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lyakimov's review against another edition
3.0
It was pretty good, dragged at some parts a little bit. I want more of the sisters dynamic.
zimbarzimbar's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun and magical journey, yet at times I felt disconnected from what was happening. Despite little to not training or even practice, Alex is able to unleash many different powers at full strength. I did not fully understand how the magic system worked, it seemed like you needed a Canto to do spells yet there is plenty of magic one can do on their own? The final battle and climax of the story seems underwhelming, I was not worried at all that the main heroes would prevail.
The romance at the end is honestly what saved the book for me, I did not much care for Nova and while Córdova laid hints suggesting that Rishi was in love with Alex, I was worried that it would come down to breaking her heart. Alex's realization that she loved Rishi felt genuine and not at all like it was tacked on at the end.
All in all it was a fun read and I will be picking up the sequel in the near future.
The romance at the end is honestly what saved the book for me, I did not much care for Nova and while Córdova laid hints suggesting that Rishi was in love with Alex, I was worried that it would come down to breaking her heart. Alex's realization that she loved Rishi felt genuine and not at all like it was tacked on at the end.
All in all it was a fun read and I will be picking up the sequel in the near future.
moonvers3's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5 Stars
I requested an e-book arc version of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Before I get into the review and what I liked and didn’t like about the book I need to give a little disclaimer. Although I gave this book 3.75/5 stars, I believe that everyone should give this book a chance, you never know how much you might appreciate it. As a bisexual woman of color, I have been waiting for this character my entire life. I am now 20 years old, and she took a hell of a long time to get here, but she is here and I appreciate Alex so much. This beautifully diverse series is written by an own voice author. There isn’t just Latinx and sexually diverse characters in this series, and I think anyone—no matter what age, what race, what sexuality—can appreciate what Cordova has brought to young adult literature.
Spoiler Review:
One of my favorite things about the book was the mixture of Alice in Wonderland with Mesoamerican (and other) mythology influences to the world of the Deos and the brujxs. I love witches, wizards, and anything fantasy, and when you mix in influences from mythology you have got me hooked my witchy friend. I loved the history of the brujxs and how they got to the U.S.; especially the Book of Cantos, and every little quote that was included before a chapter that gave the world that Cordova has created a little depth. Although I enjoyed all of this, I felt like the world is missing something, like the story lacked something that I cannot quite describe. The descriptions in Los Lagos and every location the characters visited was vivid and easily imagined in my giddy-for-myth brain, but even though it was easily imagined it was not enough. It resembled Alice in Wonderland, which is a book/film I love, but it seemed to be lacking some complexity. I was not afraid for the characters because the place seemed too friendly, too “suitable for children,” now I don’t know if that was just me or whether it was meant to be so. Not to say that the world isn’t beautiful, because by La Mama, it is gorgeous, it just felt a shy away from perfection.
I also enjoyed the characters, but possibly some more in theory than not. Nova, boy was I not a fan of his from the start. As an avid reader of YA literature, I am quite tired of the “bad boy” trope—it is a good thing I was kind of spoiled for this book and knew that there would be a girl love interest, but I still cringed whenever something romantic was implied between him and Alex. And Alex, the bisexual Hispanic girl I have been waiting for. I was really upset about the way she described/treated herself in the beginning of the book—another trope I am quite annoyed of reading—but I was glad to see her development and how she came into herself by the end of the novel. The girl of the hour: my main girl, Rishi! I was not aware of who the love interest would be, but I swear it on the Deos that I shipped her with Alex probably from her first interaction with Alex. I knew that the love interest would be in Los Lagos because I saw some fanart, so when Rishi showed up I was giddy. She is one of my favorite; she is hilarious, supportive, and extremely loyal. She made me wish the book was told in different points of view so that I could know what was going on in her brain. I do feel like the relationships between the characters needed a little more depth to really believe how important they were to each other and how deep the feelings go. This, of course, does not include the family because the relationships between Alex and her family were probably my favorite and most believable. Clearly, this is a family driven story, and it is prevalent with the way each sister cares for each other and how much Alex interacts with her relatives. I appreciated that as well—not many YA books have that much family-based relationships/interactions with the main character. I think the last time I even heard the word “godparent” was Harry Potter, and “aunt/uncle” and even “cousin” this much was with Percy Jackson. Family is important to the culture in the book and that is something quite refreshing to read.
