Scan barcode
yeontan's review
4.0
Labyrinth Lost is the story of Alex, an ecantrix, the most powerful bruja (witch) in a generation. Alex hates her magic. It is a dark reminder of the death and destruction she leaves in her wake and of the day her family was torn apart. On her death day ceremony Alex makes the ill-fated decision to free herself of her magic for good – and casts a canto (spell) to rid herself of her dark powers for good. When the canto backfires and Alex’s entire family disappears in a single moment she’s left alone and terrified. Alex finds herself being hunted by a monster and with a brujo she’s not sure she can trust. With no choice but to trust, Alex follows Nova into the mysterious land of Los Lagos in search of her family. All the while, the devourer, a powerful and evil bruja is hunting Alex in order to steal her power.
Labyrinth Lost was my second read of 2017 and is up for being one of my favorites. The opening chapter has an immediate hook and draws you into the magical world of the Brooklyn Brujas. The language Cordova uses is engaging and filled with a haunting eeriness (I constantly felt like I needed to look over my shoulder). Alex and her sisters spoke with such teen authenticity it reminded me of the way I am with my own two sisters.
Alex’s character arc was engaging and I believe teenagers struggling with loving their heritage will relate. She grows form a girl who resents who she is and wants to turn her back on it, into a proud young bruja. I was rooting for her the entire way and felt as though my family member had come to accept herself when she finally did.
The world-building in this story is intricate and detailed. A stand out scene took place in Los Lagos where Alex and her friends (Nova and Rishi) find themselves captivated by magical beings who trap them like sirens. The scene was filled with a sense of urgency carefully woven in with calm. I felt as though I were experiencing the same muddled emotions as Alex and her friends.
There is a love triangle in this story but it is not what you think. I do not want to spoil anything all I will say is Alex is bisexual and this is clearly represented. Alex’s chemistry with both of her love interests was electric, I knew who they were before she did. I do think the story would have benefited more with explaining why Alex felt the way she did about Nova a part from thinking he was pretty. While their chemistry was palpable the relationship did not have much depth.
In the story Alex is being hunted by the devourer, an evil presence in Los Lagos who is hungry for her power. The devourer proved to be a truly terrifying villain, cloaked in mystery. I was a little let down by her arrival and felt it could have used more urgency and danger. However, her motives were strong and she was a fun villain overall.
Over all, it was an engaging read. While the story did slow down at points it was still extremely enjoyable. If you were a fan of the TV shows Charmed and The Secret Circle, you love the same sisterhood and eeriness Labyrinth Lost provides.
Review on Blog
Labyrinth Lost was my second read of 2017 and is up for being one of my favorites. The opening chapter has an immediate hook and draws you into the magical world of the Brooklyn Brujas. The language Cordova uses is engaging and filled with a haunting eeriness (I constantly felt like I needed to look over my shoulder). Alex and her sisters spoke with such teen authenticity it reminded me of the way I am with my own two sisters.
Alex’s character arc was engaging and I believe teenagers struggling with loving their heritage will relate. She grows form a girl who resents who she is and wants to turn her back on it, into a proud young bruja. I was rooting for her the entire way and felt as though my family member had come to accept herself when she finally did.
The world-building in this story is intricate and detailed. A stand out scene took place in Los Lagos where Alex and her friends (Nova and Rishi) find themselves captivated by magical beings who trap them like sirens. The scene was filled with a sense of urgency carefully woven in with calm. I felt as though I were experiencing the same muddled emotions as Alex and her friends.
There is a love triangle in this story but it is not what you think. I do not want to spoil anything all I will say is Alex is bisexual and this is clearly represented. Alex’s chemistry with both of her love interests was electric, I knew who they were before she did. I do think the story would have benefited more with explaining why Alex felt the way she did about Nova a part from thinking he was pretty. While their chemistry was palpable the relationship did not have much depth.
In the story Alex is being hunted by the devourer, an evil presence in Los Lagos who is hungry for her power. The devourer proved to be a truly terrifying villain, cloaked in mystery. I was a little let down by her arrival and felt it could have used more urgency and danger. However, her motives were strong and she was a fun villain overall.
Over all, it was an engaging read. While the story did slow down at points it was still extremely enjoyable. If you were a fan of the TV shows Charmed and The Secret Circle, you love the same sisterhood and eeriness Labyrinth Lost provides.
