Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Lobizona

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Lobizona by Romina Garber, Romina Russell

26 reviews

leesibadom's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

One thing I can’t deny is that this book has good bones, the premise of this book is a story that deserves to be told in any form of media available to us.

But did it feel a bit rushed to me? Absolutely.

Did I enjoy this? It was fun, if only a bit underdeveloped

Will I be reading book 2? Oh absolutely.

Content Warnings

carolined314's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

While featuring a lot of (justified) fear around being undocumented and deported, this book also has a ton of complex fantasy world and some fascinating character development. Great fun.

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tamikie's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-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

3.75

It felt slow to me at the beginning, buy it picked up and I enjoyed it!

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kshertz's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It was a fascinating fantasy book about loving yourself despite the systems around you trying to destroy you. But yet, quoting Harry Potter, whose author would rather you not be your authentic self. So I loved this book so much and became very attached to the characters. Then the Harry reference would take me out of it. But overall, totally an amazing YA book that I recommend reading. There’s so much there about the systems and fighting back while coming of age.

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ananyagarg's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I loved getting to learn about Argentine folklore through this magic-filled adventure about subverting gender norms and the reality of being undocumented in the U.S. However, I wish this book wasn't filled with references to Harry Potter :(

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ericageorge91's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring 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

4.25

I felt so full while reading this book. I immediately loved the writing. Often, Garber does a phenomenal job of showing and not telling with the readers. That’s something I really value in books and I don’t find as often as I would like in YA stories. This is an Argentinian story about a magical world of witches and werewolves. Garber deftly weaves and grounds these supernatural elements with social issues that we see today. I found this story really well-paced. I was never bored.

I also want to take a moment to commend the world-building in this story. I’m not one for setting or the outdoors for that matter. When I envision characters, they are always acting in the barest of backgrounds. That being said, I cannot emphasize enough how breathtaking El Laberinto sounds. I don’t want to spoil too much because I think that you should experience that magical place yourself. I will say that I have not felt that awe-inspired by a magical place in years. It felt so immersive. Garber, I—🧎🏾‍♀️

I also want to say, that for conflicted and former HP fans, there are a few references in this book. If you are full on anti-HP, I would say try the story anyway. I found echoes of that story in this one that made me feel so nostalgic, but in a story written by someone that I can happily support. Based on the premise of this book and the sex/gender discussions so far, I feel as if this author will not lead you astray. I’m very hopeful, at least!

Rep: Latinx, sapphic officially. There’s not explicit confirmation but I feel as if there’s incoming achillean and/or trans rep coming. I know it’s not much but I feel like the main character’s storyline has good discussion about existing outside of the sex/gender binary that might resonate with trans readers

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sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is one of the best YA fantasy books I have read. I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot this year but they just are so awesome.

The themes of gender identity and combating the gender roles that the society places on men and women in this world. The women are always Brujas ( witches) and the men are lobizones ( werewolves) but what if there is a possible in between or shift in those roles.

This book also explores the hardships of being undocumented and not belonging. The uncertainty of being able to remain in a world that doesn’t want you but you live in for safety.

The magic systems, portals magic and worlds, found family and friendships made my heart happy. I highly recommend this book and am so excited for book 2!!

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thejuliebookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

LOBIZONA can be summed up in one word: lush. The writing is beautiful, the worldbuilding is detailed, the plot is engaging, and the Argentine folklore is rich.

Garber has written excellent YA fantasy. This story discusses issues of sexism, binaries, gender roles and expectations, culture, and being undocumented with nuance, empathy, and anger. You’re definitely going to want to check the content warnings for this book.

I enjoy reading books with untranslated Spanish dialogue, phrases, or sentences. LOBIZONA was particularly fun for me, because it made me realize that I was unfamiliar with Argentine Spanish, and I went down a huge internet rabbit hole after reading the first chapter.

The most important stuff for plot or character development is translated, and non-Spanish speakers can easily use Google Translate for the rest. If this makes you frustrated, remember that language is an essential part of identity and culture – the Spanish is intrinsic to the novel and LOBIZONA would feel incomplete without it!

I’m not going to say too much else for fear of spoiling, as the synopsis for this book is quite vague. But know that I really loved this book and immediately purchased the duology.

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onceandfuturereaders's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I think the only reason this isn’t a 5 star read is because it took me so long to get into. I’d say the first 30% was necessary to setting up the story, but I struggled through it so much that I wasn’t sure how to feel. But once Manu connected with her friends and started really discovering who she was, I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the second book.

There are quite a few references to Harry Potter. Just feel like it’s important to note.

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author2223's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

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