read in 2018. I almost didn't read this. The first book, Labyrinth Lost, followed middle sister Alex. I read it when I was Alex's age, and I still found both the narration and the writing to be very juvenile, the plot predictable. I didn't have any of these problems with Bruja Born, and I think this book is worth reading even if you were disappointed by Labyrinth Lost. This novel follows older sister Lula, who is struggling to cope with the return of her dad and the way Los Lagos affected her. When her boyfriend breaks up with her and is victim of a car accident just a few minutes later, Lula knows she will do anything to get him back. She is a healer Bruja, after all: can't she make him return from his coma and heal their love? Bruja Born is a very unique book. I've always been fascinated by the novels who choose to deal with the dark side of crushes, with the intensity of teenage love. For a genre that is so obsessed with teenagers and their romantic relationships (finding a YA book without a romance is a struggle), I rarely see this aspect in YA fiction, especially in regard to the protagonist's crushes (the evil ex trope does not count). Also, Lula isn't demonized for it, which is important. This is not a love story, and I loved it for that. Because here's the thing about magical teenagers: they are going to be selfish and mess up, again and again, and that will become even worse when they're in love. Most of them will probably use their power not only to unselfishly save the world. I love how in the Brooklyn Brujas series the conflict is driven by the main character's mistakes. It feels far more real than any demon invasion or urban fantasy supervillain. Another of my problems with Labyrinth Lost was that it didn't go far enough. It was set in a paranormal world but it was never as creepy and atmospheric as it could have been. Bruja Born didn't have this problem. It's one of the creepiest books I've read in a while, and the scenes in which Lady de la Muerte is described gave me chills. It's the kind of book that makes you want to look around you when you're alone in your room because it makes silence feel unsettling. Also, real-world casimuerto-infested New York is far more atmospheric than Los Lagos was. I feel like this series is very underrated. This book made me want to reread Labyrinth Lost to see if I'd like it more now, to understand if I reviewed it too harshly because I wasn't in the mood for it when I read it. The Brooklyn Brujas series reminds me of The Shadowhunter Chronicles, except there's more diversity, less cheesy romance tropes, and more depth in far less pages. If you like The Shadowhunters Chronicles, you should try this series - the magic system (Brujeria) and the atmosphere are unique, but they have the same feel. Also, in this novel we're introduced to a wider variety of magical creatures: vampires, shifters, hunters, zombies... Another thing I love about this series is the focus on family. Brooklyn Brujas is a series about sisters, and their bond it's one of the things that makes it stand out from many other urban fantasy series. Parents and extended family are also relevant to the plot. While I liked this book far more than I expected, I can't say it was flawless. Some of the small problems I had with the writing in book one are still here - mostly, the descriptions of Nova's eyes, at least they aren't "bipolar" anymore, but why would you describe someone's eyes as "Caribbean Sea" eyes? The other small problem I had with this is also one of the main reasons I didn't like the first book: Rishi, Alex's female love interest, is not in this book. Instead, we get a lot of Nova. In the first book, Alex spends a lot of time describing how attractive is Nova, and says almost nothing about Rishi - and then the endgame relationship is her and Rishi. It almost comes out of nowhere, and it has very little development, so much that in the second book Rishi isn't there at all. What's the point of having an f/f relationship if you're never going to show it?

