Scan barcode
emily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book definitely shone in how real the characters and their relationships with one another felt, as well as how rich and descriptive the writing was, especially when it came to showing Latinx religion and culture. However, for about 60-70% of this book I wasn't really looking forward to picking it back up when I put it down for the day. I think this was because the pacing of this portion of the book was VERY slow (due in part to repeating information), and in the beginning it was quite info-dumpy. For this reason, I was looking at giving this a 3.5 stars but the ending really got to me.
While the initial conflict of the ending felt anticlimactic,the resurrection conflict totally gripped me . The ending also had me completely taken by Yadriel and Julian's relationship and how fiercely they loved each other. Finally, I found the epilogue really moving. These three elements cemented this book as a 4 star.
While the initial conflict of the ending felt anticlimactic,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Deadnaming, Racism, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Body shaming, Animal death, Cursing, Alcohol, Drug use, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Car accident, Body horror, Vomit, Ableism, and Medical content
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first half of the book was only appealing for me personally in its emotional descriptions of the life of a trans person and the details about Latinx culture. A significant amount of the mystery and overall plot was predictable, but it still ended up surprising me a bit in the details, and the second half of the book paced much better for my taste. It wasn't always clear to me what the "rules" of the magic were such as how Maritza healed Yadriel without animal blood, why Julian had a 'seizure' the night before the one at the Bahlam ceremony, or why Julian could so easily hold a shirt for such a long time when he had to work hard to touch other things that same day but overall that didn't detract too much from the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Death
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Deadnaming, Grief, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence
kkpwnall's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Transphobia
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
More...