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A review by jamgrl
Lobizona by Romina Garber
adventurous
emotional
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
3.5
First off, I want to say: it is awesome to read/listen to a fantasy book so imbedded into a Latin American country’s culture: despite taking place entirely in Florida (when they aren’t in a magical realm), Argentina is very present in this story.
On the book: This book is not very subtle, but it is pretty interesting! I enjoyed the parallels of the fantasy world and the real world, the conversations about identity and belonging, the commentary on why categorizing people is bad (is this a response to the Hogwarts house system?? Because Garber is right.) and about immigration (being an immigrant and the immigration system and what it means to be an outsider). I just adore the fun of teenagers being together and doing fantasy stuff while also plotting plots. Also, all the Spanish! The fantasy world itself is lush and interesting and I love that everything in both the fantasy and real world societies has a dark political undertone. The romantic subplot was generally uninteresting to me, but I am aware I am not the target audience for adolescent lust/romance 😅.*
Warning: There is a large amount of Harry Potter references (named references by the protagonist) in addition to other books, like Pride and Prejudice and 100 Years of Solitude. This is something I don’t love in general/find awkward (think Bella Swan talking about Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet all the time), but the amount of Harry Potter specifically was a bit uncomfortable- be warned if reminders of Harry Potter are upsetting.
On the book: This book is not very subtle, but it is pretty interesting! I enjoyed the parallels of the fantasy world and the real world, the conversations about identity and belonging, the commentary on why categorizing people is bad (is this a response to the Hogwarts house system?? Because Garber is right.) and about immigration (being an immigrant and the immigration system and what it means to be an outsider). I just adore the fun of teenagers being together and doing fantasy stuff while also plotting plots. Also, all the Spanish! The fantasy world itself is lush and interesting and I love that everything in both the fantasy and real world societies has a dark political undertone. The romantic subplot was generally uninteresting to me, but I am aware I am not the target audience for adolescent lust/romance 😅.*
Warning: There is a large amount of Harry Potter references (named references by the protagonist) in addition to other books, like Pride and Prejudice and 100 Years of Solitude. This is something I don’t love in general/find awkward (think Bella Swan talking about Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet all the time), but the amount of Harry Potter specifically was a bit uncomfortable- be warned if reminders of Harry Potter are upsetting.
*Though, I did in fact whoop audibly when Manu walked in on Saysa and Cata 😂.