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WhatIReallyRead

December 25 2018

BRUJA BORN AS A PART OF A SERIES This is the second book of the Brooklyn Brujas series, and as such it has two problems: - it was completely unnecessary as a sequel. The events are in no way connected to what happened in book 1. Seriously, there is absolutely no reason this book exists, except that perhaps the author signed a 3-book contract. - it's not a very good book. BRUJA BORN AS A BOOK What I liked: <blockquote>“I have a plan.” She squints in my direction. “I don’t like that face.” “I don’t like your face either, but I still have to look at it”</blockquote> - The family dynamics were fun. Also touching. - It improved the "Spanglish" issue I referred to in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1793245496" rel="nofollow noopener">my review</a> of the first book. What I didn't like (spoilers ahead) - very banal plot. Remember how in books and movies with magic in it, one of the rules of magic is inevitably "don't try to raise the dead" with a two-sentence-long cautionary tale of someone who did try to bring a lover back from the dead and it went wrong. Well, Bruja Born is this cautionary tale blown up to novel length. It didn't need to longer than 2 sentences. It was beyond boring, predictable and generic. - lots of whining and moping done by the main character Lula - who is also a very selfish jerk. She keeps doing lots of stupid selfish shit which endanger, harm and kill lots of innocent people. Still, she insists she can handle it, keeps secrets from competent people who could help, making things worse. - when faced with the consequences of her actions, instead of improving, feeling contrite, stepping back and letting sane people clean up her mess, she just starts yelling at everyone stuff like "I did this terrible thing! Do you know how hard it is to be me?! You think I don't know how terrible it is?!", which, surprisingly makes everyone apologize. Lula then proceeds to boss everyone around, and THEY LISTEN TO HER. Why?! Why would anyone listen to this stupid teenager who is responsible for so many continuing deaths? Not only that, Lula has no problem literally bossing Gods around either! - there's a really easy way of stopping these deaths - by killing Lula. But for some unknown reason, no one even considers it. All of these powerful people trip over themselves trying to help her and save her, while others die in dozens every hour. WHY?! How is she more valuable than all those people? Honestly, I wanted to kill her myself. The book would have been 3 pages long. - oh, the convenience is taken to a shameless level: <blockquote>“I am trapped between—” she says, the last word cuts out in static. The possessed man’s neck turns at an unnatural angle, bones snapping when the head moves too close to the shoulder. “You must free me.” Death isn’t here to kill me. My moment of brief relief is instantly replaced with panic. “Free you? How? Where are you?” The man starts to shake and cough up black mucus. His head rolls back and his mouth snaps wide open as the living shadow starts to escape.</blockquote> Hahahaha! Static? Seriously? The voice of the goddess is interrupted by static when she conveys her message by possessing a man? Is she possessing him via radio waves or what? And, of course, the static shows up in a way that interrupts crucial information, for no other reason than to make the book 200 pages longer than it would otherwise be. Some lazy-ass writing right here. <blockquote>You'll have to catch me first</blockquote> Says dying, beaten, sick and bleeding Lula to a monster with super-human strength and speed. And you know what? He doesn't catch her. For no reason at all. Two minutes before he moved with lightning speed, now a hurt teenager outruns him with no problem at all, because the plot demands it. - Love story? As in many YA love triangles, when the "romantic interest" status switches to another character, the former one needs to turn out to be a complete monster and then preferably die. The new interest needs to turn out to be a sappy and valiant romantic who's had an invisible crush on the heroine for the last 20000 years. Yuck. - the whole book the characters need a solution to their problem, but they don't really search for it or get any closer. They just walk around watching shit go down, not having any clue what to do. Understandable, since there is no logic to the magic in this world. Then, out of nowhere, descends an idea - the first and only idea - which immediately proves correct. A completely stupid, arbitrary and unexplainable solution, I might add. This was some lazy writing, again. - weak world-building. We're in book 2, and still have very little understanding of what exists and is possible in this world, how the magic works, what creatures live here and what they are like, how the magical beings are managed and kept secret from mere humans etc. It all seems like the author relies on all the urban fantasy books you've previously read and says "well, this is a vampire. Imagine a generic YA vampire." - weirdly Bruja Born undid the resolution to the Alex-Nova-Rishi love triangle. At the end of Labyrinth Lost, Alex ends up in a relationship with Rishi. But in Bruja Born, Rishi doesn't appear even once, is barely even mentioned. Nova, however, is a prominent character. I doubt I will be continuing this series, given the track record of the first 2 books.

