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kitkatgirl200's review against another edition
4.0
Went into this book with a vague concept of what it was about, and was surprised in a lot of ways and not surprised in a lot of others. I knew it was YA, but I don't need to tell anyone about the weird divide between YA for teens and YA that's basically adult fiction, so I'm glad that there's content like this out there that's actually made for a younger audience rather than pseudo adults.
Unexpected Percy Jackson vibes? The characterization, the dialogue, the character quirks. It would feel like a disservice to it's portrayal of Latinx culture to compare them in other ways. By the style gave me a similar vibe nonetheless.
I appreciate the use of Spanish throughout the book. It's never impossible to understand the context or meaning, but it also doesn't hold your hand too much.
The plot was mostly predictable and oddly reminded me of a 150,000 word fanfiction I read a long time ago, but the end was just creative enough that I felt like rounding up to 4 stars rather than rounding to 3.
Overall a good read, and I'm sure anyone that falls even slightly more into the target audience will love it.
Unexpected Percy Jackson vibes? The characterization, the dialogue, the character quirks. It would feel like a disservice to it's portrayal of Latinx culture to compare them in other ways. By the style gave me a similar vibe nonetheless.
I appreciate the use of Spanish throughout the book. It's never impossible to understand the context or meaning, but it also doesn't hold your hand too much.
The plot was mostly predictable and oddly reminded me of a 150,000 word fanfiction I read a long time ago, but the end was just creative enough that I felt like rounding up to 4 stars rather than rounding to 3.
Overall a good read, and I'm sure anyone that falls even slightly more into the target audience will love it.
fangslibris's review against another edition
5.0
Sure it's a bit predictable, but that epilogue! I think my heart grew three sizes this day.
honnomushi13's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Aww super cute story. Great setting.
kboulden's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Really fun and fast read- the characters were great but the plot was entirely predictable. Not sure if this is just because it’s YA.
scholastic_squid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
One thousand times yes!
Did I think a YA book would blow my mind this year? Absolutely not! I steer clear of YA typically due to the lack of quality writing (ahem changeling Maritza here) * however * (end the sass) this book contained everything I wanted and more. There is nothing bad I could say about this including the fact that I started with a physical copy had to return it and then switched to audio and was expecting an atrocious narrator. That didn’t happen either! In fact I believe the narrator enhanced the story because of their flawless pronunciation of Spanish and the attitude behind the characters.
Check boxes of aspects I love to find in a story:
- lgbtqa+ representation
- strong females
- strong families (or found families)
- believable conflict
- incredible world building
- unique and intriguing characters
- cemeteries or ghosts
- men who show emotion beyond anger
- interwoven lore or cultural imagery
- powerful writing
- ((bonus points for having crows or squids because those are my fav animals but I’m giving a pass here because umm we got lady death!))
Every single one of these things was hit on and absolutely nailed it.
Did I think a YA book would blow my mind this year? Absolutely not! I steer clear of YA typically due to the lack of quality writing (ahem changeling Maritza here) * however * (end the sass) this book contained everything I wanted and more. There is nothing bad I could say about this including the fact that I started with a physical copy had to return it and then switched to audio and was expecting an atrocious narrator. That didn’t happen either! In fact I believe the narrator enhanced the story because of their flawless pronunciation of Spanish and the attitude behind the characters.
Check boxes of aspects I love to find in a story:
- lgbtqa+ representation
- strong females
- strong families (or found families)
- believable conflict
- incredible world building
- unique and intriguing characters
- cemeteries or ghosts
- men who show emotion beyond anger
- interwoven lore or cultural imagery
- powerful writing
- ((bonus points for having crows or squids because those are my fav animals but I’m giving a pass here because umm we got lady death!))
Every single one of these things was hit on and absolutely nailed it.
historicalfemme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.75
gtorian22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
whatthedeuce's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25