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fatimaelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
citrus_seasalt's review
4.5
After almost a year of promising a Bookstagram friend that I’d read this(hi, Alex), I’ve finally got around to it!! Also a shoutout to Frankie Corzo for her narration, I’ll definitely check out more of her audiobooks(lord knows I need to listen to more narrators), I loved her attention to the emotions and intonation details in every bit of dialogue. (Plus, how she switched fluidly between English and Spanish.) I’d also argue that the audiobook is the best format to listen to this in, since the entire book is Xochitl telling her own story to Soliz. It makes the story feel a little more immersive! (Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler.)
This was really cool!! I loved the worldbuilding for the cuentista lore, and the parts of different cities’ history and their characters as Emilia and Xochitl progressed on their journey. And I noticed that by the end, each of these smaller mysteries scattered throughout were tied neatly into the cast, which left me with not a lot of questions(and honestly is very rare for me in a standalone, usually the main concern for an ending is “tying things up” but there was a lot of thought put into it! Kudos)! Xochitl’s character growth was also largely tied into religious trauma overtones, I liked how it showed her grappling with her faith and living under an indifferent god. Religion was a large part of this story, and there were several different perspectives on it throughout, depending on the character or region, which I thought was interesting.
And Emilia!!! Of all of Xochitl’s relationships, her dynamic with Emilia shines. Even in their initial interactions where they distrusted each other, their parallels still made them walk this line between not wanting to totally confide in the other, but knowing they were understood somehow. The compassion they showed the other, whether it was silent or outspoken, was really sweet and I loved how it developed the more they got to know each other on a deeper, emotional level. The progression of their relationship is, granted, in real time quick, but in the context of the plot I thought it felt organic. (UGH AND THE ENDING!! So tender.) And in the context of the acknowledgements, I appreciate this growth more.
I liked the side characters, too, they were memorable in their very human struggles, especially under the oppression of Each Of Us A Desert’s world. Even if only one of them got to actually give a story to Xochitl! (Eliazar’s story HURT) God, I just loved how faith, family and other bonds were written.
And for as much as this book had love and heart in it, it had just as much dread lol. It’s a phenomenal survival story, and the almost dystopian setting made for a tense atmosphere throughout. There were some parts—particularly with the sabuesos—that definitely made me understand why Oshiro decided to write a thriller after this.
The reason why this isn’t at a five stars though is I thought the book got really repetitive with the themes sometimes, and Xo’s realizations about her role and autonomy. Or cryptic lines would be repeated a few too many times. Listening to it on audio made it all the more annoying, especially towards the end.
Definitely recommend though, the writing style sucked me in and so much of this was excellent.
This was really cool!! I loved the worldbuilding for the cuentista lore, and the parts of different cities’ history and their characters as Emilia and Xochitl progressed on their journey. And I noticed that by the end, each of these smaller mysteries scattered throughout were tied neatly into the cast, which left me with not a lot of questions(and honestly is very rare for me in a standalone, usually the main concern for an ending is “tying things up” but there was a lot of thought put into it! Kudos)! Xochitl’s character growth was also largely tied into religious trauma overtones, I liked how it showed her grappling with her faith and living under an indifferent god. Religion was a large part of this story, and there were several different perspectives on it throughout, depending on the character or region, which I thought was interesting.
And Emilia!!! Of all of Xochitl’s relationships, her dynamic with Emilia shines. Even in their initial interactions where they distrusted each other, their parallels still made them walk this line between not wanting to totally confide in the other, but knowing they were understood somehow. The compassion they showed the other, whether it was silent or outspoken, was really sweet and I loved how it developed the more they got to know each other on a deeper, emotional level. The progression of their relationship is, granted, in real time quick, but in the context of the plot I thought it felt organic. (UGH AND THE ENDING!! So tender.) And in the context of the acknowledgements, I appreciate this growth more.
I liked the side characters, too, they were memorable in their very human struggles, especially under the oppression of Each Of Us A Desert’s world. Even if only one of them got to actually give a story to Xochitl! (Eliazar’s story HURT) God, I just loved how faith, family and other bonds were written.
And for as much as this book had love and heart in it, it had just as much dread lol. It’s a phenomenal survival story, and the almost dystopian setting made for a tense atmosphere throughout. There were some parts—particularly with the sabuesos—that definitely made me understand why Oshiro decided to write a thriller after this.
The reason why this isn’t at a five stars though is I thought the book got really repetitive with the themes sometimes, and Xo’s realizations about her role and autonomy. Or cryptic lines would be repeated a few too many times. Listening to it on audio made it all the more annoying, especially towards the end.
Definitely recommend though, the writing style sucked me in and so much of this was excellent.
theseventhl's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this several days ago and I'm still thinking about it. My heart is still in the desert with Xo and Emilia, thinking about all the layers of this intricately built queer Latinx fantasy world. It's a gorgeous, deftly written lyric of a book, at times so intense I had to take breaks from it. Another top tier novel from Mark Oshiro, and I can't wait to read their next book, whenever that comes out and whatever that may be.
laurenxochitl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
thomasr417's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
violethazel's review against another edition
4.5
this book was beautiful, very unique. I loved how it was addressed to solis (the sun), the religious undertones, the journey of self-discovery. character development was great too. reading the acknowledgements though - that was TOUGH.
lee_noel's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
This was just gorgeous. Why aren't more people talking about this book?