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hagwife's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.5
I picked Lobizona up on a whim at a local used bookstore and am so, so glad I did – it's a powerhouse YA fantasy steeped in Latine culture and folklore. Manu's quests to belong and to protect her family (both blood and found) are beautiful and heartbreaking. I didn't expect how deeply the parallels would run between her status in Miami and her status in El Laberinto. Rivera explores what it means to be Other in not one, but two cultures, showing the light and dark sides of each; trust me, you're going to be just as mad at the Cazadores as you are at ICE .
What holds everything together is Manu's found family and their support of each other in crafting and stepping into their own identities. The love she and her friends have for each other doesn't preclude or erase any disagreements but instead makes it safe to have those disagreements, authentic security rather than inauthentic perfection.
One of the most powerful aspects for me is the conversation around tradition and heritage versus individuality. Manu is struggling against two worlds that she loves deeply but whose values and rules don't seem to love her back. In this, Lobizona joins a pantheon of great YA novels who demonstrate that the right to be yourself doesn't have to be at odds with your personal, familial, or cultural history, something that is important for all of us to remember and extremely important for teens and young adults to believe in.
If you liked Cemetery Boys, you'll love this, and vice versa!
What holds everything together is Manu's found family and their support of each other in crafting and stepping into their own identities. The love she and her friends have for each other doesn't preclude or erase any disagreements but instead makes it safe to have those disagreements, authentic security rather than inauthentic perfection.
One of the most powerful aspects for me is the conversation around tradition and heritage versus individuality. Manu is struggling against two worlds that she loves deeply but whose values and rules don't seem to love her back. In this, Lobizona joins a pantheon of great YA novels who demonstrate that the right to be yourself doesn't have to be at odds with your personal, familial, or cultural history, something that is important for all of us to remember and extremely important for teens and young adults to believe in.
If you liked Cemetery Boys, you'll love this, and vice versa!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation and Confinement
Moderate: Sexism
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Classism, Deportation, and Police brutality
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Hate crime, and Bullying
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Biphobia
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Abandonment, Confinement, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Cursing
karwc's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
carolined314's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Sexism, Deportation, and Sexual assault
Minor: Violence
ananyagarg's review against another edition
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 :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, Sexism, Bullying, and Lesbophobia
joisaddler's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Violence and Deportation
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Enchanting and well developed, I loved every page. Manu is such an interesting character, and I love the idea of a space-loving werewolf going to the moon. I would also like to make out with a boy in his secret illegal library. Javier was a red herring, I thought the queer rep would just be him as a closeted side character, but NOPE. I love how many layers of metaphors you can fit in a werewolf. This could have been just an incredible fantasy story that happened to feature a magical school, but it had to go and reference Harry Potter over and over again. Girlie, you're better than that in every way. Big sad my library doesn't have the sequel because I'm trying not to buy more books rn.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Body horror, Confinement, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
ericageorge91's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Homophobia, Police brutality, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence, Bullying, and Sexual content
thejuliebookshelf's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deportation, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Xenophobia