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h o l l i s

May 30 2018

I'm just a girl, forcing myself through a diverse fantasy series, wanting to love it.. and failing. Despite a really strong start that had me super duper excited, BRUJA BORN, the second in the Brooklyn Brujas series, once again failed to win me over. Everything about this series, the diversity of the cast, the coolness factor of the bruja mythology (not to mention the expanded universe and paranormal types we got in this installment), all of it, should be a guaranteed win for me. But I'm just not connecting to these characters. Lula, for all I thought she was a great supporting character in book one, did not live up to her POV potential.. and I worry I'll end up having the same problem with Rose, even though right now she's kicking major ass as the littlest bruja sister. The plot for this one just seemed to be centered around doing things you know you shouldn't be because wrong and consequences and yet doing them anyway. And also being really slow on the uptake. A cycle of constant injuries, healings, and more injuries. And a whole lot of waiting for things to get worse. I appreciate that the narrative of this story kept repeating that 'this isn't a love story' because in a lot of ways it isn't. It's about letting go because holding on eventually becomes unhealthy, except Córdova's used zombie-like creatures to express the moral of her story. I don't know. There's just too much happening in these books and yet not enough substance, or the substance is just overwhelmed by flash. Because I'm a masochist I'll read the final book, close out this sisterhood of Girls Who Make Bad Decisions, and hope Rose is less inclined to almost end the world. And also because I really want a happy ending for Nova. But my hopes, they are not high. ** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

B

Brooke — brooklynnnnereads

May 27 2018

First, I much mention right out the gate that I much preferred this novel in comparison to "Labyrinth Lost". One of my biggest issues with the original novel was that I became confused in how the different language was used with the assumption that the reader would simply understand. That issue was resolved in this sequel and it was done amazingly well, allowing a different language to be integrated in the story with small explanations subtly coinciding with their use. As well, I really enjoyed the plot of this sequel. It was different, intriguing, and very emotional. I didn't know what to predict for the ending as the decision Lula had to make was an extremely difficult one and I could not predict whether there could be a possible solution. Unfortunately, I felt that as much as the story and plot started out strong in the beginning, my attention did seem to peter out midway through and I was losing my focus. Eventually, the story gathered my attention again but that was nearing the end of the book. It just read kind of slow halfway through. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in this trilogy which I'm imagining to be coming from Rose's point of view. She's such a complex character (all the sisters are though) with complex powers so I'm excited to learn more about her. ***Thank you to Raincoast Books and Sourcebooks for sending me this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review***

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Lauren Stoolfire

May 25 2018

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Lula feels like an outsider. After Alex gains newfound Encantrix powers have scarred her more than her healing abilities can fix, Lula just wants to be comforted by her family. Thank the Deos for Maks, her boyfriend who sees the best in her and brings a spark of light to her life. Then a bus crash changes everything. All of her classmates are dead, including Maks. With her powers Lula can resurrect Maks, even if she needs the help of her sisters in order to defy Death. Magic that defies the laws of the deos is unpredictable and dangerous. When it's all said and done, though, Maks isn't the only one that's back. Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Córdova is a fantastic sequel to Labyrinth Lost. In fact, I definitely preferred this sequel to book one. Labyrinth Lost was good and very promising, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. However, I needed to return to the world that Córdova created because her world-building is top notch. As much as I enjoyed exploring the world of Los Lagos the first time around, I loved exploring the sisters' expanding world at home seeing more of the magic they're capable of since they've really started to come into their own. Without the Alice in Wonderland major inspiration, this novel is able to stand more on its own two feet. Honestly, I think I prefer Lula more than Alex as the leading perspective character. I found myself much more invested in Lula and her story rather than Alex who sometimes fell a bit short for me. Lula goes through a lot here, and as far as I'm concerned she's more realistic and relatable overall despite her flaws. My one favorite "cameo" in this story is at the 26% - Adam Silvera get a shout out! Finally, I just want to mention that this novel is more a companion to book one rather than a direct sequel. You wouldn't necessarily need to be familiar with Labyrinth Lost to appreciate Bruja Born, but honestly it just makes the story more intriguing to know the characters, world, and everything the Moritz family has been through. Overall, Bruja Born hooked me right from the get go. I'm can't wait to see book three - and, of course, I expect it's going to feature Rose, the third Moritz sister, who has psychic abilities. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of the Thorne Hill Alliance and the Knights of Lavant in the next book. In the meantime, though, I will need to pick up the Cordova's other fantasy series, The Vicious Deep to tide myself over. If you're a fan of dark YA urban fantasies, witches, magic, you'll need to try this companion novel.