It was clear that Alex would get her family back safe, that was relatively predictable for me, and that no one would really get hurt. One thing I did not see coming was how quickly the Devourer was destroyed—I truly believed such an evil being would take the entire trilogy to be destroyed so that was not expected. I felt the professions of love between Alex and the love interests a little too hasty—at least with Nova, it was insta-love and I am not a huge fan of that—but at least Rishi and Alex have been friends for a long time so that is more believable.
I love all the diversity in this book, and it is extremely appreciated. I do hope that the world has more development and depth in the next books; this story has a lot of potential to be one of my favorites so I cannot wait to see what Cordova comes up with. ~ Owl xxx
I requested an e-book arc version of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Before I get into the review and what I liked and didn’t like about the book I need to give a little disclaimer. Although I gave this book 3.75/5 stars, I believe that everyone should give this book a chance, you never know how much you might appreciate it. As a bisexual woman of color, I have been waiting for this character my entire life. I am now 20 years old, and she took a hell of a long time to get here, but she is here and I appreciate Alex so much. This beautifully diverse series is written by an own voice author. There isn’t just Latinx and sexually diverse characters in this series, and I think anyone—no matter what age, what race, what sexuality—can appreciate what Cordova has brought to young adult literature.
Spoiler Review:
Spoiler
Now that I have given a little insight on why people should read the book, let’s get started.One of my favorite things about the book was the mixture of Alice in Wonderland with Mesoamerican (and other) mythology influences to the world of the Deos and the brujxs. I love witches, wizards, and anything fantasy, and when you mix in influences from mythology you have got me hooked my witchy friend. I loved the history of the brujxs and how they got to the U.S.; especially the Book of Cantos, and every little quote that was included before a chapter that gave the world that Cordova has created a little depth. Although I enjoyed all of this, I felt like the world is missing something, like the story lacked something that I cannot quite describe. The descriptions in Los Lagos and every location the characters visited was vivid and easily imagined in my giddy-for-myth brain, but even though it was easily imagined it was not enough. It resembled Alice in Wonderland, which is a book/film I love, but it seemed to be lacking some complexity. I was not afraid for the characters because the place seemed too friendly, too “suitable for children,” now I don’t know if that was just me or whether it was meant to be so. Not to say that the world isn’t beautiful, because by La Mama, it is gorgeous, it just felt a shy away from perfection.
I also enjoyed the characters, but possibly some more in theory than not. Nova, boy was I not a fan of his from the start. As an avid reader of YA literature, I am quite tired of the “bad boy” trope—it is a good thing I was kind of spoiled for this book and knew that there would be a girl love interest, but I still cringed whenever something romantic was implied between him and Alex. And Alex, the bisexual Hispanic girl I have been waiting for. I was really upset about the way she described/treated herself in the beginning of the book—another trope I am quite annoyed of reading—but I was glad to see her development and how she came into herself by the end of the novel. The girl of the hour: my main girl, Rishi! I was not aware of who the love interest would be, but I swear it on the Deos that I shipped her with Alex probably from her first interaction with Alex. I knew that the love interest would be in Los Lagos because I saw some fanart, so when Rishi showed up I was giddy. She is one of my favorite; she is hilarious, supportive, and extremely loyal. She made me wish the book was told in different points of view so that I could know what was going on in her brain. I do feel like the relationships between the characters needed a little more depth to really believe how important they were to each other and how deep the feelings go. This, of course, does not include the family because the relationships between Alex and her family were probably my favorite and most believable. Clearly, this is a family driven story, and it is prevalent with the way each sister cares for each other and how much Alex interacts with her relatives. I appreciated that as well—not many YA books have that much family-based relationships/interactions with the main character. I think the last time I even heard the word “godparent” was Harry Potter, and “aunt/uncle” and even “cousin” this much was with Percy Jackson. Family is important to the culture in the book and that is something quite refreshing to read.
It was clear that Alex would get her family back safe, that was relatively predictable for me, and that no one would really get hurt. One thing I did not see coming was how quickly the Devourer was destroyed—I truly believed such an evil being would take the entire trilogy to be destroyed so that was not expected. I felt the professions of love between Alex and the love interests a little too hasty—at least with Nova, it was insta-love and I am not a huge fan of that—but at least Rishi and Alex have been friends for a long time so that is more believable.
