A review by mjwhitlock18
Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa

emotional slow-paced

3.5

Historical magical realism inspired by Mexican folklore, set in Kansas City during prohibition. A female bootlegger hiding her magical abilities, her heritage, (and usually her feelings) dreams of owning a jazz club, but has to contend with sexism, bigotry, and local gangsters while protecting her family and growing her business. 
This book starts off slow and has some extraneous parts that lend to that feeling; I had a hard time getting truly immersed and entranced with the story. But it is easy to like and root for these characters. It portrays the experience of children of immigrants and I appreciate the queer representation as well. I like that we get to follow Luna’s journey of coming into her magic as well as her identity overall. I like the character of Heck Kessler, even if he fits stereotypes in a few areas; he was just enjoyable and relatable and loveable. 

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for this eARC to read and review! To be published Sep 2022
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