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Lilly (Lair Of Books)

May 04 2018

FIREreads Pre-Order Campaign Deets... <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cZed-hhsF6pPETyQCgtFJGtbwtNdmKNMoEWsIVrOnlk/viewform?edit_requested=true" rel="nofollow noopener">Submit Proof Of Purchase</a> Participants who enter between 12:00 a.m. ET April 12, 2018, and 11:59 p.m. ET June 4, 2018, will receive a signed bookplate and a bookmark. The first 200 participants who enter between 12:00 a.m. ET April 12, 2018 and 11:59 p.m. ET June 4, 2018, are eligible to receive a Magical Brooklyn Map, and if you are one of the first 100 participants who enter between 12:00 a.m. ET April 12, 2018, and 11:59 p.m. ET June 4, 2018, you are eligible to receive a limited edition set of character cards and a Bruja Born pin. UPDATE: 5/25/2018 ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review Buddy Read with Melanie from <a href="https://meltotheany.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Meltotheany</a> FULL REVIEW MAY ALSO BE VIEWED ON <a href="https://lairofbooksblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/07/spoiler-free-review-bruja-born-brooklyn-brujas-2-by-zoraida-cordova/" rel="nofollow noopener">LAIR OF BOOKS</a> MY REVIEW... There's something special about the second book in a trilogy, it's almost always the book to determine whether you keep going or hit the brakes. Bruja Born had me entranced in its spell, I couldn't think of anything else when I wasn't reading it. I enjoyed Labyrinth Lost last year but Bruja Born has left me head over heels in love with Zoraida Córdova's writing, characters, and expanded world (more on this further down). I'm a Latinx Brooklynite myself & all I would've needed to top this read off was a front stoop or Brooklyn rooftop to read under the night sky. Atmospheric, dark, lush with culture & lore, a story filled with magic & its consequences. A tale about love & letting go, acceptance and self-love...I didn't expect the many layers we got in this book but can honestly say Bruja Born blew me away! “Follow my voice, my love, my love. Death cannot tear us apart. Take my hand, my love, my love. Follow the light of my heart. —Lula’s Healing Canto, Book of Cantos” Bruja Born picks up after the events in Los Lagos (the underworld) in the first book Labyrinth Lost. Since this is a sequel I won't go into too much detail to avoid all the spoilery things. When I think of Los Lagos I picture Guillermo Del Torro's Pan's Labyrinth in terms of how dark this world is. Labyrinth Lost was told from the point of view of Alex, the actions she took had some serious shared consequences between her & her sisters. These consequences play out in this second installment which is told from Alex's sister Lula's POV. Lula has had the most burden to bear from the events in the last book but they all pretty much came back changed one way or another. Lula is struggling with all of her relationships & is facing a possible break-up with her boyfriend Maks who cares a lot for her but is finding it hard to deal with her distance. Lula is hiding things from Maks both beneath & on surface level. In the Goodreads blurb we are told there's an accident that leads to the deaths of many of Lula's classmates including Maks. Lula's inability to let Maks go leads her down a path of defiance where she'll have to answer to Lady De La Muerte aka Lady Death herself. Lula and her sisters have a history of going up against the Deos (Gods) but this time they may have bitten off more than they can chew. “The Deos, too, learned their limits. El Fuego extinguished into ash. La Ola crumbled into salt. El Terroz clove the earth in pieces. El Viento fell and kept on falling. But from their limits, Lady de la Muerte was born —The Creation of the Deos, Antonietta Mortiz de la Paz” There's a system of checks & balances where Lady De La Muerte is concerned and defying death has never gone unpunished. As frightening as Lady De La Muerte sounds, seeing her come to life on the page was terrifying! envisioning her staff alone was enough to make me read with the lights on. The depiction was on point & whenever there was a scene with Lady De La Muerte I was left shooketh! There's so much to this book to love but perhaps the expansion & inclusion of other magical beings we all know and love, is what took this book to yet another level of enjoyment. I picked up on some Mortal Instruments vibes as well but make no mistake Bruja Born is its own thing & the Latinx representation is strong and beautiful! The family bonds in this sequel are strengthened and we get to see their ups & downs. This isn't just your straight forward Fantasy where demons are fought & the hero comes to the rescue. This is a story where there aren't any clear winners and the consequences of defying the laws of nature are as big as the deed itself. The characters you meet on the page are complex and flawed but they all have come to love the magic that runs deep in their blood. Córdova has created a world centered around a Latinx family of Brujas & Brujos I've come to love spending time with between the pages. Maybe it's the snippets of Spanish sprinkled throughout the pages or the familiarity of this family that pull me in but seeing more diversity in YA Fantasy has genuinely made me fall in love with the genre once again! *HUGE thanks to SourceBooks Fire and Zoraida Córdova for the early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

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Heather (The Sassy Book Geek)

June 12 2018

Review Originally Posted On <a href="https://thesassygeek.wordpress.com/2018/06/13/spoiler-free-arc-review-bruja-born-brooklyn-brujas-2-by-zoraida-cordova/#more-31415" rel="nofollow noopener"> The Sassy Book Geek </a> **** Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **** Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars ****Trigger Warnings: Violence, Death, Gore, & Self Harm (for magical purposes)**** I enjoyed the first book “Labyrinth Lost” (review here) which was told from Alex Mortiz’s POV and full of Latinx magic and mythology, it’s a fantastic book overall. I was a bit skeptical when I found out the sequel would be told from Alex’s sister Lula’s POV instead of hers but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed her perspective. I can honestly say I loved “Bruja Born” even more than “Labyrinth Lost”! Plot First off I’d like to say that I think the synopsis for the book is a bit on the spoilery side, I went into this without reading it and I thought it was much better that way. So I won’t be discussing the happenings of the plot in too much detail due to said spoilers. Just know that Lula finds herself in a very heart-breaking situation and thus unleashing some magical chaos. There were some moments where my heart broke for her and things got pretty emotional as well as suspenseful. There’s still plenty of magic and mythology present in “Bruja Born” which I loved, I think we see even more world building in this one with the Thorn Hill Alliance and Knights of Lavant being brought into the fold. We see several other supernatural beings too, which I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting that with this book (I was more so focused on the brujas) but it was welcome nonetheless. I’m glad we got to see more brujeria (magic) in this book, it was really interesting to see how different each person’s magic was and to see it in action. However, I do wish we had more info on the Deos though, I’m dying to know more about them and the little paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter are such a tease! As for the writing and pacing, both wonderful! I actually went through this book pretty quickly and it flowed so well, there were definitely no dull moments. There were also a few twists that I didn’t see coming as well, it kept my attention 100%. I really enjoyed the overall themes present in the book as well, once again (as with Labyrinth Lost) we see strong familial bonds and positive family relationships being portrayed. It’s so refreshing to see families shown in YA that are whole and fully support each other, I especially loved how the sisters (Alex, Lula, and Rose) acted helping each other out while still bickering occasionally, as sisters do! Another sort of theme I thought was shown well was the overall acceptance of yourself as a person that we see in Lula throughout the story. Lula, for example, has scars on her face she finds hideous and uses glamour to hide them but she grows so much as a character throughout the story that she learns to accept herself for who she is physical appearance and all. And that ending? Can I have the next book now please? You can’t leave me hanging like that! Prepare yourselves for a pretty brutal cliffhanger! Characters I loved the characters just as much as I did in “Labyrinth Lost” if not even more! As I already mentioned I loved that the Mortiz family is shown in such a positive light and how they all support each other no matter what. I was definitely excited to learn more about each family member as well since they’re absent for most of the first book. Lula was a fantastic narrator and I thought she was an incredibly realistic and relatable character. She grows so much throughout the story too and I can say she’s easily a very well developed and complex character, flaws and all. I also understood the choices she made, even if they weren’t the best, and liked how she owned up to everything she did. I really enjoyed the introduction of a few new characters such as McKay, Frederik, and Rhett. Definitely want to see more of them! I mean the side characters have so much personality and we hardly see them! Romance This is hard to place, there is romance in “Bruja Born” and yet it’s not in the way you’d expect. There is a focus on the relationship between Lula and her boyfriend Maks, which I always thought they were a sweet couple but that’s all I’ll say on that subject. There is a love interest that comes alone much later in the book, and I adore him even more….. I would say the story focuses a lot more on the love between Lula and her family though, which I basically live for. I love the Mortiz family so freaking much! In Conclusion What I Loved: Fast pacing & writing that flowed well Engaging plot with some great twists Strong family relationships Great world building and mythology It’s diverse YA fantasy! All of the characters were lovable and well developed overall What I Didn’t Love: That mean cliffhanger ending! I would love to see the world building and mythology fleshed out even more Recommend? I recommend checking out “Bruja Born” if you were a fan of “Labyrinth Lost”, this sequel will not disappoint you! If you’re looking for a magical, diverse YA fantasy to add to your TBR then this is the series for you!

M

Melissa

June 10 2018

I’ve never been a fan of zombies. But casimuertos, I like! This book was full of action, from the start. I loved it like the first one and probably like the third one that I can’t wait to read. 2019 is too far away!!! I also loved how the story is told from a different character: in the first book, you live through Alex, and now, through Lula. Can’t wait to see who it will be for book 3! Rose, Nova or Patricio? I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Captain

June 05 2018

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here are me honest musings. While I try to post no spoilers, if ye haven’t read the first book and ye keep reading this log then ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . . It was an absolute delight to be back in the world created by this author. If ye haven't read these novels, they mix Latin American religions and cultures, Mexican holidays, Afro-Caribbean religion, and other things. It is beautifully done. The first book dealt with Alex. This one focuses on her sister, Lula. Lula has been struggling since the events in the previous book. She seems to have lost sight of herself and is clinging hard to the pieces of identity that she no longer seems to inhabit. So when events threaten to take the one thing that seems to be holding her together, she aims to fight back no matter what the cost. This book continues to highlight the importance of family and community. One of the more interesting aspects is that ye get to see the results from Alex's adventure and how it has impacted the entire family. The whole family is struggling with grief, guilt, and post-traumatic stress. There are scars from the past, some literal, and everyone is coming to terms with this new reality. I think that this is an extremely positive outlook despite the inherent pain involved. Magic didn't solve everything and there is a price to be paid for mistakes. And yet, this family sticks together and are determined to love and support one another as they heal. I found Lula's story to be heart-wrenching. She really doesn't make the best choices and doesn't know what she wants out of life anyone. She is clinging to a version of the past and the idea of a future that has disintegrated. Lula uses the familial bonds of love and guilt to chose a selfish path of action that brings no relief and only more pain to all involved. It is a harrowing journey. While this was an extremely quick and compelling read, I did have a quibble with the story. Alex's actions in the first book seemed to only impact her direct family and friends. Lula's actions have a much broader scale and effected people outside of the community. It seemed out of line with the rules set up in book one. I am not sure how ye hide magical trouble with those kinds of fatal results. I am hoping the next book will explain this in more detail. It seems very likely that the next book will focus on the third sister, Rose. I sure hope so! I will definitely be reading it. So lastly . . . Thank you Sourcebooks Fire! Check out me other reviews at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/">https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...</a>

Bruja Born

Comming soon...

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