Review on Blog
mrqreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
komalestas's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
laurenkara's review
4.0
I loved the world and all the Latinx culture that was used. I felt like the characters were a bit flat at times, but things picked up towards the end of the book. It was a really fun read and it's great seeing a main character that is a person of colour and identifies as bisexual. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of paranormal/fantasy. Full review to come.
princessklee's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-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
5.0
tpeirona's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
It took me a long while to get into this book and it really only happened the last 75 or so pages. I liked the Latin American aspect with the bruja magic and I grew to like Alex. The love triangle was not fleshed out enough in my opinion and my favorite character definitely got done dirty. 3.5 stars, will read the next book because I already have it but not sure I would have continued on otherwise.
writeinprogress's review
3.0
I loved the idea behind this book, it was queer and magical and so imaginative. However, for some reason I found myself forcing my way through it. I would absolutely recommend this book, but it just wasn’t for me.
jjvaldezbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
compelling idea, promising world, diverse cast, but pace was all over the place, too much telling/not showing, magic "recoil" system made sense for everyone but the super special MC
lsparrow's review
3.0
I appreciated the focus on the Brujas traditions and views of magic. A YA fantasy adventure. It was okay. I was more interested in the magic and mythology than the actual characters and plot.
cruggington's review
3.0
TL;DR-
Pros:
POC visibility (full POC cast)
queer visibility (bisexual lead)
imagery
Cons:
pacing, takes a lot of time to get the ball rolling
wasn’t satisfied with the handling of one character
Labyrinth Lost functions well as a series opener. There’s a significant amount of world-building that happens throughout; nothing overwhelming, but enough to recognize that this isn’t a one-off type of book. However, having said that, I personally don’t need a follow-up. Although the book ended on a cliffhanger, like every first-in-a-series does, it didn’t leave me with anything to desire and I’m totally fine with that conclusion.
Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this story as a whole. I liked it - the world of Los Lagos is excellently built, and a beautifully imagined realm. But I have to talk about Labyrinth Lost’s biggest problem: Nova. Was. Robbed! Nova was my favourite character and it was frustrating to watch his end of the stick continually get crappier as his story unfolded. I’ll keep the details out of this review to keep it spoiler-free, but I was disappointed by how he was handled in the narrative.
Anyone who has read my reviews before knows how much I believe in and advocate for the #RepresentationMatters cause. I can confidently say this is the only book I’ve ever read that featured a whole cast of POC, which is equally as incredible as it is a sad reality in terms of diversity in literature. Beyond that, the protagonist, Alejandra, is canonically bisexual! A queer, Latina, and female lead! Triple whammy! (Full disclosure: the romance itself isn’t great. The queer characters lack chemistry, unfortunately. Nonetheless, I still love the representation.)
Overall, do I recommend? Yes. Anyone in the mood for some YA adventure and magic should give this book a peek. It’s a great October read, totally suitable for the Halloween season.
Will I be reading the rest of the series? Maybe. Ask me again when the second book is released.
Pros:
POC visibility (full POC cast)
queer visibility (bisexual lead)
imagery
Cons:
pacing, takes a lot of time to get the ball rolling
wasn’t satisfied with the handling of one character
Labyrinth Lost functions well as a series opener. There’s a significant amount of world-building that happens throughout; nothing overwhelming, but enough to recognize that this isn’t a one-off type of book. However, having said that, I personally don’t need a follow-up. Although the book ended on a cliffhanger, like every first-in-a-series does, it didn’t leave me with anything to desire and I’m totally fine with that conclusion.
Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this story as a whole. I liked it - the world of Los Lagos is excellently built, and a beautifully imagined realm. But I have to talk about Labyrinth Lost’s biggest problem: Nova. Was. Robbed! Nova was my favourite character and it was frustrating to watch his end of the stick continually get crappier as his story unfolded. I’ll keep the details out of this review to keep it spoiler-free, but I was disappointed by how he was handled in the narrative.
Anyone who has read my reviews before knows how much I believe in and advocate for the #RepresentationMatters cause. I can confidently say this is the only book I’ve ever read that featured a whole cast of POC, which is equally as incredible as it is a sad reality in terms of diversity in literature. Beyond that, the protagonist, Alejandra, is canonically bisexual! A queer, Latina, and female lead! Triple whammy! (Full disclosure: the romance itself isn’t great. The queer characters lack chemistry, unfortunately. Nonetheless, I still love the representation.)
Overall, do I recommend? Yes. Anyone in the mood for some YA adventure and magic should give this book a peek. It’s a great October read, totally suitable for the Halloween season.
Will I be reading the rest of the series? Maybe. Ask me again when the second book is released.