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roseleaf24's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is the second book in a duology, but it does not resolve. The ending feels like there's a book 3, but there are not currently plans for one. I felt unsatisfied throughout the book. Manu is on her own. The book is gripping and engaging, but it's a string of Manu telling people she trusts what she wants, being ignored while a plan is made around her, plan going wrong, Manu doing what she feels is right, new problem coming up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Confinement, Racism, and Sexual content
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.5
Finished reading: August 24th 2023
“We are the narratives we tell ourselves. But do we shape language, or does language shape us? Do we define words, or do words define us? If everyone keeps insisting I'm this monster, how soon before I become her?”
It's true that I don't read a lot of YA fantasy anymore, but I couldn't resist joining the blog tour for the first book back in 2020 and I instantly fell in love with this Argentine folklore inspired high fantasy world. I've been meaning to read Cazadora ever since it was first published, but somehow it took me TWO years to actually do so. I'm definitely kicking myself now, because I ended up having another fantastic experience with this sequel! Cazadora offered all the things I loved in the first book, with the added bonus that you already know and care for Manu and her manada. The fantasy world itself is fantastic, and very much inspired by Argentina; the incorporation of both local folklore and customs brilliantly done. The Spanish phrases only add more authenticity to this story, and it definitely made my inner philologist happy. Most of the phrases are translated though, so it is still easy to understand what is happening even though you don't speak Spanish. The plot itself picks up where the first book ended; this is why I would highly suggest reading the books in order both to avoid spoilers and confusion about what is happening and how the high fantasy world works. There is plenty of new territory to explore in Cazadora though, and the story incorporates a lot of important topics along the way. The writing itself is simply fantastic, and I loved every single minute that I spent with this story. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed there will be another book in the future considering how things ended...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Police brutality, Racism, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Death, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Xenophobia, Bullying, Confinement, and Violence
bookishandlegal's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I absolutely loved Lobizona and this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I really liked this one, but I don't think I loved it quite as much as the first one. The pacing at the beginning felt a little off to me and the first section or so just didn't give me the same feelings I got when reading the first one. It's hard to explain, but it was just a little off--I was also in a not great head space when I started the book and that totally could have been contributing to those feelings!
Around the halfway mark I started getting really into it again and flew through the rest of the book. I loved exploring Manu and Tiago's relationship. There was also really good development and emotional/mental things going on with Saysa that I was really interested in and I wish this had been explored a bit more fully.
This book had a lot of great resistance and fight the power vibes that I really love. There were a lot of new characters and a few familiar faces from the first book. A lot of the lobizones from the first book that I really liked played smaller roles in this book, but that also lead to meeting new characters and going to new places. There were a lot of new characters introduced in the first half of the book that mostly disappeared in the second half (maybe that's what lead to the first half being a little off for me...phase 3/4 felt like a different book from 1/2 and that's partly because the setting and characters changed fairly drastically). I hope we see more of those characters in the next book.
The ending of this book was spectacular! Romina Garber sure can write a compelling and edge of your seat ending! The epilogue at the very end goes into Cata's POV and I absolutely LOVED that (also...hope that's a sign that in the next book we might get multiple POV's). I really love this story and world and I cannot wait to see where the story goes next.
Also...I feel like I should have guessed it since the name of the book is "Cazadora" but I totally did not see Manu being forced to become a Cazadore after going before the tribunal. Love that Cata and Tiago are joining too to be closer to her. Even thought I should have totally seen this ending coming I did not at all and loved that.
Around the halfway mark I started getting really into it again and flew through the rest of the book. I loved exploring Manu and Tiago's relationship. There was also really good development and emotional/mental things going on with Saysa that I was really interested in and I wish this had been explored a bit more fully.
This book had a lot of great resistance and fight the power vibes that I really love. There were a lot of new characters and a few familiar faces from the first book. A lot of the lobizones from the first book that I really liked played smaller roles in this book, but that also lead to meeting new characters and going to new places. There were a lot of new characters introduced in the first half of the book that mostly disappeared in the second half (maybe that's what lead to the first half being a little off for me...phase 3/4 felt like a different book from 1/2 and that's partly because the setting and characters changed fairly drastically). I hope we see more of those characters in the next book.
The ending of this book was spectacular! Romina Garber sure can write a compelling and edge of your seat ending! The epilogue at the very end goes into Cata's POV and I absolutely LOVED that (also...hope that's a sign that in the next book we might get multiple POV's). I really love this story and world and I cannot wait to see where the story goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Misogyny
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