I love all the diversity in this book, and it is extremely appreciated. I do hope that the world has more development and depth in the next books; this story has a lot of potential to be one of my favorites so I cannot wait to see what Cordova comes up with.
heatherinjapan's review against another edition
Not a fan of love triangles and also, as it's young adult, it's written way too young for me (my own fault not the books).
It also reads more like a Greek inspired story despite using Latin American mythical beings. Felt less original due to that
It also reads more like a Greek inspired story despite using Latin American mythical beings. Felt less original due to that
oshirley77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
knight101's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
killerkuma's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not a bad read. Probably really good for someone younger. I'm pushing 30 and while it is a fun YA book it definitely is easy to predict stuff. Not only that but the main theme of the book is kinda "no duh" for me. Still though I enjoyed the characters and the world building. It's nice to see a book that has characters that look like me and represent the culture I come from.
tcdancer4u's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
uruseibaka's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
OH-HO-HO, this has taken the most beautiful turn possible! First, a little run-down: we have Alex, a bruja who doesn't want powers; her family who gets whisked away; Nova, a smoking hot brujo who helps her get her family back; and Rishi, Alex's bestfriend
Throughout the book, we have cute little moments between Nova and Alex but then
Freaking genius. I'm cishet but I AM LAUGHING AT THE FACES OF THE CISHET PEOPLE RIGHT NOW LMAOOOO ZORAIDA CORDÓVA PLAYED US SO HARD.
Other than that badass twist, I love that this book doesn't revolve around romance. It's about family and finding yourself, love is just a subplot. Those are the best kind of books, in my opinion, because there's always more than just love.
The story is simply written but enough to have kept me interested. The familiarity helped, days spent reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter have proved useful. Labyrinth Lost has the basic roots of mythology and magic similar to the world of two of the greatest heroes in the history of books.
The plot lacked a little order though. Things were just suddenly happening. The events felt unnatural as if the author wrote them for the sake of just happening. Alex's relationships with Nova and Rishi lacked depth as well. If everything was laid out more carefully, I would have given it a solid four stars.
Overall, this one's a good read, just not a life-changing one. I recommend it if you're looking for a unique kind of adventure, one mixed with mythology and magic. Would I read the next book? Hmm, maybe.
Extremely late but thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC.
"She is the light in the hopeless places. She is the sky when the night blazes."
OH-HO-HO, this has taken the most beautiful turn possible! First, a little run-down: we have Alex, a bruja who doesn't want powers; her family who gets whisked away; Nova, a smoking hot brujo who helps her get her family back; and Rishi, Alex's bestfriend
Spoiler
who follows her into Los Lagos.Throughout the book, we have cute little moments between Nova and Alex but then
Spoiler
Rishi appears and says romantic stuff (I always thought her words were too strong to just be a bestfriend) AND THEN THE BEST PLOT TWIST IN THE HISTORY OF BOOK ROMANCES HAPPENS (albeit a little unsurprising). Nova is actually a traitor and Rishi and Alex realize they have feelings for each other. BRING THE BUCKETS BECAUSE I AM CRYING.Freaking genius. I'm cishet but I AM LAUGHING AT THE FACES OF THE CISHET PEOPLE RIGHT NOW LMAOOOO ZORAIDA CORDÓVA PLAYED US SO HARD.
"Sometimes I'm afraid I've put on so many masks that one day I won't be able to recognize who I am."
Other than that badass twist, I love that this book doesn't revolve around romance. It's about family and finding yourself, love is just a subplot. Those are the best kind of books, in my opinion, because there's always more than just love.
The story is simply written but enough to have kept me interested. The familiarity helped, days spent reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter have proved useful. Labyrinth Lost has the basic roots of mythology and magic similar to the world of two of the greatest heroes in the history of books.
The plot lacked a little order though. Things were just suddenly happening. The events felt unnatural as if the author wrote them for the sake of just happening. Alex's relationships with Nova and Rishi lacked depth as well. If everything was laid out more carefully, I would have given it a solid four stars.
Overall, this one's a good read, just not a life-changing one. I recommend it if you're looking for a unique kind of adventure, one mixed with mythology and magic. Would I read the next book? Hmm, maybe.
Extremely late but thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC.